Certainly one of my biggest grievances is when someone uses the name of Jesus to swear. This will occur when someone says, and even yells, the name in a fit of anger. Some expand the swear to the complete “Jesus Christ,” or add a curse word between “Jesus” and “Christ.” Some say it under their breath, when the impact can still be unsettling.
It is evident that the majority people think using Christ’s name this fashion is appropriate, but it surely isn’t. Catholics should say so—and refrain from the practice themselves.
I actually have often considered how Christ’s name got here for use as a standard profanity. Possibly the invocation “Jesus, give me strength,” often utilized in a moment of trial, has been bastardized over time. After I was a baby, my grandmother and great-aunt used to say “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph” occasionally, but in context I never saw it as offensive. I just wondered why they didn’t complete their prayer.
Regardless of its origins, Jesus’ name as a profanity is here now, and it have to be challenged.
I actually have definitely used curse words in my life, more often than I care to confess. That is despite my father saying to me, “Son, cursing is a silly man’s way of expressing himself.” (He also threatened to scrub my mouth out with soap just a few times, which was definitely a deterrent.) He was right, but it will probably be hard to not resort to a curse word or two when one is frustrated or offended.
Nonetheless, using the name of Christ in that way mustn’t only be off-limits, it ought to be confronted as anti-Christian. It isn’t a type of invocation, because it is normally used angrily and disrespectfully. And it is usually expressed repeatedly, especially in movies. Should we repeat it just because Hollywood mainstreams it as acceptable language?
Should we repeat it just because Hollywood mainstreams it as acceptable language?
My fear is that the usage of Christ’s name in vain has change into embedded in our vernacular, enabled by secular culture and strengthened by Christians’ quiet acceptance of it. It has change into a part of the country’s normal conversation, so it is straightforward simply to let it go and never say something. I, ashamedly, have done this too persistently. As an alternative, I might just cringe after I heard it.
One time, I used to be in a bar and I finally got fed up. Some stranger behind me kept cursing with Christ’s name, and I finally turned around and asked him to stop, explaining to him why it was offensive. Expecting an offended response, I used to be surprised when he apologized and stopped doing it. Wow, I said to myself, perhaps I should speak up more. I must have bought him a beer.
It has change into a part of the country’s normal conversation, so it is straightforward simply to let it go and never say something. I, ashamedly, have done this too persistently.
Nevertheless it isn’t just strangers in bars who use Christ’s name in this fashion. In my experience, even friends and acquaintances—a lot of whom are Christian—have used it. A former colleague who worked for the church, for instance, used Christ’s name as a profanity out of habit, until greater than certainly one of us within the office told him to stop.
I often have said to 1 particular friend—who used to voice it regularly—that she owed me a dollar each time she said it. She still owes me just a few dollars, but to her credit, the bill has dwindled over time.
The frequency with which individuals use Jesus as a curse makes me wonder, nonetheless, if people have considered what they’re saying or if they only use it out of repetition and since our society—our majority-Christian society—has turned a deaf ear. My guess is that almost all repeat it, perhaps without pondering, because they hear no objection to it. My fear is that some knowingly use it without regard for a way it would offend others.
I actually have found that essentially the most common response to a correction is something like, “I didn’t mean it that way.” While intent ought to be considered, what’s more harmful is how the language is perceived and the message it sends, which is irreverent, and, in some cases, disdainful of Christ and Christianity. There are enough words within the English language to explain our emotions. Allow us to leave Jesus out of it.
For Christians, Jesus Christ is God. Likewise, if society, including ourselves, disrespects our God within the common option to which he’s referred, then our views on vital problems with the day also will probably be disrespected. If we don’t defend our faith and our God, even within the smallest of circumstances, we lose our credibility, and, over time, our way.
