Is Cussing an Act of Rebellion Against the Living God?
It has become a trend and a contemporary form of virtue signaling to say that you either don't have, deactivated, or deleted your Facebook account. I have done none of the above. I am unabashedly active on Facebook. If you know me, you know that I have little patience for any type of thinking that is not critical. This puts most people who come across me into two categories; they either hate me or they love me. I don't think I've ever heard of someone who is indifferent toward me. Even my Facebook conversations involve critical thinking, and you are bound to hate me or love me by the end of this blog post.
One of my Facebook friends is a thought-provoking minister of Protestant Christian Habesha communities. He posed a thought-provoking question and I took a stab at it. Below is the video he linked to and my response. Hopefully, it edifies you.
Profanity qua profanity is not a sin. Context is our measuring device. People who say they "don't cuss" (like some of my Mormon acquaintances) simply remix common cuss words (i.e. freak, dang, poop, etc.) This is an instruction in hypocricy 101. This is a loop-hole devoid of critical thinking that epitomizes the difference between the death-giving letter and the life-giving Spirit. Additionally, cultural differences in a diverse community can lead to vastly different opinions of what respect and taboo are (i.e. habeshas and americans, the old and the young, city folk and country folk). Cultural competence can help us love our neighbors more, but we cannot please everyone and/or prevent all from stumbling because even the cross of Jesus Christ is a scandal to some. I agree with the author of the video. Edification is of the utmost importance in our thoughts, words, and deeds. "For there is no truth in their mouth; their heart is destruction, their throat is an open sepulcher, they flatter with their tongue" (Psalm 5:9 RSV). "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits" (Proverbs 18:21 RSV). Also, James (Jacob) 3:1-12 & Jude 8-16 should be examined in this discussion. We can destroy without cuss words and we can edify with cuss words. Here are 2 examples. "You are unworthy of the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Kill yourself." "I fucking love you." An example of what Bereket Kelile was saying above would be, "fuck Satan and all of his works." May God grant us the wisdom to be contextually edifying. Thank you for this stimulating question.