At the Heart of Profanity

I've noticed a trend lately. One I'm not particularly fond of. Teenage girls have been uttering profanities in everyday conversations more and more without thinking twice about it. You can turn on the TV to an episode of practically anything and hear more bleeps than actual conversations. Or morning radio shows which make for riding in the car with children difficult when the topic is, "Telling your boyfriend how it really is." But truthfully you can just stand in line at the local store and hear them boldly spewing out words that would make your grandmother gasp.

We are living in a society that used to shun foul language. A mother would threaten to wash her son's mouth out with soap if he dared to speak so inappropriately again. This reminds me of the movie A Christmas Story when Ralphie curses out the neighborhood boy and his mother overheard him, he had to sit in the bathroom with the bar of soap in his mouth as punishment. But words that were once thought to be too risque for a man to speak let alone a woman, hold no bars for the women of today's hip evolving culture. Our society now praises young women (and men) for "speaking their mind." You are apt to hear vulgarities everywhere and not surprisingly, even in younger generations as parents are not so quick to discipline their children. You even see curse words in advertisements, and truthfully, they aren't trying to be subtle. I found an article from the New York Times that talks about commercials and just how far they are pushing the limits with use of profanity in everyday advertising.

I have become deeply saddened by this new fad currently effecting our adolescents, and in fact effecting every part of my everyday world. What was once something I thoughtlessly took engaged in is now something I take offense to. What is causing such bright and talented young women of today to so carelessly choose a vocabulary that doesn't properly reflect who they are? Or is it just that that their vocabulary is exactly who they are and what they are becoming?


An argument I see constantly from young girls is that cursing or swearing is not a bad thing and that they can say whatever they want to. That regardless of how their words sound to others/affect other people around them, is not often in the forefront of their mind. It's just "how they talk" and the listener must "deal with it." In their defense, I understand why they feel this way seeing as how we Americans are brought up to know such freedoms, one being free speech. But, this argument fails to hold ground against the Word of God.

When looking at profanity from a Biblical perspective, you can see countless times in scripture we are told that the words which come forth from our mouths are directly related to the condition of our hearts. Jesus told the people in Matthew 15:10-11 "...Listen and understand. What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.' " Here in this passage Jesus was clarifying to the Pharisees what exactly made a man clean and unclean. He explained that dirty hands before eating a meal did not make a man unclean, nor did the food which enters the mouth and goes into the stomach. What makes us unclean, He continued on, is the evil in our hearts which come out of our mouths. He told the Pharisees how the heart is full of "evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander" and those are things which make a man unclean. We can clearly see that when someone has a problem with vulgar language, it isn't always that they have a bad habit, (another excuse used time and time again.) So, what exactly is going on with all of these young ladies and what can be done about it?


Now you might think I'm blowing this issue way out of proportion and that your heart isn't evil and that saying a few improper words with your friends now and then isn't so bad. You might also be thinking that as long as you're not taking the Lord's name in vain, you're not sinning either, so no harm is being done. But unfortunately, I would need to tell you that you are wrong. And here's why. From a Biblical standpoint, we have been made into the likeness of Christ. We are now His witness to others in the world. We are clearly told in Scripture that praises and curses cannot come from the same mouth. (James 3:9-12) To utter profanities one moment and praises to Jesus the next is to do God a disservice. We must always be trying to renew ourselves and checking to make sure how we act/talk is aligned with God's word. From a realistic point of view, cursing can be perceived as lazy and come across as highly offensive. To the person engaged in conversation with you, it seems as though you cannot come up with a better choice of words and that you have a limited vocabulary hence, you might look uneducated. It oftentimes also might be interpreted as immature, and can set a bad example to those around you. Also, be reminded that foul language can get you into a whole mess of trouble.

Lets look at James 3:5-6 "Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell." Here, James is explaining how a small body part like the tongue is able to do great damage. He compares the tongue to a fire. He evens goes so far as to say it, "is itself set on fire by hell." Whoa, that's deep. Obviously we are dealing with a dangerous little body part. James makes a point of warning us that it is an evil of its own among all the body parts, corrupting the entire person. Have you ever actually felt dirty or unclean after someone has spoken in a foul or disrespectful manner towards you or you towards them? This is what James means when he tells us how the tongue can "corrupt the whole person." Feeling unclean goes back to our original verse (Matthew 15:10-11) of how the uncleanness comes from evil in our hearts. The tongue is just the evil body part that eagerly spit fires all the evil that's stored in our hearts. We can clearly see we are dealing with a double dose of trouble. Not only do we have to get a handle on the evil in our hearts, but we have to learn to control our tongues because they are themselves "set on fire by hell." So, wow I know it's obviously not easy... but too often I hear how people just can't do it, or they just can't be bothered to learn some self control. But, here James explains that someone who does not learn to control their own tongue will ruin their life. He makes this clear by saying, "it sets the whole course of his life on fire."

So, where does this evil come from? Luke 6:43-45 states "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." What exactly does this verse mean? Well Jesus wasn't exactly talking about fresh and rotten fruit. More specifically we can tell a person's inside (heart) by their outside (actions). From the start I asked why so many young women were speaking in ways that didn't properly reflect who they are, or possibly it is that their choice in vocabulary is exactly who they are? This is what Jesus was referring to in this passage. "Each tree is recognized by its own fruit," really means that we can easily recognize people by the fruits they produce in daily living. I'm sure on more than one occasion we've all heard someone say, "I only peeked at a few of the answers she had written down, that doesn't mean I'm a cheater." Jesus would disagree. When a person cheats it is because he is a cheater, when a person lies it is because he is a liar, and when a person steals it is because they are a thief, etc. This also applies to the type of language you chose to allow to come out of your mouth. We will only produce on the outside what is forming on the inside. But unfortunately, too many people today are trying to trick us into believing they are something they aren't. Young women want to act one way in front of certain people and another way in front of others. This looks good for a while, but you can only hang apples on an evergreen tree for so long until someone notices. Jesus is saying that the true test of a person’s character is in what you say and the way you talk when your guard is down, when you are relaxed and the words are freely flowing out of your mouth. Anyone can look and sound good for the short term or when pretending to be something she is not. It is amazing how people can clean up their speech. "Out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." Who we really are on the inside is revealed when we set aside the script, quit acting and behave straight from the heart. It is how we speak to our friends and to our family members. It is what we think when we are alone.

Now, I don't want to just leave you hanging on that thought. I want to offer a proactive way to help your heart, which will in time clean up your mouth. So if you are struggling with this behavior issue in your life and are for the first time realizing it is becoming a problem, I would ask that you surrender it into the control of the Holy Spirit. I do understand something like that is a lot easier said than done. Paul wrote in Romans 7:15, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." He obviously understood how hard it is when you honestly desire to do good but continue to fail. But this is why it's so wonderful that we have a forgiving and loving God.

If your ambition is taming your tongue, I ask that you would thoughtfully try to seek Jesus out during this time. First, I suggest that you start reading through Scripture. The Bible has effective ways of changing your heart if you allow. Give yourself the opportunity to grow and be moved by it. Next, be consciously aware of the words you speak. By this I mean carefully examine and choose your words during conversations. Thoughtfully avoid anything inappropriate. And if you slip up, don't beat yourself up.. keep on trying. Lastly, and most importantly PRAY. Prayer is a powerful tool that will allow God to work inside your heart. This will begin by changing the way you think about the world and how those views come forth from your mouth. I know you'll be pleasantly surprised to see just how thorough and efficient the Lord is when it comes to this or anything else you ask for help with. Also remember to surround yourself with people that will be encouraging and uplifting to you while you are seeking to "produce good fruit" in your life.