There's a bit of a blurry patch within Christian circles as to what is alright to say and what isn’t when it comes to strong language words or phrases. For some phrases it’s as if we are saying words that sound like a swear word, without actually saying the swear word itself. For example, there’s shizz, shiitake, shiza, mushrooms, bull, fudge, fire truck, and mother trucker. And then you have the other ‘alternatives’ such as frick, fricken, heck, beach, bish, jeez.
It could be said that perhaps if we are using these alternatives to swearing in the same context as if we would use the swear word itself, then maybe it’s just as bad. After all, we are pretty much swearing, without actually swearing. And then you have the other side of the coin where the swear word isn't actually being used so some would argue that it’s fine to use the alternative words
To add to this even more you have the words that have slowly become more and more accepted in human vocabulary that for some it’s confusing as to whether they're even classified as offensive words anymore. Words like hell, bloody, piss, dick, holy, arse, damn, and ‘a female dog’ (I’m not even sure if I can use that word in my blog?!), have become more and more used in every day language, even John Campbell used the word ‘bloody’ on national TV!
And to top it off I’m going to ice this cake with the hand signals. Is pulling the finger still classified as a form of swearing in Christian circles? Is it still offensive? Is it still considered inappropriate? Just throwing a spanner into the works there.
I think anything, whether it be words or actions, can become the norm if we use them often enough. Whether they start out as a joke, or as an intended offense, the more we use them, the easier it is to form a habit, and the harder it is to break.
As Christians we are meant to be in the world but not of the world. For me personally I want my words to build up rather than to tear down or lead astray or offend. It’s a personal conviction thing as to which words I choose to use, or not. However, I am of the opinion that if alternative words are used in the place of a swear word, in the same context, and with the same emphasis, then they're most likely just as bad, I’m not trying to tell you what you can or can’t say, that’s up to you to decide. Just a bit of food for thought. x