Swearing

A good topic to engage kids in is swearing. The category itself has become so confused that most kids tend to wonder where the line is, choosing to buy into the cultural definition rather than the biblical one.

Cultural Categories:

Really bad (swearing) – ‘What the f…’

Kind of bad (swearing) – ‘Looks like a pile of sh...’

Acceptable – ‘Oh my god, did you see that?’

How did the majority of our kids come to accept these definitions? They certainly don’t reflect biblical categories. Most kids cannot come close when asked to define ‘swearing’. That’s why it such a fruitful discussion to have because the Bible is quite clear.

Biblical Categories:

Really Bad – Using God’s name in an empty way (‘oh my god…’ – the 3^rd commandment out of Exodus 20)

Swearing – Adding expletives to a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ like an oath (‘Heavens yes’) We are told in James to simply use ‘yes’ or ‘no’ (everything else is condemned)

Inappropriate speech – This is where categories one and two from above (cultural categories) should land. Ephesians 4:29 says such words are unwholesome.

You’ll notice that most families have ‘grey’ areas when it comes to speech. Minor words are allowed by some and disallowed by others but the biblical categories- and the listed sequence- cannot be compromised. It is far more dishonoring to use God’s name in an empty way than to use inappropriate speech. But I think you’ll find that most evangelical kids don’t practice this. Ask them and see what you discover.