What Is Profanity??

Defining profanity seems simple to some. To others it is might be difficult or confusing.

I remember words from my youth that were acceptable, but are now forbidden. I remember other words that were once considered profanity but, for many people today, no longer are.

A friend of our family, a deacon in the church, once told a joke to folks who had gathered in his home. The punchline included a term that was considered profanity. Yet, in his youth, growing up on a farm, it was the normal vocabulary used to describe a female dog.

Language is fluid. In other words, it is a living thing that changes with our society. And yet, even with these changes, we all have a sense of appropriateness. Comedians get a laugh when they use bold vulgarities. Why? Because everyone knows that vulgarities are inappropriate. Laughter is one way that we express surprise.

On a few occasions individuals who have used profanity have apologized after finding out that my dad was a preacher, or that I was a preacher, or that I was a Christian. How did they know what profanity was? We don’t need to drag out a dictionary. People have a sense of what kind of language is appropriate and what is not. (Of course, some people just don’t care even though they know.)

Let me suggest two broad categories into which most profanity falls:

Obscene speech: 

Obscenities are words or phrases that, in general, naturally offend people. It might be simplified as bathroom talk. We understand that there is a time and place in which it is appropriate to discuss human waste, private body parts, and sexuality. Even when speaking to health care professionals we refrain from offensive terms or slang, even more so when having a discussion with our children.

Profane speech: 

The word profane is an adverb from which the word profanity grew. It refers to things that are not sacred, that is, not holy. Of course, we are not talking about things that are neutral, like light bulbs, puppies, or river water. Profane speech is unholy speech. It is anything that degrades God or Jesus or the Holy Spirit, or things specifically related to them. Profane speech brings deity from a lofty place of holiness and degrades deity into something common. Examples would include shouting God’s name when you injure yourself, or loudly saying the name of Jesus when hearing surprising news. We call upon the name of the Lord for the salvation of our souls. We praise the name of our Creator. We give thanks to God. We are baptized in the name of Jesus. God is never elevated by jokes. So, don’t tell God jokes or Jesus jokes. The Holy Spirt is our divine helper and should never be used to generate laughter.

It is true that sometimes people do not know that a word or phrase belongs to that class of terminology called profanity. That is especially true of younger kids who are naïve. And yet, it is not necessary for me to generate and publish a list of obscenities and profane speech. So, if you are truly uncertain…the following saying applies: "If in doubt, leave it out." That’s man’s wisdom. Here’s what God says...

Let no unwholesome (rotten) word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. 

—Ephesians 4:29

Mark Stinnett

May 21, 2023