In all my research into the signs of moral decay in a culture, I found that relatively little has been written about the effect of profane language on a culture’s moral decline. Yet, I feel the language deemed popular and acceptable by a culture points directly to the virtues accepted by that culture. When foul language is accepted as the norm of a society it should be seen as a true sign of cultural decay.
George Washington, our first president, believed in civility as important to interaction with others. Someone compiled a list comprising many of his rules of civility. One on that list is the following: “Use no reproachful language against anyone, neither curses nor revilings.” Our nation was founded on such civil behavior. That desire and belief in civility carried through to the beginning of the 20th Century. Early in the last century a “want ad” appeared in a prominent paper. It listed the qualities the employer was looking for in a boy. It was not a real ad, but it reflected the culture of the time. Among the qualities listed was, “A boy who is more eager to know how to speak good English than to talk slang.” (by Frank Lane)
The quality, to be eager to speak good English, was a part of our culture – even in the last century. Sadly this is no longer a sought after virtue. Today our culture is inundated with vulgar, crude, rude and foul language. Just walk past any school as the students are entering or leaving the school building. The odds are overwhelming that you will hear the “f”-word repeated time and time again. Profanity has become an acceptable norm for far too many people in our society. The author, Tristan Hopper, notes that “Expletives, once absolutely banned in public discourse, are now increasingly turning up in literature, television, the news media and even political speech.” My wife and I have decided to no longer view R-rated movies in a theater. You literally cannot go to one without hearing that word multiple times. Even an occasional PG-13 movie will have that word at least once in the movie’s dialogue. I fear our decline will soon make it acceptable even in films with a more general rating.
Try reading a good best selling novel today. Don’t be surprised if you come across the “f”-word multiple times. Some publications, such as news articles, will try to soften the effect by spelling out the words with asterisks so that the entire word is not actually printed. But think about it, when you see the word “f**k,” did you not actually say the word in your mind? Chances are you did. Why is this important? Satan can be very subtle at times. When “Watching profanity-laced television shows. Reading books with “contemporary” language. Associating with people who use obscenity with ease, and never challenging them. One’s moral wall begins to crumble and then, one day, it’s breached.” (Crude Language, Coarse Culture: We Need to Do Better by Rob Schwarzwalder)
It might be argued that the use of foul language is not addressed in the Ten Commandments. I do not believe that argument to be true. First we need to look at the Third Commandment where I believe the use of profane language is addressed. The King James Version of the Bible gives us the most commonly known words of the Third Commandment. It reads, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7 KJV) By comparison, I believe The New International Version (NIV) gives a clearer understanding of what God was commanding His people. That version reads, “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.” (Exodus 20:7 NIV).
Of course the first part of that Commandment is what is most often quoted, but it is the second part that we must also consider. When we curse by using the word “God” followed by the word “damn” we are truly taking His name in vain; as though we have the right, or even the ability, to damn anyone or anything. But, if we look closely at this Commandment we see that God is talking about much more than using His name to damn someone or some thing. That is only a part of what God is commanding in His Third Commandment. He is also commanding that we do not misuse His name.
Some might ask what does any of this have to do with foul or profane language. After all, though this Commandment condemns the misuse of God’s name, it doesn’t say anything about language, foul or otherwise. That argument loses when you consider what is being commanded here. God says don’t misuse His name. What’s in a Name? When He sacrificed Himself for our sins, He was and is called the Christ, our Savior. This is the “name” given followers of Jesus as we discover in the Book of Acts. We are called Christians! John tells us, ““In this world we are like Jesus.” (1 John 4:17b NIV). Therefore, when we do not live as we know Christ lived, if we use language we know Christ will never use, we are misusing His name, and thereby run afoul of the Third Commandment.
The Ten Commandments may not speak directly to the use of profane language, but the Bible does. Ephesians 4:29 enjoins us, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (NIV) A paraphrased translation of this verse makes Paul’s admonishment even clearer, “Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth” (Ephesians 4:29, The Message).
James warns us that, “Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.” (James 1:26 NIV) Why does it matter what words we use when speaking to others? It matters because the words we use says much about the way we think. Philippians 4:8 says, “Whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (NIV). I cannot imagine that thinking about whatever is right and pure would include profane or crude language.
I may be more sensitive to foul language than many. I grew up in a home environment where the use of “four letter words” were not allowed. Mom would not even allow us to use the word “shoot,” because it could easily be mistaken for another word. I never heard a foul word come from the mouths of either of my parents, and they never allowed us to use words that even came close to sounding like a curse word. So I admit my sensitivities affect my belief that the use of foul language is a sign of cultural decay, but I believe it is nonetheless an important measure of just how far our culture has declined. As a matter of fact I believe we need more parents who chasten “children with dirty mouths and who model clean language themselves. Children imitate what they hear.”
“To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.” (Proverbs 8:13 NIV) Yes, the Bible does declare that perverse speech is evil. A society that considers profanity an acceptable norm declines into a society where all forms of evil behavior becomes acceptable. James 3:6 tells us, “The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” (NIV) The tongue has the power to lead a person into all kinds of evil behavior.
It should be no wonder why God put this Commandment high on the list. James 1:21 warns us to “. . . get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.” (NIV) As Christians we must not allow our declining culture to cause us to spend our lives in such a way that we misuse His name by the way we live and talk. To do so is to accept cultural decay as the preferable norm. I believe that even in the smallest ways, such as not tolerating profane language, we can help turn our cultural decay.