Trying to uproot western mythology is like fighting Bermuda grass. Any gardener knows it burrows deep and in all directions. You can scarcely get rid of it once it gets started. It can even pull apart asphalt once it starts to cover over it.
One peculiar myth has to do with the silly notion that foul language is a sin. Most often the religious Karens will refer to something in the Ten Commandments, Exodus 20:7 — “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”
The Hebrew term translated here as “take” is nasa. Jeff Benner explains that the root meaning of the term refers to bearing an ensign or a symbol of authority. The whole point is that you will not claim to serve Him when your actions would embarrass Him. This was a part of the national covenant of God with Israel.
The implication for the Covenant of Christ should be obvious: It’s not about your vocabulary, but your actions as a whole. There are boundaries for those who want to claim the benefits of His glory. Those boundaries don’t include a blanket prohibition against vulgar terminology.
The issue of foul language is not a matter of morality but civility; it has its place. There are people who would call me a filthy sinner because I wear athletic shorts most of the time, or because I don’t shave my face clean, while others who say I sin by trimming my whiskers short. We have tons of silly man-made rules that have no basis in Scripture. Do not equate cultural and social rules with God’s Word.
