I have noted for longtimenow the coarsening of our culture, and especially church culture, Christian culture. People whom I KNOW were not brought up to do so, not taught to speak thusly, are seemingly caught in the grip of coprolalia.
It's not just the idle word bit of "damn" this, and "to Hell with" that. I mean the random and frequent dropping of F-bombs in everyday situations, not in extremis, as well as the expostulary questioning of one's parentage. But bad language is only a part (actually a small, prodromal part) of the malaise. Witness:
"(Betty) Friedan was a Marxist, a myth-maker and a moron. I'll urinate on her grave if I ever happen to stumble across it. She was one of the most ruinous public figures of the 20th century and it's truly a shame her mother wasn't an abortionette like the vast majority of her followers."
I shan't attribute this, but it does serve as another example of the ruinous trend that concerns me here. Suffice to say that it is from a Christian blogger. Now, I remember a time- and I am not yet fifty- when "gosh" was a worldly euphemism, and "darn" was worse...and NOBODY'D better hear you say "durn". That "u" is an exponential intensifier, I guess. And no-one would even consider speaking of the dead so. They could not defend themselves, and so such was bad form.
To wish abortion, even on an ardent foe, was imponderable. Personally, I have no trouble with "Friedan was a Marxist, a myth-maker and a moron". She was demonstrably these and more, but the rest is just nasty.
It is reported that Gary North, that Y2K worthy, said that when he heard of Friedan's shuffling off this mortal coil, he went out to dinner. This may be the unfortunate juxtaposition of two separate events, but the implication is celebratory.
This too seems nasty to me. I'm picturing Jesus dancing a jig, and shouting "w00t" upon hearing of Judas' hempy end.
When has abject nastiness become a hallmark of Christian discourse? Paul made a few improvident comments, and is not praised for them. I do not call for a Pollyanna
environment...the thought sickens me, and reminds me of certain fellowships wherein you did not have a church "potluck dinner". You had a "Pot Bless"...
The gospel is in no way a tapioca thing...it has teeth, the better for the hound of heaven to bite you with, my dear. But it does not look like the world. It proclaims that whilst we are in the world as Christians, we are not OF it. Is profanity trendy? Perhaps. Is having unpleasant attitudes and expressing them? Clearly. But when were we called to be the hip, with it bunch?
Oooooh, you're JUDGING......
Just checking the fruit, ma'am. and I also speak as one of the repentant afflicted, who is aware of the discontinuity between "ought" and "do".
I believe that it is time to put out a call...A call for Christians to be Christians first, and political animals second, lest the world look on, and being unable to see the purity of our hearts, find us indistinguishable from themselves.
6 comments:
I personally struggle with the language. Before I came to Faith in Jesus, I swore a lot. It's hard, not so much in normal conversation, but, when anger sets in. I find myself, more and more, noticing when someone swears too much. It makes me more conscious of my own speech. As for comportment and respect for the dead, I can't honestly mourn Friedan's death, I can feel sympathy and compassion for her family and their loss. Conservatives had a fit when many liberals said they were going to open a bottle of champaign after Reagan died, I agree this is not right.
Hear, hear.
Thank you both.
Billiam, bear in mind that "self control" is part of the fruit of the Spirit. We DO have help.
Pretty Lady, I literally teared up when I found your comment. We may have differences in areas, but I value you and your unique presentation highly.
Pax.
Tempest in a tea kettle. See the language Christ used. He was just as harsh as any of us are when describing Evil.
I couldn't agree more. I remember when using "language" in public was offensive and against the law. Then it became offensive to everyone but police officers--since the thinking was that they were not people and couldn't be offended like the public could. Then it became more common to hear public cursing (yes, I still call it that).
Then it became very common and now it has become the free speech "right" of the person offending the rest of us.
It's part of the liberal goal to eliminate "right" and "wrong" from our vocabulary and our culture. And this is just one of the ways. If we do not insist that we recognize the difference between the two (that's right and wrong), we will join multi-cultural Europe and the Netherlands in the abyss of a Godless society they are in the process of creating.
See my entry on http://hairpinandarrow.blogspot.com/2006/02/oh-yeah-we-have-free-speech-problem.html#comments that includes my experience with the teen wearing the F*** t-shirt walking down the street in my town with the, "I dare you" expression on his pimpled face. My choice? To make his day by reproaching him, or to ignore him. It was a no-win situation. I wimped. It's past time. Thanks for the challenge!
Nate has pointed out that Jesus used some pretty harsh language when necessary, and indeed He did. But to what group of people did Jesus direct this language? To the prostitutes, the tax-gatherers, or the "sinners"? No, it was the religious leaders, the ones who should have known Him, had they truly understood the Scriptures. Just something we ought to consider before we speak.
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