“Cuss words” are evil according to the laws of man, not God. What is considered a “cuss word” changes arbitrarily with the culture and times and is usually used as an excuse for self-righteous religious folk to look down on and feel superior to “sinners”.
Lewd, foul, shameless, dirty language and potty mouth jokes about secular matters may show ignorance and lack of verbal skills but they are NOT a sin.
God tells us not to curse, a CURSE is an unacceptable verbal expression to wish another’s goods or body to suffer harm. God tells us to not take the Lord’s Name in vain which means not to use His Name for something empty or useless…
Cuss words are VAIN (empty, wasteful) words.
CUSS words that are NOT sin.
FOUR-LETTER WORDS == (fuck) (make-love word)
NAUGHTY WORDS == (cunt) (female anatomy)
INDELICATE LANGUAGE == (fart) (normal bodily function)
VULGAR LANGUAGE == (ass-hole) (anatomy)
FOUL LANGUAGE == (shit head) (bodily function)
NAME CALLING == (mother-fucker) (to incite a response)
VILE LANGUAGE == (cock-sucker) (sex act)
ANATOMICAL SLANG == (dick, cock, snatch, pussy, etc.)
One hundred and fifty YEARS ago in AMERICAN vernacular CUSS words considered FILTHY were:
CONFOUND IT
HANG IT
DOG-GONE
GOL-DANG
GOSH-DARN
DAD-BURNED (the kiddie version of god-damn?? LOL)
BLASTED
DANG- IT
HOLY MOLEY
SHITE
Saying “god-damn-it” is a VAIN (empty) CURSE not a SWEAR or CUSS word. But in an off-handed illiterate way it does say that the speaker believes in God at least…
Saying “god-damn-it” about a thing or a person is using the LORD’S name in a vain (empty, wasteful) way but is not cussing. The rich can take the name of the LORD in VAIN by saying their wealth came from their strength and intelligence and not God. OR Christians living in poverty can take the name of the LORD in VAIN by “stealing” to support themselves or family. This has nothing to do with cussing. OR televangelist scoundrel preachers can take the name of the LORD in VAIN by making money off His Name (“buy the truth and sell it not” -Proverbs 23:23) and claiming their self-delusional teachings (LIES) as TRUTH taught to them by God. (They “changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator” -Romans 1:25).
CUSSING not CURSING is generally used to emphasize a point in heated anger, ignorance or frustration that can show a limited knowledge of ones native language. To utter “god-damn-it” when mad if hitting a finger or breaking an item etc. says you are commanding God to damn or CURSE the item that hurt you… but you are not CUSSING.
The Bible says to not swear, but swearing is not cussing…loosely using God’s name in an atempt to validate a lie is SWEARING. Lying and swearing go hand in hand. For example, Matthew 26:74…then Peter began to CURSE saying, “God strike you dead if you saw me with him”. Peter CURSED men to damnation, and then SWORE in God’s name in an attempt to make others believe his lie, but he did not CUSS. Peter SWORE or lied in the name of God Almighty saying, “I know not the man Christ Jesus” but he did not CUSS.
Saying Bible words like piss, hell, ass, damn, bastard, whore, whoremonger, sodomite, etc., are not SWEAR, CURSE or CUSS words.
CUSSING is taught as sin in churches today by religious legalists with a private interpretation of the Bible. As Jesus said “They strain at a gnat and swallow a camel.” (Matt. 23:24) Meaning, they make a big deal out of things that are completely irrelevant like cussing, smoking, drinking, watching R-rated movies etc….yet they align themselves with The Kingdom of Satan by applying for and accepting a 501-C3 tax exempt status, in the spirit of Judas, selling out Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.
If a person feels convicted saying certain CUSS words they are feeling the pressure of modern church taboos NOT a scriptural prohibition. It’s a trap that Satan uses to get unbeliever’s to believe that they are unworthy of God’s grace because they CUSS…or drink…or smoke…or eat meat…or use caffeine…or watch R-rated movies…or dress immodestly…or because they listen to music that has loud bass… etc. etc. Any excuse that Satan can get them to think of so that they turn away from God because he is too “judgemental” ( Jesus said “I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.”….although when he returns he will be in full “Judgement-Mode” and ready to kick some ass! Burning the tares, collecting the wheat harvest into his barn. )
Jesus called the religious establishment (the pharisees) of his day a brood of vipers and white-washed sepulchers full of dead men’s bones, Jesus used STRONG LANGUAGE to prove his point and I would bet that the religious establishment of his day looked down on him for “cussing” especially since he hung out at bars with sinners and was considered a wine-bibber and drunkard, and of “questionable reputation” for overturning tables and whipping money changers in the temple and because he let a prostitute wash his feet with her hair. Cussing is NOT a sin…but cursing, swearing, lying and vain usage of the Lord’s Name IS sin.
There is a difference 🙂
Musings Of A Mountain Mama 
I just had this very discussion in Bible study. I upset a few, not because I was wrong, but because they could not find scripture to make them right. I have never understood what or who makes a word a sin. I think it is just another example of people who would rather be told how to think than to actually think for themselves.
Definitely Dusty…People want to have it laid out for them step by step because they are afraid…but not of God, as they should be…they’re just afraid of screwing up in some way and getting kicked out of the “club-house”….it’s elementary school over and over and over again, it’s sad but I have found that most people never grow up…
Didn’t God call people SOBs? (sons of Belial). One of the damaging images formed by church culture is that of a God who looks down on people waiting for any excuse to smack them, or else a God who looks away, nose up-turned, until you do something worthy of divine admiration. And if church leaders are supposedly role models who point to God, that kind of image is reinforced, especially in a child’s mind.
SOBs…hehehe…I like that one! It does have a serious impact on children, I grew up in church that adhered to silly rules like this, I grew up believing them to a certain extent until my eyes began to open around age 14 and I began to question things I had been taught. It;s very easy to manipulate people through their pride, you can get them to believe almost anything if it makes them “feel” as if they are better than others, more “holier than thou”. Satan is crafty, he does whatever he can to get people to perceive God as anything except that which He actually is…which is 100% pure unconditional LOVE! 😀
Just out of curiosity, what do you do about these scriptures:
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. Eph 4:29
But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Col 3:8
But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; 4and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. Eph 5:4
Obviously you missed the whole point of the post, just as Jesus himself said “You strain at a gnat and swallow a camel.” As I showed with the two lists at the beginning of this post comparing modern “cuss words” with the words considered “cuss words” 100 years ago, words that are deemed cultural taboos are arbitrary and tend to change rapidly with the times. These things find their root in Pharisaical Legalism, the purpose of which is to condemn, denigrate and ostracize from “the group” anyone who does not adhere to certain XYZ standards (fill in the blank). There is no commandment with a list of words where God says “These Words You Shall Not Say!”. As I point out in the post, even words like piss, hell, ass, damn, bastard, whore, whoremonger, and sodomite are all found in the Bible and if it’s good enough for the Bible why is it sin for a person to speak these words? Short Answer: It’s not, it is a cultural taboo, it’s not a sin. I suggest you re-read the post and read what is actually written not what your bias has filtered.
Interesting, I don’t really have a bias. I am in truth-seeking mode right now. Where did you get the idea that I do? I simply asked how you might interpret the scriptures I sited based on your bias stated in your post. I am certainly not legalistic – in fact, people who know me would probably laugh at that comment. I can see your side of the argument and can sum it all up in a few words – “words are just words so get over it.” I get your point and somewhat agree, but that doesn’t change the fact that if there was no such thing as “an unwholesome word”, or “filthy language” in every culture (true, they vary and change) then there would be no need for us to be instructed not to use them in scripture. Part of truth-seeking is not holding to a bias (yours or mine) but instead, if we believe that scripture has the final say-so we should let scripture say what it says. Do you know of any scripture that says it’s okay to use our words however we wish and whoever doesn’t like it can go to hell? That’s what I get out of your post.
Well, I certainly don’t wish anyone to go to hell but you are exactly right about the summation of my post. The verses you cited are guidelines, advice toward individual people to use in guiding themselves, NOT rules whereby someone outside them must make them adhere…but that is exactly what most “churches” so-called and a lot of christians try to do and even society in general.
PS. and by the way, I never said anything about sin – not sure how you could get that from the simple question I asked in my first post. From what I understand, if we are saved, we are free from the law and live under grace. To me, that means that instead of constantly living in fear of doing something wrong, like they did under the law, I am now free to live with LOVE being my motivator. That love compels me to acknowledge that living this life is no longer about me anymore, it’s all about HIM and what’s important to Him and through that He enables me to have His love for others. I’m sorry, I just don’t see how that lines up with anything you said above…but having said that, I realize I’m still learning, so who knows, maybe one day I will have a revelation that it’s completely loving to talk to or about people using the words you described and condoned, but I can’t help but ask, if words are just words and they in no way should offend others, do you happen to use the “N” word to describe African Americans? If not, why? It’s the same concept and should follow the same rule. If so…well, that answers a lot. Thank you for you posts. I stumbled upon this site looking for answers about the “wheat and tares” scripture. I think you have a lot of God-given insight there, and I gleaned a lot from reading that post.
You are presupposing that love means you should always be nice to people, was Jesus always nice to everyone? Sometimes love means telling people the truth about themselves which can be ugly and sometimes requires “colorful” language so that the message will have it’s desired impact. Here is another post that might interest you: https://musingsofamountainmama.wordpress.com/2014/12/15/for-meat-eaters/
A.G. hits on an excellent point above, vis-a-vis the unlikelihood of being able to express love towards others using the words under discussion. I also think, “Mountain Mama,” that you infer, perhaps incorrectly, that A.G.’s comments denote a belief that love means never using strong language to tell people necessary truth but rather being “nice” at all times. I believe you’d do better (more precisely, better further the cause of truth and mutual understanding–in a word, communication) to ask what someone meant when s/he said thus-and-so rather than stating your supposition as fact; e.g, “You missed the point of the whole post” or “You are presupposing . . . ” For how, without asking to be certain, do you know these things? To me, such in-your-face assertions reflect what I call our American society’s talk-show radio mentality.
I agree with your point of view that love doesn’t mean always being “nice” in a sort of saccharine, useless way, but rather using appropriately strong language to help people recognize their sin and be healed. However, I also find it interesting that, and this allows the verses A. G. cites to come into the big picture, as well: That the spirit that prompts such expressions as we hear all the time in media and in everyday conversation–Fuck you! Go to hell! You rotten bastard! You son of a bitch!–is hardly a spirit of love. It’s the spirit behind the words–the rage, the hate, in other words, “that which comes out of a person, not what goes in”–is the sin, and, in those cases, the words an outward expression of the heart’s attitude. Words are never just words, of course. There is always some spirit behind them, some message. To utter them is not a sin, of course, but to utter them with purpose could be. What makes words pure and clean and life-giving, or filthy and polluting? The spirit behind them. Words as words have no value but to communicate some spirit, and I’ve never heard such expressions as I list above as examples used but to express anything good, true, or beautiful.
That being said, I want to echo A.G.’s appreciation for your posts and to thank you for the most refreshing and original thinking I’ve encountered about biblical truths in a long, long time. I found your blog while looking for something else, as well, much as A.G. did, and I’m glad I found it. I’ll be back to read more. I had a question relating to your post about debunking head covering, but I’ll post that in the appropriate place. Thanks for your commitment to a God-honoring lifestyle and for using your intelligence and curiosity to honor God. I find already (after an hour or so browse of your topics) that I agree with a great deal of what you believe, and I will definitely be back for more.