Is Cussing a Sin?

Question: Is cussing a sin? I don’t see it in the Bible.

Cussing is a form of swearing. When people use a cussword, it’s usually to express something negative. Every language has its own cusswords. Typically they have something to do with sexuality (private body parts, crude intercourse, or excrement/waste) or condemnation (sometimes calling out to God to do it).

I’ve noticed that some people cuss as a way to "be cool." It gets attention and shows disdain for authority figures who disapprove of vulgar language.

The reason people don’t associate a foul mouth with Christianity is found in Galatians 5:16-26. Verse 16 reads, "I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves."

Another form of "swearing" is to condemn something, often calling for God to do it. Instead of saying it directly to his enemies, David poured out his anguish to God. Check out these verses from Psalm 69.

Verse 24 says, "Pour out your fury on them; consume them with your burning anger." Verse 27 says, "Pile their sins up high, and don’t let them go free." Verse 28 says, "Erase their names from the Book of Life; don’t let them be counted among the righteous."

When talking about swearing, often people appeal to the third commandment: "Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name" (Exodus 20:7).

How do you misuse God’s name? Some think it’s using swear phrases, such as "Oh, my God" or "Oh God" or "God," or saying with disgust or exasperation, "Jesus Christ." Others think it means being a Christian, but being a hypocrite about it.

Another form of swearing is people making a statement and adding, "I swear." Jesus warned against this. He said, "Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Your word is enough. To strengthen your promise with a vow shows that something is wrong" (Matthew 5:37).

You asked if cussing was a sin and about whether or not it’s in the Bible. It can be vulgar and in poor taste. And yes, it’s in the Bible. David seemed to do it in releasing anger and pain to God instead of to others. But Jesus said to use simple speech rather than adding more emphasis through swearing.

If you’re in the habit of cussing or swearing and want to break it, you can. Praying puts you in touch with supernatural power. Enlarging your vocabulary is a way to build an arsenal for articulating your perspective. And holding your tongue before repeating filthy words enables you to come up with more wholesome phrases so you won’t need to cuss or swear.

Everything In Due Time

Today everything will come my way at the right moment and in the right order A major flood hit a village. The priest prayed for his flock and only when he saw that everybody was safe did he start praying for himself. He got an answer from God. God would save him. The message from above got through to him loud and clear. When the water was so high that it lapped at his knees, he kept waiting for God. To the people in the boat, who wanted to rescue him, he said he would not come along, because his God would rescue him. The next boat came when the water was lapping at his chest. He told the people in this boat too that he would not come, because God would rescue him. He remained unperturbed when the water came to his chin. When the rescue workers wanted to save him using a helicopter, he called loud and clear to heaven: ‘No, I won’t come. God will save me.’ They never saw him again, because the water continued to rise and he drowned. When the priest appeared before God on his throne, he was angry. Damn it, God, you were going to save me! You promised me that! Damn it yourself, God said, how can you say such a thing! I sent you two boats and a helicopter

"Something Smells"

No-one thinks that their own … smells bad.
It’s human nature to play down your own short-comings.
But if someone irritates you then the opposite is true: their short-comings will appear out-of-proportion in your perception.

When this happens there may be an “allergy” at work.  If you like to carefully consider all angles before coming to a decisions, then you’re irritated by people who act first and ask questions later.  But those people are probably highly irritated by you (“old slow-coach…”).

In cases like this you’re inclined to avoid the other as much as possible.

That’s really a shame.  Because they are the very people – the ones you’re “allergic” to – who can show you where your own pit-falls are.  And that is: to exaggerate the opposite behaviour to the allergic one!

So take the time to reflect on the types of people who irritate you the most. There, in all probability, nestles an allergy, and thus a chance to learn something about yourself.

Marriage with a Twist

The toughest part of being in an unconventional union is managing other people's expectations.

By Amy Rosenberg, published on July 05, 2011 - last reviewed on October 11, 2011

In the classic film Harold and Maude, Harold, who is 20, decides to marry Maude, who is 80. His mother, a rich socialite, is mortified. She sends him to a psychiatrist, a priest, and an uncle, hoping they will convince him to change his mind. Each adviser reacts with disgust, and Harold doesn't budge. "What will people say?" his mother asks in horror. "I don't care what people will say," he replies. "This is insane!" she shouts. Harold's beloved shares his interest in—or, more accurately, obsession with—death and funerals in a way that no one else around him does. In Harold's mind, that makes her the perfect woman despite the vast age difference between them. Sadly, Maude passes away before Harold can marry her, but, given the couple's resolve, it's easy to imagine that they could have lived happily together (for a while, anyway). Their union certainly would have been atypical according to contemporary norms that present the archetypal couple as heterosexual, young (but not too young), stably employed, close in age, and well-matched in race and other social factors. But Harold and Maude clearly didn't care what outsiders thought.

In real life, such confidence can be difficult for star-crossed lovers to achieve and maintain. When people buck conventional ideas of coupledom and partner up with someone others consider inappropriate—too old or too young, the wrong race, class, or religion—or when they structure their relationship in a way that seems unorthodox—a husband who's a stay-at-home dad, a wife with a much higher salary—the perceptions of friends, family, and strangers can threaten their happiness.

"Social norms are driven by emotions of contempt in the observer and shame in the person or people being observed," says Jon Elster, professor of social science at Columbia University. "The contempt forms when the observer is faced with something that feels wrong, whether that feeling is justified or not—and often it is not. When a couple is judged or ostracized, their marriage can be destabilized."
So how can such couples stay afloat? It takes a stubborn and rebellious personality—like Harold's—to decide to pursue an atypical relationship in the first place, and if you've got two such personalities in one couple, tensions might run high regardless of social pressure. But those character traits can also be advantageous, helping people stick to their decisions and achieve their goals.
Ultimately, if partners remember the foundation upon which they built their relationship—what attracted them to each other in the first place, how their attraction developed into love, and why they decided to seal that love with mutual commitment—they have a good chance of creating a bond that can withstand the disapproving masses.

Enhance Relationships and Build Trust

The continuum for growing our people and leadership skills starts with changing ourselves. Mr. Carnegie encouraged us to "become a friendlier person" so that we could earn trust and enhance relationships. Enhancing relationships is the essential foundation for being more influential and becoming a highly respected leader.

Don’t criticize, condemn, or complain.
Criticizing another person not only damages that person’s reputation, but puts a dent in our own. Give honest, sincere appreciation.

Appreciation builds our image faster than any other practice. After all, the success of every job demands cooperation and effort from others. People contribute to our success as much as we contribute to theirs.

Arouse in the other person an eager want.
As business professionals, we are constantly selling our ideas. But people consent to help for their own reasons, not ours. If we make it clear how our ideas will benefit them, there is no limit to the cooperation we could receive.

Become genuinely interested in other people. Regardless of the physical or financial assets a company may have, it’s the people who make it successful. They are an organization’s key asset, and getting to know them should be as high a priority as learning the technical aspects of one’s job. The key is to be genuine. Don’t get a reputation for only being interested when you want something. Getting to know others should always be mutually beneficial.

Smile. Whether or not we’re pleasant to be around depends less on the situation than on our behavior. Rapport in business is fueled by seemingly minor considerations, such as a friendly, accessible demeanor and a welcoming smile.

Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.Using a person’s name is crucial, especially when meeting those we don’t see very often. Respect and acceptance stem from simple acts, such as remembering a person’s name and using it whenever appropriate.

Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
A business runs on information, so what better way to learn what's going on than following this principle? We must listen with everything we’ve got. How we listen says volumes about how we think. Be focused, engaged, and sincere.

Talk in terms of the other person’s interests.
Truth be told, we spend most of our time thinking about ourselves. Why not create strong business relationships by putting away our own concerns and talking about what others are interested in for a while?

Make the other person feel important—and do it sincerely.
In our dealings with others, building them up shows we appreciate their contribution. The bond that results can help us withstand the pressures of our own day-to-day struggles.

Thinking Logically Might Not Be The Logical Thing To Do.

A lot of people tend to make a clear difference between emotions and reason. In a discussion, reasonable arguments are supposed to be important, while emotions wouldn’t take us any further.

However recent findings in neuroscience point out that there simply is no clear-cut difference between reason and emotion as regards the functioning of the brain. One cannot separate the one from the other.

A Map Will Tell You Everything You Need To Know, Except For How To Fold It Back Up.

The new navigation systems in cars have turned out to be extremely useful. However they do deprive us of the test of relationships that was done every holiday: map-reading.

It used to be like this: he drives, she reads the map.

This would happen:

After a couple of missed turns he wants to stop the car to read the map himself. This entails finding a spot to stop where it is possible to read the map peacefully – easier said than done. She suggests a spot like that might be marked on the map, which merely increases the level of his irritation.

She notices a small road to the left, but it was too late for him to slow down. He accuses her of not reacting soon enough, which increases her level of irritation.

However, the next junction turns out to lead to a cute French village with an extraordinary auberge with great cuisine and a free spot on the terrace … The two have truly survived an adventure and the relationship came out of it just fine.

Isn’t it a shame that we have to miss out on this nowadays?