MINCED OATHS

Americans are living in unprecedentedly profane times. In terms of speech and behavior, our society has never been more marked and marred by vulgarity of speech and behavior than it is now. Perhaps and probably, the most sickening, disgusting, widespread and consistent evidence of this is the use of profanity.

Profanity is now being spewed out across-the-board by people regardless of their age, gender or station in life. Politicians (specifically Democrats) are on record for recommending that politicians use more and dirtier language as a means of “relating” with the public for the sake of gaining votes.

How stupid and insulting, unprincipled and morally dirty can people be? Look no farther than at the men and women who make up the Democrats in politics for the answer to this. They do not hold a monopoly on the profane, but they, hands-down constitute the majority of foul-mouthed, low-life who are seated in high places across the country.

Modern day Christianity has responded par-for-the course to all this; which is to maintain what it considered to be a respectable distance from the lost world. As the world moves into a worse realm od sin and depravity, modern Christianity predictably occupies and embraces the anti-Christ atmosphere and unchristian activity that the lost world has vacated.

The Church, and Christianity in general, have come a long way from what and where it once was in America—all in the wrong direction! And carnally-minded pastors and parents catering to the world, the flesh and the devil, have led the way. The popular, common use of minced oaths is a not-insignificant indicator of this, and of just how closely modern Christianity is “tracking” the lost world and getting farther and farther away from being the “salt and light” that it is expected to be (Matt. 5:13-16).

Minced oaths are alternative words for swearing, cursing and outright cussing, etc. (I am going to have to cite examples here for the sake of writing this article). Minced oaths are euphemisms for dirty words; for profanity. Minced oaths are words like “gosh” and “golly” used in place of “God..” Other examples are words such as “heck” substituted for “hell” and “darn” and “dog gone” for “damn.” Words like “shucks” and “shoot” are substituted for a really filthy word, and the word “freaking” is used as an alternative for one of the foulest words that can pollute the human mouth and ear. Christian mothers used to scold, spank and/or wash their children’s mouths out with soap for slipping into language like this. They still should.

It has been said that, “profanity shows a lack of vocabulary.” It usually does. But it reveals more than this. Jesus said, “out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh” (Luke 6:45b). The use of profanity, including minced oaths, isn’t just a language issue; it’s a heart issue. People who use this kind of speech reveal the lack of respect they have for other people and for themselves, they reveal a clear lack of common sense.

The use of minced oaths is a pristine example of how many Christians follow the lost world at a close distance to the point of closing with it, and becoming conformed to it. It is not uncommon now to hear professed believers, even preachers, using their “damns,” and “hells” and “My Gods” right along with the unsaved world.

The use of profanity and minced oaths is something for Christians to reject, resist and rebuke. God’s Word says, “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” (Col. 4:6). See also Prov. 13:3; 15:4;18:21; Eph. 4:29; James 3:2-10; Matt. 12:36).