As my kids continue to get older, they unfortunately begin to learn things I wish they never had to learn. A few weeks ago, my 7-year-old son came into the room when a bad word had been uttered on a television program. He didn’t hear the word, but thinking he had, I said that was a bad word. Because he didn’t hear it, and because he doesn’t want anything kept from him, he wanted to know what the word was. To my horror, he began inquiring by saying the first letter of various swear words he knew, some of which I didn’t know that he knew.

One of the biggest challenges I feel I have as a parent is trying to make sure my children understand the importance of using clean language. I hope my kids grow up with the mentality that they never even want to swear.

When we think of swearing, we all know the words that come to mind. But in our home, I’ve really tried to emphasize the importance of not even taking God’s name in vain. I say “not even” because it seems like many don’t consider that swearing. But for me, it’s as obnoxious as any other swear word. Perhaps more obnoxious. I loathe it so much that I will turn off the radio if a song comes on where the singer uses it, no matter how much I may otherwise like the song or the singer. I hate having a melody with a lyric that uses God’s name in vain stuck in my head.

This week, I came across a Facebook post by Pastor Bob Joyce. The post said:

“God’s name is special because it carries his personal identity. Using it frivolously or in a curse is so common today that we may fail to realize how serious it really is. The way we use God’s name conveys how we really feel about him. We should respect his name and use it appropriately, speaking it in praise or worship rather than in curse or jest. We should not take lightly the abuse or dishonor of his name.”

The part that especially resonated with me was: “The way we use God’s name conveys how we really feel about him.”

Many people claim to believe in God, yet they show the disrespect they have of him by the way they use his name. They show how much they care, or don’t care, about him.

President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spoke the following wise words about taking God’s name in vain during the April 1986 general conference of the church.

“Profane and vulgar expressions are public evidence of a speaker’s ignorance, inadequacy or immaturity. A speaker who profanes must be ignorant or indifferent to God’s stern command that his name must be treated with reverence and not used in vain. A speaker who mouths profanity or vulgarity to punctuate or emphasize speech confesses inadequacy in his or her own language skills. Properly used, modern languages require no such artificial boosters. A speaker who employs profanity or vulgarity to catch someone’s attention with shock effect engages in a babyish device that is inexcusable as juvenile or adult behavior. Such language is morally bankrupt. It is also progressively self-defeating, since shock diminishes with familiarity and the user can only maintain its effect by escalating its excess.”

Later in his address, he said:

“The language we use projects the images of our hearts, and our hearts should be pure. As the savior taught: ‘Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.'” (Matt. 12:34-35.)

Some may read this and say, “Well, I don’t believe in God,” or, “I don’t really care enough about God to care how he feels about how I use his name.” To these people, I would simply suggest having a certain respect for the people around you who do love God and care about how his name is spoken. People may not speak out against it when they hear his name spoken in vain because they’ve become so accustomed to hearing it and they don’t want to make anyone upset, but why should someone have to speak out against something before change occurs? It seems like such a simple thing to eliminate from our speech, and it would show a level of compassion that unfortunately seems less and less common. It would show a willingness to prioritize the feelings of those around you above your own inclinations and desires.

I often get frustrated when I hear swearing in music and movies because I think to myself, “That word didn’t need to be used.” Nobody would ever listen to a song or watch a movie or TV show and say, “That was a really good movie. But it would have been better if there was more swearing.” If a song or movie or TV show is good, it doesn’t need a single swear word. I recently watched a movie that has received much praise and was surprised to discover almost no swearing in the entire two and a half hours. Clearly, bad language was not necessary for the story to be told in a compelling way.

Similarly, God’s name never needs to be taken in vain. You will never have a conversation with someone where they will say, “I really enjoyed the time we spent talking, but it would have been so much better if you had once or twice taken God’s name in vain.” It’s simply never necessary.

Speaking God’s name in vain is ultimately a habit. It’s something too many people have become used to. But like all habits, it can be broken. Respect for God should be sufficient for many to change, but for those who don’t believe in or care about God, respect for those around you should also be sufficient.

Contact Ryan Comer at rcomer@standard.net. Follow him on Twitter at @rbcomer8388 and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rbcomer8388.

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