Unfortunally, our earliest memories of Vulgarity most likely come from our childhood. One of my earliest recollections of discovering that some words are culturally taboo came from a neighborhood friend's Mom. We were playing at his house and I used a word I had picked up at home. The word was a derivative of God all Mighty. I had kind of squashed it together into the form of a slang word. She corrected me and told me I should not use God's name in such manner. My family was not a church going family at that time, however, her correction struck a cord in my thinking in that I still remember it to this day.
I also remember later hearing my Grandfather use God's name in vain, I took it upon myself to correct him, from which he apologized and spit the word out. I took from that if you did slip up and say something wrong you could spit it out and all would be good. The innocence of childhood is a wonderful thing.
In society, it is the language that communicates the content of our culture most vividly. It reveals the content of our thought and the acceptability by which character is judged. We begin to define our own truth and sense of justice, what is good and acceptable, all of which is communicated through our language. As culture degrades the unacceptable becomes acceptable in certain places at certain times, then it moves from the locker room to the living room. This is our current state of society, the locker room is now alive and well in our living rooms. I would suggest our living rooms today would embarrass the locker rooms of the past.
There was a time in America during the Great Awakening the society was so influenced by Gospel means it was said by Benjamin Franklin in his autobiography, ". . . one could not walk through the town in an evening without hearing psalms sung in different families of every street" ~ Benjamin Franklin. What do we hear today walking down the streets in our towns, I dare say we are not singing psalms. From the profaning of God's name to the day's most popular F-Bomb and everything else in between, it is echoed in our music, our sports, our entertainment, our family conversation, and our children's playtime. That wonderful innocence of childhood is being lost, one might argue at the moment they began to understand and comprehend language.
It seems culture knows something is wrong even if it does not know what. The last few election cycles the phase "Make America Great Again" became quite popular. However, it seems no one was quite sure just how to do that. It meant different things to different people.
It is sad the corruption and foulness of our common and everyday language with each other is so prevalent, however, that is only the fruit of a serious infection called sin and depravity. What was preached in American churches during Tocqueville's visit was accompanied with Grace and Mercy upon a people being called to Christ. Today our churches are filled with fuzzy preaching which has little meaning to the soul. It caters to the senses, how it makes us feel, which better be good, or we will go somewhere else, if we go anywhere at all. Many just profess faith by listening to Christian Television which has little to do with the Gospel. If you think I am being too critical of Christian Television, I suggest you go read the sermons of the second and third centuries during the great persecutions that came upon the early church. Pick up a copy of Fox's book of Martyrs. Read the sermons of the reformation along with the works of the Puritans and early America. You will find the Gospel, but it will not be the one you hear on Christian Television, you will hear the words of Paul being echoed in your mind:
(Galatians 1:6) I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel (Galatians 1:7) not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.
Our language is foul because our hearts are corrupt. Our goodness is mixed with darkness, it is the doctrine of human depravity being unleashed upon society. We do good deeds, and adhere to our own moral codes, but our language betrays us.
(Galatians 1:8) But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.
(Galatians 1:9) As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
(Galatians 1:10) For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. (ESV)
Matthew 26:73-75
(73) And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech betrayeth thee.
(74) Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.
(75) And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.
The true condition of our hearts are painted in vivid detail before us in the color of our language. Changing our speech will not save us, looking to Christ will change us, and that change will be reflected in the color of our language. It is time America, it is time for us to go out and weep bitterly.
May God bless each of you,
David
