Clean Mouth, Clean Mind; Clean Mind, Clean Soul

“Lord, open my lips and my mouth shall declare your praise.” (Psalm 51:15)
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I can’t tell you how long I’ve wanted to discuss profanity. There are a multitude of topics that I want to cover but haven’t, either because I don’t think I’m a good authority on them or I’m afraid my posts would turn into a wag-of-the-finger, but I think we’re safe here. Truly, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter because I’m just now developing my own. 

Humiliating Confession: I used to have a mouth like a sailor. Oh it was bad. I threw four-lettereds around like crazy and laughed at myself the whole time. I thought I was being hilarious and had no idea that my peers were pretty turned off by my fiery tongue. It wasn’t until my boyfriend confronted me that I was made aware of how offensive my speech was; what shocked me was that he used profanity quite a bit himself, so to know that he was bothered woke me up.

I could list the words under the Profanity category, but you already know them – the F, S-h, B, etc. In addition to the four-lettered utterances, there are the sexually explicit ones, the ones that take God’s name in vain {blasphemy}, and the phrases that wish harm on others {cursing}. Often used to emphasize a point/command or even add a touch of edge to your humor, profanity is glad to find a home in the mouth of any soul and it does not discriminate among  goody-goodies or those of a rougher crowd. Once it settles in, it’s hard to kick out.

Thanks to the wake-up from my high school boyfriend and surrounding myself with good people in subsequent college years, my mouth became clean as a whistle and my mind consequently followed. Luke 6:45 says “from the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks,” which was true in my case. The way you speak is the way you think and vice versa. Back in my sailor days, I was easily angered and horribly insecure. I was quickly embittered and not charitable. Not to say that I’ve completely conquered those negative attributes, but rather than allowing them to fester as I did then, I’m working to rid my soul of them and I’m especially aware that they are not from God. It may sound silly, but I wore a rubber band on my wrist and each time I swore, I snapped it against my skin; not as a sort of punishment or attempt to harm myself {something like that really doesn’t hurt}, but to remind myself and make myself more aware of my speech.

To speak plainly, I think using profanity is sinful and I’ll do my best to explain my reasoning: each of the more common profane words refers to something vulgar or at least rude; it doesn’t matter how desensitized a person is to swearing or how funny the joke, the original meaning behind the word is there and referenced. Sexually explicit words are vulgar and disrespectful to human dignity at best. Blasphemy speaks directly against God, and cursing someone often involves calling on God to condemn them to hell. Foul language conveys no charity; on the contrary it poisons expression and countenance. This kind of expression is harsh and crude and does not further the love of God.

I discussed “profanity and Christianity” with someone yesterday. The other party tried very hard to reconcile the two and eventually argued that swearing doesn’t harm anyone or demean anyone so what’s the big deal? I can’t agree with this idea as an excuse for any sort of bad behavior – swearing is inherently bad whether muttered in private or used around others. Hard as it is to swallow the idea, developing, nurturing, and maintaining this kind of habit ultimately leads to accepting speech and behavior increasing in offensiveness. Not only that, but it conveys to others that you accept such speech as well, which does not hold them accountable. It’s true. I didn’t start out cursing like a sailor, first I accepted such language from others instead of defending myself with a lighthearted-yet-intentional “Yikes, watch your mouth” or even a matter-of-fact “Please don’t speak that way around me.” Though others didn’t hear it from me, they knew they could swear in my presence, which gradually made me comfortable with it. I’d let a word slip here and there, all the while knowing that my language wasn’t very nice, but because I didn’t hold anyone accountable, none of them held me accountable either. When it came to profanity, if I didn’t use a word out loud, I thought it to myself and encouraged it in others by my own speech. The occasional blurt became the frequent blurt and so on.

20/20 referenced a study done years ago saying that swearing indicates a lack of creativity and intellectual capability, because those who use it aren’t able to express themselves with civility or more intelligence than “F.” There are exceptions to the rule of course, but I understand the point made. I’ve heard the argument that using milder phrases like “That’s unfortunate” or “Oh my goodness!” fails to communicate the desired strength behind an emotion, so in such cases cursing is acceptable; to which I respond that in those circumstances (and all when swearing is a temptation), a person needs discipline to withhold from offending God and others.

I can’t say that my speech is beautifully flawless even now, but if a “bad word” does come forth, I immediately apologize to God and anyone else who might have heard. Later, I try to pray the Divine Praises as penance. If someone else lets a word or phrase out, I base my reaction on the circumstances. Someone fuming with anger won’t likely receive correction well, but within casual conversation I’ll express reaction enough to convey discomfort with their choice of words. Though many perceive profanity as a delicate business, it doesn’t need to be because it’s so crystal clear. If you’re trying to kick the habit yourself, try the rubber band trick or pay sharp attention to your language. Pray for the grace to overcome that particular sin and that your speech will always praise God.

“But now put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and foul talk from your mouth.”
(Colossians 3:8)