Cursing and Taking God’s Name in Vain
Brandon wrote about Ingrid’s insistance that Donald Miller and Anne Lammot are clearly not truly Christian — because they curse.
Good fucking God. (Is that enough for a start?)
Caveat: I have not read Ingrid’s site. Probably won’t, since I’m just not in the mood to get THAT pissed off.
The one that bothers me the most about the whole “cursing thing” is the application of the commandment to not take God’s name in vain. In most churchy circles, that means avoiding phrases like my lead-in.
To me, I think that proclaiming yourself as a servant/messenger of God, then saying that we should “take out” another country’s leader is taking God’s name in vain.
So is saying “God hates fags.”
So is saying “Allah says to kill the Westerners.”
I could go on. And on. Fuck yeah. ;)
All of that said, I still try (but don’t always succeed) to not curse in front of my daughter — you know, the one who has three or four words under her belt so far. It’s not that I think cursing is wrong, but it does come across as inappropriate and lacking in class. So, for me, it’s not so much a choice I make as a Christian, but one I make as… a snob. There, I admitted it.
Posted by Allison in spirituality & religion, culture |
August 26th, 2005 at 6:28 am
Well, I haven’t read Dennis Miller yet, but I love Anne Lammott because she doesn’t have a stick up her butt about cursing. I remember reading that an accurate translation of Matt 15:17 would involve the word “shithole”–that Jesus used a very earthy saying to get his point across. I think that was in a P. Yancy book. As usual, I’ve retained only enough to probably get myself in trouble.
I think it is only in relatively recent times that people grew unconfortable with such expressions. Look at those living during the Renaissance–talk about potty mouths!
Still, such language is unpleasant when used to denigrate and abuse, so it has it’s limits, as you mention.
August 26th, 2005 at 9:07 am
That was fucking great.
September 25th, 2005 at 9:21 am
Fucking dead on. Preach it sistah!
Oh…and Anne Lamott is seriously worthy of worship. She lives here in town and I bump into her at the United Market. I never know what to say, so I pretend that I am not affected at all by her brilliance.
I doubt she is fooled.
March 22nd, 2006 at 1:15 pm
[…] #8217;ve encountered. The misuse of Christianity like this really sickens me. Talk about taking God’s name in vain…
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