Let me be clear – I am not a fan of political correctness. I see Donald Trump’s victory as being indicative of the outcome of this attempt at social control. We see a nation that learned that it was not alright to say obnoxious crap, but that lesson never made it beyond their vocabulary. The first opportunity that the populace had to push back, they did so.
What we did, is to stop a dialogue that could have changed how people perceived the world around them. Instead, we stifled that conversation. Yes, it is not good on so many levels to use racial slurs. Humour based on sexual violence is truly not funny. And in changing our language, there can be a change in sentiment. It can also lead to such biases coming out in other ways.
People think that years of progress have been lost. They weren’t. The progress we thought we had because people talked nicely, was simply a charade. While I am given to profanity, I have heard some of the vilest crap spoken by sweet sounding people. Hatred is hatred, no matter how you speak of it.
Then I come to James, “Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.” James 1:24.
Rather a strong message. Your religion is worthless if you do not keep a tight reign on your mouth. James repeats this admonition later in his letter. In fact, his second message is stronger.
My brother tells a story of when I was first clean from drugs. We were going through a McDonalds’ drive-through. We had placed our order and were asked if we wanted fries with that? My answer, and I wince, “If I wanted fucking fries with that I would have asked for fucking fries.”
As I have become less angry, maybe less fearful of others, I talk less and less with others in that way. Yes, I am still mouthy, still profane, but nowhere near as abusive. It has been a process of following God, but also doing what I can to clean up how I talk with people. As I have been healed, my language is less angry, and as I have cleaned up how I talk with people, I become less angry.
That said, or written, I am a stickler for language. While what I say might use profanity as punctuation, I believe that we need to be clear about what we mean. It is more than simply saying what you mean, it is understanding that how we talk about life, and issues, and beliefs, shape our perception of that which we talk.
A case in point. Last week I was in a discussion about children trafficked for sexual purposes. One of the people involved in the discussion made reference to sexually exploited children. While it might seem to be petty to point out the difference between being exploited and trafficked, there is a significant difference. I pointed out that difference. (Of course)
Could it be, that part of working out my salvation is paying attention to how I speak to people? I think so. For me, the challenge of this verse, and others like it, is understanding that there is a dynamic within language that I use. One that is between heart, soul and tongue.
As with all else, we can become legalistic. We can harness our mouth. Even I can manage periods of time when I don’t use profanity. When I work, in meetings, in explaining the dynamics and processes of the work my cohorts and I do, I do so without profanity.
Thus, as I write this I reflect on my language of faith. Yes, I occasionally swear when I pray. Often, my profanity laden prayers seem to be the most effective. It is not that God pays attention to the profanity, but rather the intensity. But my language as I talk of my faith, shifts as I mature. As I let God soften my heart, and learn to live in love, my language has shifted. How I talk about others most the time, is gentler.
In his letter, James promotes a faith that changes in how we are in the world. He recognizes that salvation is an inside job. For me, the message seems clear. If my faith does not lead to me changing how I talk, how I relate to people, I need to question my faith. Just as faith devoid of change is not really faith. I also need to pay attention to what I say and how I say it.
Thank you for letting me share.
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