Everyone is Doing It
Vulgarity is unfortunately common in schools today. That's not exactly
surprising, since it is also commonplace in pop culture. Song lyrics,
movies, television shows, books, magazines... it's hard to find a form
of media that does not stoop to crude language to some degree.
"You shall not take the name of the LORD, your God, in vain. For
the LORD will not leave unpunished him who takes his name in vain."
(Exod 20:7)
But if everyone is doing it, why should we be concerned?
Changing Times
Our language is not set in stone. New words are added to the dictionary
every year, and many words that were common at one time are no longer
used today. Our language is almost like a living organism that grows and
changes to accommodate the times.
And language should change. As humanity grows, changes and learns more
about the world and our place in it, logic suggests that the words we
use to communicate may need to grow and change along with our knowledge
and understanding.
A side effect of this changing language is the fact that common vulgarity
can change as well. Things that may have been insulting to someone in
the past may carry little or no meaning for us today. Slang terms come
and go, and thus crude slang comes and goes as well.
Some Things Don’t Change
As
Christians, we are expected to be a part of the society in which we live.
We are created to be in relationship -- with God, with ourselves, and
with others -- so we should not avoid it. But that doesn't mean that we
have to embrace the bad or evil things that our society does.
Society ought to promote the exercise of virtue, not obstruct it. It should
be animated by a just hierarchy of values. (CCC 1895)
The norms, language and culture may change, but the fact that we must
help promote good, solid, moral values does not change. In fact,
when things get out of hand, we are called to help straighten them out.
Being a part of society means that we must also help improve it.
Tolerating vulgarity and blasphemy (using the Lord's name in vain) is
not in the best interests of society. In fact, tolerating (and
perhaps participating) in such crude speech is detrimental to our
well-being.
What’s In a Name?
The Church has always placed a great deal of meaning on a person's name.
We are given a Christian name at baptism, and we may choose yet another
one when we are confirmed. Our names are spoken aloud as an integral part
of the sacraments. If so much importance is placed upon our names,
how much more important is the name of the Lord?
The Second Commandment enjoins respect for the Lord's name. The name
of the Lord is holy. (CCC 2161)
I remember a time when I confronted a person who used the Lord's name
in vain. This person's reaction was to basically blow it off with the
explanation, "Oh, I don't really mean anything by it. It's just,
like, you know... a figure of speech. I don't even think about God or
anything when I say it!"
But isn't that a big part of the problem? This person glibly curses, showing
complete disrespect for God's name, and then defends that action
by saying things to indicate that God's name means virtually nothing.
Isn't that even more disrespectful?
Yes, times have changed. The language -- especially slang -- changes as
the years go by. But some things don't change. Because we are Christians,
we have to respect God's holy name. And if need be, we should challenge
others to do the same. For even if "everyone is doing it," we
are not called to follow the crowd. We are called to follow the Lord.
– Brandon Jubar
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