Swearing
- 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.
- Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
- But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne
- If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.
- Rachel Hosie, "Swearing Makes You Stronger and Increases Stamina, Study Finds", Independent, 5 May 2017
- Stephen Matthews, "The healing powers of swearing! Shouting expletives mends a broken heart by diluting the intensity of emotional pain", Daily Mail, 2 Jun 2017
Notes
The term "swearing" is currently used to cover a broad swath of objectionable speech. Here are some categories:
- Swearing Oaths: Tying the truth of one statement to some item or concept of respect.
- Taking a Name in Vain: Using a name of some respected figure for some reason other than to actually refer to the person in any articulate fashion.
- Cursing: Calling down damnation or some other misfortune.
- Using Taboo Words: Various magic buzz words that are considered bad for other reasons.
Scriptural injunctions against swearing oaths exist. Exodus 20:7 (KJV) provides the scriptural backing for not taking the name of the Lord (and, by extension, other religious figure) in vain, and this was clearly taken seriously by the Hebrews, who went so far in the way of avoiding the use of the Lord's name, that the pronunciation of the word Jehova, as the ancient Hebrews would have rendered it, is extremely uncertain. It has pointed out by a number of sources, that there are issues with the translation that muddy our ability to understand what was intended by Exodus 20:7. The suggestion has been made that the intended meaning of the passage is that we are not to act as false representatives of God in committing evil. (Essentially, what would often be referred to as "antichrist".) As the passage implies that the sin being described might not be forgivable, this interpretation seems to make the passage seem more coherent.