Vulgar Language

When did cussing become common place? When did obscene talk and explicit language become the norm? Right now I work at UPS in Louisville, KY in the Worldport and every day at work I am amazed by the things that people unabashedly talk about. Some women brag in graphic detail of their latest sexual exploit. Some men speak of the most grotesque acts of violence without batting an eye. I have even heard two young girls talking of their abortions as flippantly as one would speak of going to get her eyebrows waxed. And the profanity! Cussing has lost all significance. Swearing has no meaning. It is no longer reserved for moments of extreme emotion or even to provide emphatic superlatives. Dirty words have now replaced fillers such as "like," "um," and "you know" in those times when they just can think of what to say. Immorality and impropriety of words and actions has resulted in meaninglessness and triviality. I must say I'm shocked by the shamelessness of it all.

Yet with all the obscenity becoming ordinary, I have found that there is one word that still remains offensive. It's not H-E-double hockey sticks, or the S-word, or even the F-bomb. It will result in heads turning, faces reddening, fists clinching, and blood boiling. You could talk about any manner of racy subjects using an obscenity every other word and you'll have an audience, but if you say this one word, the conversation will end. That word is Christ. Not in the taking the Lord's name in vain sense, but as in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The name of Christ has always been offensive but in a country that in which 70% of its citizens claimed to be Christian, it used to be held in honor. Now IT has become obscene.

Here's a few examples to prove my point. I have had a conversation with coworkers about the philosophical system of Zen Buddhism and they found it fascinating. They didn't care that I pointed out a few of the deficiencies of its worldview. But when I began to talk about Christianity, the topic was changed. I've told others about my trip to India and what I have learned about Hinduism and they eagerly listened again until I began to speak of Christ.

But the most blaring occurred today. I was in the break room reading Albert Mohler's Culture Shift. The chapter was entitled "The Post-Truth Era: Welcome to the Age of Dishonesty." As I read I noticed my unbelieving friend peering curiously over my shoulder. He openly commented that he found the title interesting, so I asked him if he'd like to read it. He agreed and quickly began to peruse the pages while I sat back and watched him. I noticed that though the book retained his interest, there were times where he would wince or turn his head. So curiously I began to read over his shoulder. I soon realized he was flinching every time the book mentioned Christianity. He finished the chapter, thanked me, and handed the book back.

I was a little dumbstruck. I've heard this guy talk about any manner of offensive subjects using every profanity known to man and here he was miffed by Christ's name being written in a book. He looked like I would have looked reading a Danielle Steele book, or an autobiographical account of someone who endured extreme physical suffering, or the lyrics to a rap song by 50 Cent. What I would see as crude, he would see as common. What I saw as glorious, he saw as profane. It was in that moment that I realized that an almost complete shift has occurred. What was once indecent and extreme is now ordinary, commonplace, meaningless. And a Name that was once respected in our culture is now considered to be an obscenity. When did the name of Christ become vulgar language?