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Swearing


goldbug16

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I got to thinking about this and was really wondering, is saying something like "dam*it" sinful?

Edited by goldbug16
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i think jaime (the artist formerly known as hot stuff) would be a good one to ask about that - specifically the 'darnit' thing.

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JMJ
I asked a dude in the seminary about that. He said something vague about Protestant swear words were more harmful thant Catholic swear words (ie PO'd and such)...ie dam and sh*t and the Big B word were all protestant, and the big unacceptable ones. He also said the G** Da** It was a protestant term. Just an interesting thought...

PS
I am still puzzling over that one...who knew vulgarityy was multi denominational? :blink:

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[quote name='Tridenteen' timestamp='1282091590' post='2159280']
JMJ
I asked a dude in the seminary about that. He said something vague about Protestant swear words were more harmful thant Catholic swear words (ie PO'd and such)...ie dam and sh*t and the Big B word were all protestant, and the big unacceptable ones. He also said the G** Da** It was a protestant term. Just an interesting thought...
[/quote]

Hmmm...I'm not sure what exactly I think about that particular theory....

I suppose I'm just curious. In my opinion, I think that unless the curse has something to do with taking Our Lord's name in vain, it's really not sinful. Maybe inappropriate and/or crass depending upon the circumstances, but not necessarily a bad thing.

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IcePrincessKRS

[quote name='goldbug16' timestamp='1282143929' post='2159505']
Hmmm...I'm not sure what exactly I think about that particular theory....

I suppose I'm just curious. In my opinion, I think that unless the curse has something to do with taking Our Lord's name in vain, it's really not sinful. Maybe inappropriate and/or crass depending upon the circumstances, but not necessarily a bad thing.
[/quote]

What I was taught in Theology 101 is that swearing (or vulgarities, that is, f-bomb, sh-word, and others) [i]could be[/i] an occasion of sin (if used in anger, or because it could cause scandal) but were not sinful in and of themselves if you said it. (Being juvenile 18 year olds we all laughed and said how it was totally fine to drop F-bombs because it wasn't a sin. lol) But that "beaver dam" always is because it refers to wanting something damned to hell, literally cursing something or someone. I know that's not how the majority of people use it, and so I believe it would only be venial.

Our professor made a distinction between oaths/swearing, vulgarities, and cursing. The first was to take an oath, as in court when you swear to tell the truth. The second is what we think of as "the bad words." And the last, most specifically, the word "beaver dam," or wishing something to hell. I do confess using foul language, but I generally say it's been for vulgarities (though I do let beaver dam slip out occasionally) because I know that the majority of the world isn't making the same distinctions in terms as my theology professor did. I am sure the priest knows I am referring to any and all of the "bad" words I may have said.

I've never heard the "protestant" swear words theory. :mellow:

ETA--forgot about the fiddler on that one. lol

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  • 1 year later...

I doubt that anything that has no kind of malice as motivation would be sinful. Swearing is often due to a bad habit entrenched to some degree and just as a bad habit takes time to develop, it will take time to overcome.
Certainly, to my mind, swearing is not a good habit for sure!

Edited by BarbaraTherese
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I grew up around soldiers and truck drivers. I'm told my language can be interesting at times. If anyone doesn't like it, they can @#$%^&*(.

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i<3franciscans
rotfl






Does cra.p count as a swear word?

edited because of philter Edited by i<3franciscans
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[quote name='tinytherese' timestamp='1323236413' post='2346285']What makes a swear word Protestant and what makes one Catholic? Are there backstories about those words?[/quote]
well, blaspheming the Virgin Mary & the Eucharist I think is the source of many swear words. Marc Barnes (at Bad Catholic blog) had a post on this awhile back.

here it is: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/badcatholic/2011/10/like-relativism-you-know.html

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I saw that article before! It was really interesting!
Somehow, I never got into the habit of using vulgarities and definitely not cursing....(except maybe if a good amount of alcohol consumption has occurred......) I have no idea why...all my friends did in school. I think it must have been because I never EVER heard my parents curse/swear. Now, after people hang out with me for a while, they begin to notice and start getting worried that they are offending me with their run o' the mill vulgarities, but I really don't care that much. Other people get intrigued for some reason and start egging me on to say certain words!! I think this is incredibly annoying!

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I always feel like it depends on your intention and who is hearing you (because of the risk of scandalizing someone). I know I should definitely clean up my mouth -- I have a bad habit of expressing my anger by swearing. I don't swear in normal conversation, but when I get mad.... ouch.

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