I seek balance and reasonableness in this topic. Is there any to be had? By the way I am including all Christians in the broadest sense, so I am including liberal Christians and Muslims and Bahai's and LDS and JW's and the whole enchilada. Anybody who says "Yes I'm a Christian" when asked is welcome to contribute here in this case.
Lets have a little fun. Christians, why shouldn't we speak jocularly, say **** when we hit our fingers with a hammer? Why shouldn't we enjoy a dirty joke now and then? Are we not human? Do we not bleed? I will hear arguments from scripture, from reason, from psychiatry even from alien sources like poetry from other religions. Why should we be completely controlled when we speak? Is there not a time to break rank? Is there not a place for rough speech? Is it not flagellant to be silent and to only speak the praises of God?
First I'm going to present some of the verses from the canon which together suggest extremely pious speech or no speech at all. Choose your position and be ready to stick up for it or contribute ideas from both directions. What is the big deal if I yell when I hit my thumb with a hammer or yell at a baseball game or cuss a little or say 'Oh God'?
Our star witnesses for silence and perfectly clean speech are many, but lets start with a few sets of inter_textual witnesses.
Thanks for your consideration and contribution to the discussion.
Lets have a little fun. Christians, why shouldn't we speak jocularly, say **** when we hit our fingers with a hammer? Why shouldn't we enjoy a dirty joke now and then? Are we not human? Do we not bleed? I will hear arguments from scripture, from reason, from psychiatry even from alien sources like poetry from other religions. Why should we be completely controlled when we speak? Is there not a time to break rank? Is there not a place for rough speech? Is it not flagellant to be silent and to only speak the praises of God?
First I'm going to present some of the verses from the canon which together suggest extremely pious speech or no speech at all. Choose your position and be ready to stick up for it or contribute ideas from both directions. What is the big deal if I yell when I hit my thumb with a hammer or yell at a baseball game or cuss a little or say 'Oh God'?
Our star witnesses for silence and perfectly clean speech are many, but lets start with a few sets of inter_textual witnesses.
- "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it [are] the issues of life. Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee." (Pro 4:24 KJV) The reason I present this in KJV is that it makes the link obvious to the law to which this verse clearly alludes: Leviticus 15:16 concerning when a man has a wet dream or whenever he emits semen. The Torah always draws comparisons between the heart and the penis. The circumcision of the penis is an extreme symbol of what must happen to the heart of the man. The words of the proverb are to guard the heart not because things might get inside, but because sometimes bad things escape from it. The verse here in Proverbs is about the words that come from your heart and alludes to this law about semen. Jesus also shows awareness of this pairing of scripture verses when he says
"Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:" (Mat 15:17-19 KJV) This set of witnesses puts forth that our hearts produce wickedness just as our bodies produce noxious emissions of various kinds, and this wickedness expresses itself in our words and actions. - Next we have some about not speaking evil of other people and which associate that with murder! "...All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God's likeness." (Jas 3:7-9 NIV) James alludes of course to "Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind." (Genesis 9:6) James says the tongue kills people. Its not just a figure of speech for him, and he is clearly pointing us at Genesis 9:6 which is about the image of God and murder. James is equivocating murder with careless speech if not all speech! Its not only James. "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." (John 8:44 KJV) Associates lying with murder! That is not all, but it is enough. More writers than these comment, and their opinions are clear. Murder comes from the heart and often finds its way to victims by means of the mouth.
Thanks for your consideration and contribution to the discussion.