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ABOUT Today, one of the signs of the spiritual and cultural catastrophe that has befallen us is foul language. If earlier swearing was mainly the specific language of criminals, drunkards and other degenerate persons, now swearing is penetrating more and more deeply into all social and age strata of society. Today they swear in print, cinema, and on television. They even sell dictionaries of obscene language. In general, a lot of money is spent to teach the Russian people to swear.
Since ancient times, swearing among the Russian people has been called foul language, from the word “filth.”
V. Dahl's dictionary says:
“Filth is abomination, disgusting, dirty, everything vile, disgusting, disgusting, obscene, that disgusts carnally and spiritually; uncleanness, dirt and rot, decay, carrion, eruptions, feces; stench; stench; lewdness, debauchery, moral corruption; everything is ungodly."
In all languages and cultures, swear words mean the same thing - genitals and sexual intercourse. Swearing swears at the purpose established by God of these organs and the act - procreation, and is a manifestation of prodigal passion in a person.
Saint John Chrysostom writes about swear words:
“It is not proper, brethren, for Orthodox Christians to curse their mothers in battle, since she is the Mother of God, the Most Holy Virgin Mary, who gave birth to the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ, and by Her knowledge, the Lady is our intercessor and prayer book, the patroness of every person in sorrow and the salvation of our souls.
The second mother of all man, from her we were born and knew this light and from her breasts we sighed, this mother of man, who bore labors and illnesses, took all our uncleanness, washed and entwined us, raised us and clothed us.
Our third mother is the earth: from it the first man Adam was created by God, from it we feed, we accept food and clothing, and into it we will return again, dwelling in the tomb.”
Thus, a person, swearing, swears at childbirth and at his mother (the source of his life), thereby cursing and blaspheming himself (the fruit of his mother), being itself (all that exists) and God as the source of being. That’s why demons love swearing so much, and they flock to a person who swears like flies to honey.
That is why among the people swearing was called “black swearing” and formerly the foul language was called a blasphemer.
Foul language in Rus' until about the middle of the 19th century was not widespread and was punishable. During the time of Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, a foul-mouthed person was subjected to public flogging. Under the Great Sovereign Alexei Mikhailovich, swearers had their tongues torn out, and by decree of Emperor Peter I they were flogged. Emperor Nicholas I was nicknamed “Palkin” precisely because he ordered those who swear to be put through a line of fifty sticks for re-education. For obscene language in a public place, both in the USSR and in present-day Russia, you are subject to either a fine or arrest for up to 15 days.
Consequences of swearing:
St. John Chrysostom writes: “When someone swears with obscene words, then at the throne of the Lord the Mother of God, the prayer cover given by Her from that person takes away and She retreats, and whichever person is chosen obscenely, on that day he will subject himself to a curse, because his mother scolds and bitterly insults. It is not right for us to eat and drink with that person, unless he leaves behind his swear word. For blasphemy, God allows troubles, misfortunes and many diseases to befall a person.”
The Church warns that those who speak evil will not inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:10). By your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned, says the Savior (Matthew 12:37). Foul language is a vile vice, which in Holy Scripture is equated to mortal sin (Eph. 5, 4.5).
In addition to the destruction of the soul, a foul speaker destroys himself and the people who listen to his bad words. Scientists of the Russian Academy of Sciences under the leadership of Peter Goryaev came to the conclusion that words create (good, prayer) or destroy (evil, bad) the human hereditary apparatus (DNA). In addition, foul-mouthed people age faster, become infertile, generally give birth less, and their children, who constantly listen to swearing at home, are more often mentally underdeveloped.
Destroying youthful modesty and arousing impure desires, foul language paves the way to debauchery. Chastity and purity cannot coexist with bad words. Slander hardens foul language; it spares neither the modesty of women nor the purity of children.
A foul-mouthed person's speech becomes impoverished - the number of words for communicating with other people decreases. He uses swear words to express the whole gamut of human emotions: anger, indignation, amazement and even delight.
When swearing in a fight or battle, a person unconsciously calls on demons for help and receives strength and cruelty from them. But debts have to be paid, and Satan collects a generous tribute from the swearing army in the form of drunkenness, smoking, and sexual immorality.
The attraction to this vice depends on how close people are to God. Moving away from Him, a person, voluntarily or involuntarily, falls under the power of demonic forces, acquiring the habit of turning not to God, but to Satan.
Let us pray that the Lord will help us conquer our tongue and keep our word in careful and wise use. “The Lord put a guard over our mouth and a door of protection over our mouth.” (Ps. 140, 3).
Discussion: 3 comments
Timofey, here you need to look, as they say, at the root.
None of the sins you have listed can compare with blasphemy. According to Church tradition, swear words were used by ancient sorcerers to desecrate the Most Holy Theotokos! Therefore, slander, insult and the resulting duels and beatings - and even murder - cannot be compared with blasphemy. For blasphemy has been (and still is) one of the most serious sins since ancient times!
The Church also teaches that FOLLOWING is the beginning of the path to evil. THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF Apostasy.
If you tell a actively swearing person anything about God, as a rule, he begins to get angry and swear even more. (Verified).
It’s also no secret that swear words are actively used by servants of evil spirits.
Mat was and is an integral part of occult and pagan rituals that exist in different languages among different nationalities.
This evil cannot be underestimated and called a trifle.
Answer
Hello! Swearing is foul language, and as the holy fathers say, the first ordeal that the soul goes through after death is the ordeal of idle talk and foul language. And by swearing, we doom our souls to destruction, to eternal torment at the very beginning of its ascent to God, if we will not sincerely repent and stop being like demons.
Peace to you and God's help!Answer
The church recognizes the following seven sins related to “mortals”: Pride, Greed, Envy, Anger, Fornication, Gluttony, Dejection. Not only profanity does not fall here, but even murder - although it is condemned in the 10 Commandments.
A tough fight against obscenity, especially with the mention of God and the Mother of God, began at the end of the 17th century. But that’s why it was so tough, reaching even the top of the state, because swearing was extremely widespread everywhere and in all strata, including, of course, among the peasantry. This is evidenced, for example, by the works of K.M. Stanyukovich (1843-1903). The sailors, most of all, came from peasant backgrounds, and sometimes they swore so relishfully, ornately, even artistically. Some officers also did not lag behind. Foul language can hardly be eradicated, because despite all the persecution and prohibitions, it is alive and always ready to break out in everyday life.
And also - why talk about verbal abuse, when in the “blessed tsarist times” beatings and corporal punishment were often practiced, and in “secular society” - slander, insults and duels. Is this all inferior to swearing in sinfulness?
Yes, swearing, turning into interjections that replace everything, degenerates thought, speech, and the spiritual world. Yes, swearing, if anyone hears and perceives its content, is offensive. But all this is a small thing in comparison with the much more serious widespread sins in which the world is literally drowning.
Answer
The use of swear words has become firmly established in the everyday vocabulary of many people; even public people do not shun the use of swear words: politicians, celebrities or public figures. By attributing this problem to the oblivion of culture, we forget that the desire to swear arises within us, prompting us to commit a sinful act.
Is swearing considered a sin?
“What is the sin called when you swear?” Many people wonder for . The Orthodox Church classifies swearing as foul language.
The Lord has endowed people with the ability to communicate and express their thoughts in words. Through them we say prayers and turn to God. A person who swears uses this gift to express his angry impulses, thereby desecrating the Temple of God within himself.
Mat, in its essence, is alien to the nature of human nature; it is impossible to utter prayers and curses with the same lips. We are prompted to do them by the anger lodged inside us. A believer must steadfastly resist such impulses and understand that swearing is a manifestation of the demonic principle.
It’s a sin to swear, in this way we encroach on our spiritual image, created according to the example and likeness of God. The devil, through curses, seeks to eradicate in the believer traits similar to the Lord, leading him astray from the righteous path. The fight against foul language is a fight to preserve spiritual purity and faith.
Getting rid of the habit of foul language is not easy; you need to gather all the spiritual strength within yourself, repent, pray and renounce the harmful habit forever. The word is the main instrument for glorifying the Lord on earth, the main difference between man and animal. By becoming like this sin, a Christian desecrates the gift of God and empties the faith in his soul.
The use of swear words has penetrated into all spheres of human life. Mat can be heard in everyday speech “to connect words.”
This speaks not only about the level of culture of the individual, but about the degree of influence of unclean passions on a person. This is the extreme stage of dependence on sin, which indicates the attenuation of the pure spiritual impulses of the human soul.
Foul language has a detrimental effect not only on the speaker, but on the people listening to it. By insulting himself and those around him, a person unwittingly imposes his vice on others, influencing the person’s soul through words.
It has been scientifically proven that the use of swear words in speech does not carry any semantic meaning, but adds an emotional tone and coloring to the conversation. This circumstance once again emphasizes the harmfulness of swear words, which affect, first of all, the state of mind.
The sin of swearing in the speech of modern man
For many, the fact remains unknown that swearing is the sin of foul language. Abusive words are not truly human language; they do not express anything creative and useful, both for man and for God.
It is especially dangerous for children to be around people who use obscene language, who perceive the behavior of adults as an example to follow.
It will be difficult for a child growing up in such a family to find his way and return to his original state of mind. Parents and relatives consciously create obstacles to the full development of their child, both in the spiritual and in the cultural and educational sense.
Learning to use obscene language does not require special skills or effort, and not everyone can develop the ability to speak beautifully.
The divine origin of the term “man” is deciphered as “verbal”, capable of speaking. The word carries not only an informational message, but is also reflected in the earthly affairs of the believer.
Massive profanity, which does not distinguish between gender and age, has become a real disaster in modern society.
The Russian language, which is one of the richest and most expressive in the world, is especially affected. By littering it with obscene expressions, we forget our traditions and the heritage of our ancestors, transmitted to us, first of all, through the word, and only then through writing.
The roots of profanity date back to pagan times, when people worshiped pagan idols and their derivatives.
The worship of the spirits and demons of the earth and nature did not take place without the main pagan attributes, which were the sacrifice of animals and demonic rituals. An anti-culture of swearing and obscene language has grown out of this culture and has polluted people’s minds, so swearing is a sin, get used to talking normally and go to confession in Church.
One of the signs of the spiritual and cultural catastrophe that befell us was foul language. If earlier swearing was mainly the specific language of criminals, drunkards and other degenerate persons, now swearing is penetrating more and more deeply into all social and age strata of society, they are increasingly trying to impose on us that the Russian language is generally impossible without swearing.
In addition, there is a very widespread opinion that there is nothing bad in obscene language, that it emphasizes the “breadth of the Russian soul.” Many are convinced that it is impossible to resist using swear words in certain situations (for example, the battery fell on your leg).
The purpose of this post/article is to clarify the issue from an Orthodox and scientific perspective.
Historical roots
We will try to show the historical roots of foul language and debunk some of the myths that have arisen around it. Let's start with the fact that swearing is an ancient phenomenon and is inherent in almost all nations.
Bishop Varnava (Belyaev) writes that shaming is “a purely pagan heritage. It is entirely rooted in the phallic cults of the Ancient East, starting from the depths of Satan (see: Rev. 2:24) and the dark abysses of depravity in honor of Baal, Astarte and others, and ending with the classical heirs of Ham.” The cults of ancient Babylon, the land of Canaan, which practiced the sacrifice of infants, the service of debauchery, fornication, ritual prostitution, and gave the corresponding terminology of ritual spells that formed the basis of obscene language.
By uttering obscene words, a person (even if unwittingly) calls upon demonic forces and participates in a savage cult.
The roots of foul language are pagan spells, and they were in Rus' even before the Mongols. The Eastern Slavs, like other peoples, in pagan times had a cult of fertility, a belief in the mystical marriage of earth and sky. At Russian pagan weddings, so-called reproach songs were sung, which contained ritual insults to the groom (so that the chosen one would not have to reproach him in family life). With the help of swearing, the pagan Slav also scared away evil spirits, thinking that demons were afraid of swearing.
Swearing has a clearly expressed anti-Christian character. In ancient Russian manuscripts, swearing is considered a feature of demonic behavior.
Among the Slavs, swearing acts as a curse; the connection with paganism is undeniable. For example, one of the swear words starting with the letter “e,” which is of Slavic origin, is translated as “curse.” The person who pronounces it thereby curses himself and those around him. The word starting with the letter “x” in the Old Russian language meant a sorcerer. The combination of this letter and the ending corresponding to the ending of many Russian verbs is a Volkhov action that was associated with deceased ancestors, and with this exclamation the souls of the dead were summoned in pagan rituals.
The remaining swear words are the names of pagan gods, that is, demons. And the person who utters these words automatically calls these demons on himself, his children and his family.
What is checkmate
What is the phenomenon of swearing? Why do words that mainly denote medical terms, when “translated” into obscene language, become obscene profanity? Why are they used at all, often not for their intended purpose? In all languages and cultures, swear words mean the same thing. This is a relatively small (“dirty dozen”, as the English say) and closed group of words. This group includes names of parts of the human body, primarily genitals, physiological functions, sexual intercourse, and words derived from them.
What is a “swear word”, what is “mat”? There is an opinion that the origin of a particular curse, its etymological component, is not important. These words are traditionally considered (however, some only gradually began to be considered, so that they are found even in some old printed liturgical books) “the worst.” And when a person decides to use them for some reason, it is obvious that what forces him to do so is either extreme anger, or contempt for someone, or a complete lack of self-control. The “mystical component” of obscene language is the mysticism of malice boiling in the human heart, malice that unites a person with the devil, makes him a slave, just as love unites him with God and makes Him a child.
Functions and reasons for use
If we are talking about Russian foul language, then its functions are different depending on who uses it.
1) Sometimes words are simply used in literal meanings - not very common.
There are so few cases when the use of obscene words is justified that they can be safely sacrificed. A person who knows different styles of speech can express anything without resorting to swearing.
2) This may be an expression of expression associated with a conscious violation of certain taboos, and people who actively use swearing are aware of its prohibition.
Someone will say: swearing contains the possibility of emotional mental release. If you let them use swear words, your soul will be lighter. But you can’t overcome bad passions (anger, malice, condemnation, promiscuity) in this way, you can only help them take root more firmly in yourself.
3) Also, swearing can become a habit and become the norm of speech behavior for a person.
4) A person can be guided by the language of the environment, so teenagers begin to swear under the influence of their peers.
5) A teenager, using sophisticated swearing, wants to hide his inner weakness and immaturity. And instead of proving with deeds that he is already an adult, he puts on the armor of rudeness and inaccessibility. That's how cool I am - I swear, and smoke, and drink. And it looks funny and childish. Someone who is truly strong does not need to prove it to the whole world. A truly independent person is not one who lives by the law of the herd: where everyone goes, so do I. A strong person does not allow a bad habit to dominate him. If you swear in the presence of girls and allow them to swear, what kind of men are you after that?
6) And intelligent people may believe that using swear words makes their speech more expressive, or demonstrate their independence from conventions. The use of not only obscenities, but also euphemisms for such a person is simply a way to connect his speech. Solzhenitsyn described this phenomenon in his story “The Easter Procession,” describing it as abuse “in a heartfelt Russian conversation.” The speaker himself does not notice these expressions, but maintains a certain tone of a rather cynical conversation.
For people with a primitive level of thinking, swear words play the role of a kind of connective in colloquial speech. Unable to construct speech structures (“can’t put two words together” is what they usually say about them), some make do with the simplest phrases with an abundance of obscene insertions. The very development of thinking can help many overcome such a disadvantage.
7) Swearing in the mouth of the leadership is a demonstration of closeness to the people and willingness to speak with the people in a language they understand. In addition, swearing is a way of a relaxed boss conversation, because in this case a person swears “from top to bottom” in relation to a subordinate who is not able to answer him in kind.
Where does this idea even come from - that when you are upset or sad, you must swear? Why, for example, not do something equally meaningless: jump on one leg, tap yourself on the forehead with something, etc., etc.? How can you explain this habit of swearing? Is it really possible to say that this is a tradition? And even if so, is this the only tradition that a believer, pious person should under no circumstances follow?
Punishment
Even under Tsars Mikhail Fedorovich and Alexei Mikhailovich, foul language was punished with canes on the streets.
Under Peter I, the book “The Honest Mirror of Youth” was published, where it was written that decent behavior of people can only be recognized with complete abstinence from swearing.
In Rus', until the mid-nineteenth century, foul language was not only not widespread even in the countryside, but for a very long time it was criminally punishable.
For obscene language in a public place, even according to the Criminal Code of the USSR, 15 days of arrest were required.
In modern Russia, obscene language in public places entails administrative liability - a fine or administrative arrest for up to fifteen days, this is provided for in Article 20.1 of the Administrative Code “Petty Hooliganism”.
Unfortunately, bans never solved the problem. People themselves say that non-literary expressions humiliate a person, then the question is, why do they introduce them into use? After all, any housewife would not pour a bucket of slop in the middle of the room, but isn’t foul language the same as slop? Children are punished for bad words, but no one punishes adults, and the child, hearing a bad word, grins and then repeats this word.
Consequences
For blasphemy, God allows a person to suffer various troubles, misfortunes and illnesses. In medicine, there is a type of mental illness (though poorly studied), when a person, perhaps even far from using dirty language, suffers from inexplicable seizures. The patient suddenly begins, against his will, to spew streams of obscene language, often very sophisticated. Sometimes he blasphemes the saints and God. For a believer, everything is obvious. In spiritual practice this is called possession, or demonization. The demon in the possessed person forces him to utter terrible curses and blasphemy. It is known from practice that this kind of demonic possession can happen, by God’s permission, even to children.
A person who is accustomed to swearing is already dependent on his bad habit. As the apostle says, when he commits sin, he is a slave of sin. Anyone who thinks that he is independent of his habit of swearing should try not to use swear words for at least two days, and he will understand who is the boss in the house. Quitting swearing is no easier than quitting smoking.
Doctor of Biology, Academician of Medical and Technical Sciences Pyotr Goryaev, experimentally established that protein chromosomes contain all the information on the construction of a living organism. Through numerous experiments, he proved that the genetic apparatus of any living creature reacts equally to external influences, causing changes in genes.
How does this happen? It is known that a person consists of more than 75% water. Words spoken by a person change the structure of water, arranging its molecules in complex chains, changing their properties, and, consequently, changing the genetic code of heredity. With persistent, bad influence of words, modification of genes occurs, which affects not only the person himself, but also his offspring. Gene modification accelerates the aging of the body, contributes to various diseases and thereby shortens life span. And, conversely, when exposed to good words, a person’s genetic code improves, the aging of the body is delayed and life span increases.
Another scientist, Doctor of Biology Ivan Borisovich Belyavsky, spent 17 years studying the problem of the relationship between words and human consciousness. With mathematical precision, he proved that not only a person has energy, but his every word carries an energy charge. And this very word affects our genes, either prolonging youth and health, or bringing illness and early old age closer.
Thus, it was once again proven that a bad word contains enormous destructive power. And if a person could see what a powerful negative charge, like the shock wave of an exploding bomb, spreads in all directions from a bad word, he would never utter it.
Another interesting observation is connected with swear words. In those countries in whose national languages there are no curse words indicating the reproductive organs, Down's disease and cerebral palsy have not been detected, while in Russia these diseases exist. It is also interesting that animals do not have many diseases only because they do not know how to talk, much less swear. If a person, when releasing negative energy, remembers the genitals, then this has a negative effect on them. Therefore, swearers become impotent early or acquire urological diseases. The trouble is that you don’t have to swear yourself, accidentally overhearing swearing is enough, which is why people living surrounded by swearers also suffer from diseases.
Swearing is used to express outright evil, in which there is anger and desecration. They fulfill their purpose, destroying the mind and health of both those expressing swearing and those who hear it, even just random passers-by. Just as in the visible world there are perishable products, so in memory foul language spoils and rots. Hence the diseases of old age: sclerosis, general atrophy, heart failure and other diseases.
Mat and level of culture
In addition to the fact that swearing is spiritually harmful, it impoverishes a person culturally. If we remove from the language of another foul word all the swear words that are most often used to connect words and have no meaning, then we will see how poor his vocabulary is.
When you meet a person who uses swearing, you inevitably wonder: is everything okay in his head? Because only a sick, sexually preoccupied person can mention genitals and sexual intercourse so often in colloquial speech. [sarcasm?]
It is therefore absolutely clear: the richer a person’s vocabulary, the more complete his knowledge of life, the deeper his understanding of the world around him. It can be stated quite definitely: a person who has only a few words for communication has a very narrow outlook, is mentally undeveloped and from the richest book of life has so far learned too little knowledge about the meaning of his own existence. The cultural level of such a person, that is, the level of comprehension of life values, is very low - this is indisputable. (Here I immediately remember the notorious Ellochka the cannibal from Ilf and Petrov.)
And it’s also important: language not only reflects the value system of a person and society (obscene language, say, indicates the obvious vulgarization of such values), but also powerfully influences this system, subjugates it to itself, determines a person’s very worldview, his behavior, which is even reflected in the character of the people, organizes public consciousness, the very course of historical events, influences the fate of the nation. Father Sergius Bulgakov presciently pointed out:
“...If we look for the roots of the revolution in the past, then here they are: Bolshevism was born out of obscene abuse, and it, in essence, is an abuse of all kinds of motherhood: both in the church and in the historical sense. We must reckon with the power of the word, mystical and even incantatory. And it’s scary to think what a dark cloud hangs over Russia - here it is, people’s Smerdyakovism!”
It would be useful for today's liberals to think: they undoubtedly contrast their own worldview with the Bolshevik one, and their language exposes them.
Mat and spirituality
Mat defiles a person, kills his soul. In the company of swearers, there is a false shame to say a sincere, kind word. Such a company not only mocks the words “love”, “beauty”, “goodness”, “mercy”, “pity”, it suppresses the very possibility of an open, pure look.
Our language is constantly being vulgarized. This is especially dangerous in connection with the total introduction into our speech of coarse language, “profanity,” as they now like to put it correctly, that is, ordinary swearing. It is based primarily (though not exclusively) on the vile and offensive use of the word mother. One of the highest concepts for a person is degraded to the level of cynically vulgar. But with the word, with this concept, we connect not only the idea of our own, dear mother, it also forms sublime images-symbols - the motherland and the mother Church. Not obviously, but undoubtedly, obscene language blasphemously affects the image of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God.
“How much wit, anger and spiritual uncleanliness have been spent to come up with these vile words and phrases aimed at insulting and desecrating a person in everything that is sacred, dear and loved to him.”
Who has such a goal? Those who have uncleanness in their souls. And those for whom this impurity obscures purity and holiness even on a conceptual level. Those for whom the undefiled life becomes inaccessible - so they begin to take revenge on this ideal, unattainable for them, trying to discredit it. Defectiveness is always aggressive, and this aggressiveness manifests itself primarily at the level of language. The language also reveals the “bladness” of many of our (anti)cultural figures, and they themselves openly announce this to the world with their foul language.
A Russian proverb says: “From a rotten heart come rotten words.” When the human heart is corrupted, rotten, nasty words appear as signs of spiritual corruption. Foul language is a sign of excess filth in the heart. If a person’s heart is not cleansed, but is filled with sin and bitterness, then foul language flows from him in an uncontrollable stream.
Information sources:
Question: why, when upset, should you swear?
- Punishment
Administrative punishments for foul language in Rus': from rods to 15 days.
Such punishments do not solve the problem.
- Consequences
Mental illness: involuntary swearing
Addiction: someone who is used to swearing cannot help but swear.
Impact on the human genetic apparatus
Diseases: predisposition to Down's disease, cerebral palsy, urological diseases, senile diseases.
- Mat and level of culture
Poverty of vocabulary
The influence of word usage on the worldview and value system.
Quote: “Bolshevism was born from swearing”
- Mat and spirituality
An insult to the sacred word "mother". They defame both their own mother, the “Motherland” and the “Mother Church”. Indirectly - an insult to the Mother of God.
Foul language is a sign of excess filth in the heart.
The sins of the tongue are among the most difficult to overcome, and that is why there is so often a temptation to consider them insignificant, to somehow justify them, to “not notice”. People have become so accustomed to foul language, especially recently, that many people really don’t notice it and are surprised that these words are still obscene. The word... A sound that lives for a split second and disappears in space. Where is he? Go look for those sound waves. The word... An almost immaterial phenomenon. It seems there is nothing to talk about. But the word is what likens a person to his Creator. We call the Savior Himself the Divine Word. With a creative word, the Lord created our beautiful world, “cosmos,” as the Greeks called it, out of non-existence. It means "beauty". But the human word also has creative power and influences the reality around us. The words we speak and hear shape our consciousness, our personality. And our conscious actions influence the environment in which we live. Our word can promote God’s plan for the world and man, or it can contradict it.
The Church has always called on its children to be attentive to words and especially warned against the sin of foul language. Let no rotten word come out of your mouth, but only good...(Eph. 4:29), teaches the apostle (Paul). But fornication and all uncleanness... should not even be named(Eph. 5:3), he insists. It is no coincidence that the Apostle calls these words rotten.
The Holy Fathers say that prodigal sins stink. Foul language, or the so-called swearing, in its theme relates to fornication. And it stinks. Although not everyone feels it - they are inhaled. And what’s surprising is that they immediately try to muffle the smell of a just eaten cutlet with chewing gum, with the help of some kind of drug from a can they completely blocked the way out so as not to somehow “smell” in public, they began to make toilet paper with fruit scents, and They don’t feel the spiritual stench of swearing at all. And even women.
There is such a tropical plant - scopelia. His flowers are the very perfection of form and color. But incredible! The pale orange glowing petals emits the smell of rotting, decomposing meat. When swear words fly out of beautiful female lips, I always remember the greenhouse, the delicate wax petals and the terrible stench above them. And again I’m perplexed, why was it necessary to style my hair in a fashionable hairstyle, choose the style and color of a suit, correct some flaws on my face, only to then push me away with a hurricane of dirty words? Speech reveals us most clearly and allows others to see our true face. “Speak so that I can see you,” this saying belongs to Socrates, the wisest of the ancient Greeks. A woman with coarse language can only look attractive when she is silent - like a scopelia flower behind glass.
The commonality and prevalence of this sin almost “legitimized” it. And few of the swearers think about what a disaster for society and for each of us lies in swearing. The mystical roots of this phenomenon go back to deep pagan antiquity. People of the pre-Christian era, in order to protect their lives from the evil attacks of the demonic world, came into contact with it. This contact could be twofold. The demon was either appeased by praising him and making sacrifices to him, or they frightened him. So, they frightened the demon precisely with bad language, a demonstration of their lewdness. This can be observed at the beginning of a fight, when opponents, making ferocious grimaces, shout to each other about their cruelty, about their angry insanity, about their readiness to allow themselves this or that vile behavior. That is, each of them tries to make himself as bad as possible in the eyes of the other. For fear or from fear. But they also called on the demon with the same words, demonstrating their obsession, their readiness to communicate with him.
Thus, the mat was a means of “communication” with demonic forces. That's how he remains. It is classified as infernal, that is, demonic, hellish vocabulary. Through bad words, a person gives himself into the hands of the demon and becomes possessed. Some people probably know that it is more difficult to get rid of the habit of swearing than smoking. For years and years people come to confession with this sin until they are finally freed from it.
The following phenomenon is known in medical practice: a paralyzed person, who has no speech at all, is unable to utter either “yes” or “no,” but can, nevertheless, completely freely utter entire expressions consisting of unprintable swearing. The phenomenon is unusual, but does occur. I myself have encountered this twice, and here’s how.
Some time ago, my family and I rented a house in the village. Our neighbor across the street was a paralyzed man. Almost motionless, he could only move one arm slightly. Every day, his relatives carried him out onto the village street, and, placing a plank, laid him on the green lawn in front of the gate or sat him down, leaning against a tree. Well, at home, within four walls, the patient, of course, was bored... One day, standing near my gate, I suddenly heard loud swearing. A few seconds later it happened again. Then again. This was strange, since the locals did not “express themselves” out loud, loudly, and even next to a clergyman. I looked back. The street was empty. Only the sick neighbor was lying on his plank, the expression on his face was, as always, vague. “But I didn’t hear it, did I? Who could this abuse come from? - I thought. Then the wife came out of the gate. She explained that the paralytic often utters this obscene phrase. And only her. But clearly and distinctly, like a healthy person. Pronounces with different intonations. With this phrase he expresses a request, anger, dissatisfaction, complaint. It is also used to greet people passing by and inform them of their well-being. When he needs something, he repeats it without ceasing, shouting until it is heard in the house. Later I had to verify this more than once.
The second time I encountered a similar case was also in a rural area. I needed to find out one address, and to make inquiries, I knocked on the door of the first house I came across. A sound was heard from inside, and I, familiar with village customs, crossed the threshold of the glassed-in terrace without further ado. Loud swearing was immediately heard. I looked around and, seeing a man sitting in a deep old chair in the corner of the terrace, took a step towards him, wanting to explain that I was not a thief. But he again shouted an obscene expression, several times in a row. At the same time, the intonation of his voice did not at all correspond to the words. It seemed like the man was calling someone. I didn’t have to think about this topic for long, as the hostess came out onto the terrace. She said hello and immediately began to apologize for swearing at her husband: “You will forgive us. It just so happened that after the stroke he lost all speech, but these words remained. And now all he can do is swear... We are so exhausted! And I’m ashamed in front of my neighbors...”
The strangeness of this phenomenon speaks volumes. It turns out that the so-called swearing “passes” along completely different nerve chains than the rest of speech. Is it not the demon, using a person’s sinful skill, that provides him with such a “benefit,” thereby demonstrating his power over a partially dead body? What happens after death? The demon's power will become complete and final.
One girl, after joining the church, was very interested in the fate of her deceased grandmother. The fact is that the grandmother was a believer: she went to church, prayed, fasted, and the girl was convinced that her pious grandmother was in heaven. But she wanted to make sure that heaven existed, so the girl prayed and asked the Lord to somehow reveal to her how her grandmother was doing? One day her grandmother dreamed of her and said that she was in hell, because during her life, although she went to church, prayed and fasted, she often cursed with bad words.
The fate of foul language is unenviable, and the Church warns that those who speak evil... will not inherit the kingdom of God(1 Cor. 6:10). ...By your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned,” says the Savior(Matt. 12:37).
Saint Gregory Dvoeslov told a story that happened in Rome.
“In our city, one man, well known to everyone, had a son of about five years old, whom he loved very much and raised without any severity. The boy, whom everyone pleased, was accustomed to uttering nasty swear words, and no matter what thought came into his head, he immediately began to slander out of habit, scolding not only people, but sometimes he dared to blaspheme and, scary to say, God Himself, uttering blasphemy against holy objects. And his father did not forbid him to say those blasphemous, nasty words. During the pestilence that we had three years before this, the boy fell ill to death, and when his father held him on his lap, then, according to the stories of the people who were there themselves, unclean demons came to take the cursed soul of the boy. The boy, seeing them, trembled, closed his eyes and began to shout: “Father, get me away from them! Get me away!” and with a terrible cry he hid his face behind his father’s bosom, trying to cover himself, as it were. The father, looking at the little one, how he was in awe, asked: “What do you see?” The boy answered: “Black people have come, they want to take me...” and, having said this, he began to utter the nasty and blasphemous speeches to which he was accustomed, and he died immediately.”
A foul speaker not only gives his soul to the power of demons, but also affects the state of mind of the people around him and even their health. Every word carries information that affects our consciousness, shapes and changes it. Will bad language change him for the better? A word once heard lives in us for the rest of our lives. Anesthesiologists say that under anesthesia, when the will weakens, a person who has never used bad words will sometimes say something from the abuse he once heard.
As already mentioned, swearing is also destructive in relation to our health. A swear word spoken or heard has an effect on us comparable to a mild concussion. The writer Fazil Iskander mentions a case when a healthy and strong man, hearing obscene language, turns pale and faints. “I can’t get used to it,” he says embarrassedly.
One of my friends, a young man, by his upbringing, was a swearer | hostile, but did not notice any special reaction to her. When he began to go to church, pray, confess and receive communion, his reaction to bad words also changed. One day, during Lent, he went to the bathhouse. For him, as for many Russian people, the bathhouse has always been a great pleasure. But that time he was unlucky: next to him two strangers were heatedly discussing something and constantly swearing. They didn’t quarrel, but casually peppered their speech with swear words. At first the young man felt uncomfortable, then he began to feel slightly nauseous, and then, as he said, he almost lost consciousness. Everything swam before his eyes, and he almost “crashed” onto the stone floor. It’s understandable, because with his church life his environment also changed. He had not heard foul language next to him for a long time, so his body responded to dirty words - with nausea and dizziness. The unpleasant impression was so strong that he had to give up the pleasure of steaming for a while.
Destroying youthful modesty and arousing impure desires, foul language paves the way to debauchery. Chastity and purity cannot coexist with bad words. Children, not content with abstract sounds, will certainly strive to find out the meaning of what they heard. The corruption of these little ones will rest on the conscience of the foul-mouthed one. Woe to that person through whom temptation comes (Matthew 18:7), the Savior warns.
Foul language muffles and dulls the feeling of shame not only in children, but also in adults. Shyness, as St. John Chrysostom says, “God put into our nature” so that it would protect us from sin. We find the same thought in St. Gregory of Nyssa: “A great and powerful weapon for avoiding sin is the shame usually stored in people, for this purpose, I think, put into us by God, so that such a disposition of the soul would produce in us an aversion from the worst.” According to Saint Demetrius of Rostov, “the greatest shame comes from the exposure of bodily nakedness.” Swearing, symbolizing such exposure, forces one to overcome this highest degree of shame, destroying the protective wall of modesty and exposing a person to shamelessness. After all, “the anticipation of shame is shamelessness” (St. Gregory the Theologian). Where there is shamelessness, there is no God.
The peace in a foul-mouthed family is unstable and fragile. Swearing excites and irritates a person. But the biggest misfortune in such a family is the fate of the children. Children, hearing dirty speech, learn to use foul language themselves. The mental development of such children is inhibited. The sooner the child’s attention turns to the sexual sphere, especially in such a base and primitive display, the slower his spiritual and mental development will go. There is an observation that such children’s growth slows down, and as a result they do not “reach” what is inherent in them by nature.
Those parents who are not shy in their expressions must remember that foul language, destroying the child’s sense of shame, is a bridge to subsequent crimes. After all, by driving shame out of the house, these parents also drive out the best educator. “For shame often taught more than fear to avoid doing inappropriate things” (St. Gregory of Nyssa). Let them not look for those to blame later in the event of an accident with their son or daughter - they planned it themselves.
The memoirs of the Venerable Martyr Archimandrite Kronid (Lyubimov) describe the following incident:
“Twenty years ago, when I was still in the monastery of St. Sergius, the peasant Jacob, a parishioner of the church in the area where I was born, came to pray to St. Sergius, the saint of God, and came to see me. Seeing the extraordinary sadness on his face, I asked about the reason for his sadness, and he told me the following: “I have a son, a baby of about six years old, who is accustomed to such a terrible vice of swearing and swearing with obscene words, from which even I, a man, come into embarrassment and horror. Howled, I tried to punish him, after punishment he threw me into the underground, but all this does not help, my son becomes even more embittered and swears with such bitterness that his face even turns black, and then it’s scary to look at him.” It is clear that the devil has taken possession of the little one’s soul and is forcing him to use foul language. I asked my father where the little boy could learn such terrible foul language? Then the peasant admitted that the reason for this was himself. “I,” he said, “have this habit of foul language when I am drunk. This is what I grieve about most of all, that I myself sowed these destructive weeds in the soul of an innocent child.” Seeing his emotional confusion and tears, I felt sorry for this sufferer with all my heart, but I could do nothing to help him in his grief except a sincere heartfelt word of consolation. And at the same time, he advised him to pour out all the sorrow of his soul before the relics of St. Sergius and, as if alive, to tell him the sadness of his heart, and to ask for his wondrous help for himself and the little one suffering from a fatal illness. A year after this meeting with Jacob, I saw him at home and asked about the baby. Tears flowed freely from Jacob’s eyes when asked about his son. Having calmed down, he told me: “God is wonderful in His saints. Through the prayers and intercession of St. Sergius, my little one has recently completely stopped swearing, and now, thank God, I no longer drink vodka.”
Often people who are susceptible to the sin of foul language, in order to somehow justify themselves in the eyes of others, say that their environment forces them to use foul language, or that they did not receive the right upbringing in childhood. Let me give you an example. One woman worked in our parish and helped cook. She always brought her little granddaughter with her. He cooks dinner, feeds everyone, then puts away the dishes, washes the floors, but doesn’t go home. Still looking for what else to do? They used to say to her: “Go home. Don't torture the child." And she smiles guiltily, but still doesn’t go home. She herself did not complain, but her friends later said that her home was a real hell. All her loved ones: husband, son and daughter drink constantly. Every day in the apartment there are drunken groups, shouting, scandals and, of course, all swearing. Her granddaughter, one might say, was conceived, born and growing up amid constant swearing. For a little girl, giving up swear words is like giving up a part of herself. From a hand, or a foot, or from your own skin. Just once or twice a week, her grandmother brought her to church. But after some time, the girl not only stopped uttering dirty words, but also stopped other children who could not hold their tongues in the church yard (we are, of course, not talking about swearing, but simply about rude words): “You can’t talk like that, you after all, you are taking communion.” The baby has made her choice, although she still lives in the same difficult atmosphere.
Previously, swearing was also called “soldier’s” words, because foul language was mostly common among soldiers. Between people who have been separated for twenty-five years from their families, communication with loved ones, their usual peasant work, their native places - people who despair of their future. Later, the ulcer of foul language also struck the working environment, which was formed in almost the same desperate circumstances: without families, outside the usual relationships - people lived for today. All these were people, from the point of view of the general population, “unfortunate” people who found themselves in difficult circumstances. They were pitied, but those who adopted their bad habits were condemned.
It was probably in Soviet times that a type of “democratic” boss appeared, demonstrating his “closeness” to the people through the use of strong words. There was even an expression: “to say it firmly, in Russian.” It would be good to know that most swear words are not of Russian origin. Russian people, at least in their ideals, have always been distinguished by their chastity. This chastity and modesty were reflected in the national dress and way of life, which surprised foreigners with the severity and purity of morals. Under the pious Tsars Mikhail Fedorovich and Alexy Mikhailovich, corporal punishment was imposed for foul language. Disguised officials walked through the markets and squares, grabbed those who used foul language and immediately, on the spot, so that others would be disturbed, punished them with rods.
It is surprising that today many educated people consider it normal to accidentally swear in a “subtly intelligent” way, perhaps wanting to emphasize in this way the “breadth” of their views. This is how Dostoevsky begs to be spoken: “The Russian man is broad, it would be good to narrow it down.” Meanwhile, they have a huge responsibility. In Russia, educated people have always been treated with respect. An educated person was called a personal honorary citizen. A university education was equivalent to an officer rank and allowed the holder to enjoy the rights of personal nobility. Knowledge was revered. Looking at an educated person, ordinary people seemed to say to themselves: “In our darkness, we can fall into many sins and mistakes, but he knows where the light is, he is a literate person.”
Education helps a person to recreate the image of God in himself. It is the concept of recreating the image of God that the word “education” reflects. Therefore, dirty swearing from the lips of an intellectual is especially unacceptable! From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required, and to whom much has been entrusted, from him more will be required.(Luke 12:48).
“People” in Slavic means “language”. The language of the people is what creates and unites the people. And it characterizes him. The German philosopher and linguist W. Humboldt placed the formation and development of national character, culture and way of life in direct dependence on the language of the people. Language undoubtedly influences the historical path of a people. So can we treat him so frivolously?
The ancient demonic cults of the Middle East, from which we inherited most of the swear words, used them in ritual actions that accompanied human sacrifices. And just as demons were called in this way before, so today a person who utters these words calls a demon on his head. The question of the admissibility of swearing is a matter of faith. For an Orthodox person, it is enough to realize that the Lord does not like these nasty words. An example of this is one of the posthumous miracles of the holy righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, an incident included in his life.
“In 1711, in the month of April, one monastery elder named Jacob listened attentively to the Divine Liturgy and tried to detach his thoughts from everything earthly. He stood quietly in prayerful tenderness. Suddenly, at the cry: “Proceed with the fear of God and faith,” he fell on his face and lay unconscious for a long time. When he came to his senses, he said the following:
When looking at the image of the Most Holy Theotokos, called “Hodegetria,” he was suddenly overcome with fear. What happened to him next - he does not remember, he only remembers one thing, how the righteous Simeon appeared before him and, touching him, said: “Get up, go and declare to everyone to refrain from foul language and swear words, otherwise the Lord will send and on their cattle there will be famine and pestilence. Let everyone fervently pray to the Lord, His Most Pure Mother and all the saints, let all the people serve a prayer service for the aversion of the wrath of God."
In addition, righteous Simeon ordered Jacob to tell the archimandrite and the governor about this, so that people would repent of their sins and pray for deliverance from the righteous wrath of God, which was done by everyone with the greatest zeal.”
It only seems to us that today we are strong and independent with our scientific and technological progress. That they are able to build their well-being solely according to their own desire. But what can we do if the Lord does not give us His grace for our wickedness and does not bless our labors? Our whole life suffers from our, as it seems to us, small weakness. And personal, and family, and state. Therefore, in arranging this life, let us first of all listen to the voice of the Church, which tells us through the Apostle Paul: Put away... the foul language of your lips(Col. 3:8).
However, the more prayers, sacred and spiritual texts a person says and reads, the easier and more natural it becomes for him to refuse rude words. Because, as the Apostle says, blessing and curse cannot (should not) come from the same mouth, as one spring cannot pour out salty and sweet water(James 3:12).
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(Prov. 18:22)
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”
You can’t swear, because foul language destroys the soul
The word is what makes a person human, what distinguishes a person from an animal. That which makes a person the image and likeness of God.
Foul language is speech that is filled with indecent expressions, obscene words, and swearing. Swear words destroy the soul, destroy the boundaries of human communication.
From V. Dahl's explanatory dictionary
“Filth is abomination, disgusting, dirty, everything vile, disgusting, disgusting, obscene, that disgusts carnally and spiritually; uncleanness, dirt and rot, decay, carrion, eruptions, feces; stench, stench; lewdness, debauchery, moral corruption; everything that is contrary to God... Natural filth is cleansed by water and fire, spiritual filth is cleansed by repentance.”
(From V. Dahl's explanatory dictionary)
Why can't you swear? When we utter swear words, we call the names of demons and call upon them.
If you call on the name of God in prayer, the Lord will not leave you. You pronounce the names of demons, they are always with you, influencing your life, health, relationships with other people.
Swearing came from the pagan rituals of the Slavs
Before the baptism of Rus', the ancient Slavs used swear words during pagan rituals. With the help of these special words, the pagans scared away evil spirits and turned to other worlds. They demonstrated their fighting spirit and willingness to fight the demons.
After the adoption of Christianity, they began to explain to people that foul language is a grave sin. Nevertheless, swear words became commonplace, and new derivative swear words appeared.
Profanity is a grave sin.
The tsarist government severely punished foul language. Those who swore were publicly flogged with rods so that others would be discouraged.
In the tsarist army, swearing was severely punished. Suvorov told the soldiers: “Pray to God. Victory comes from him. He is our general."
Swear words cause genetic changes and lead to the degeneration of humanity
Quantum physics confirms the destructive effects of swearing on human health. According to the law of resonance, everything bad that comes from me strikes me.
Scientists Goryaev P.P. and Tertyshny G.G. The Institute of Control Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences invented a device that translates words into electromagnetic waves. Scientists have discovered that when a person swears, his DNA produces unnatural programs.
Swear words cause changes in genes and chromosomes, similar to powerful radioactive radiation. Chromosomes bend, genes change places.
The researchers concluded: DNA molecules perceive human speech.
Some words heal heredity, others traumatize. Swear words destroy wave programs, lead to hormonal disorders, serious illnesses and degeneration of humanity.
Official science, however, is in no hurry to recognize the research of scientists P.P. Goryaev. and Tertyshny G.G. in the field of genetics.
No less interesting are the scientific experiments of Japanese scientist Masaru Emoto with water molecules. He proved experimentally that good words, gratitude and prayer make crystals beautiful.
M. Emoto in his book “The Energy of Water” provides evidence that water has memory and changes structure depending on the information received.
And when water was exposed to curses, the structure of the molecule changed and acquired an ugly shape.
Masaru Emoto has written many books that contain thousands of visual illustrations.
Official science does not yet recognize the results of M. Emoto’s experiments.
Swearing is prohibited in Christianity, because swearing is a sin, the death of the soul
With the advent of Christianity, the church wages a tough fight against obscene language. Why is swearing prohibited in Christianity? In ancient Christian manuscripts, swearing is condemned and considered a feature of demonic behavior.
Mat is a prayer to Satan and an insult to the Mother of God.
From the Orthodox point of view, foul language is a sin, the death of the soul.
Swearing brings joy to demons. Therefore, in Orthodoxy, those who swear are called blasphemers.
Profanity destroys our lives and breaks divine connections. The Apostle Paul says:
“Woe to the foul-mouthed: their throat is an open grave.”
Bishop Mitrofan in the book “The Truth about Russian Mat” writes that if a person swears, then the Guardian Angel, whom the Lord gave him at Baptism, is offended, moves away from the person, and no longer interferes in his life.
( John 1:1)
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. It was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and without Him nothing came into being that was made.”
The Word is God's gift. And people treat the spoken word carelessly. They utter swear words, and then wonder why illnesses and troubles overtake them.
James in his conciliar letter addresses the believers:
“Do not curse one another, brethren: whoever curses his brother or judges his brother, the law reviles him and the law judges him; and if you judge the law, then you are not a doer of the law, but a judge.”
We read about this in James' letter:
“...none of the people can tame the tongue: it is an uncontrollable evil; it is filled with deadly poison. With it we bless God and the Father, and with it we curse men, created in the likeness of God. From the same lips comes blessing and curse: it should not be so, my brethren. Does sweet and bitter water flow from the same hole in the spring?
Jesus Christ warned:
“...For every idle word that people speak, they will give an answer on the day of judgment, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Everyone will have to answer for every word we say.
In the icon, the first of the ordeals that the soul goes through after the death of a person is the sin of the tongue. A person gives an account for all the unrepentant sins that he committed with a bad word. Priest Pavel Gumerov in his book “Small Church” , which was published by the Sretensky Monastery in 2008, writes:
“One army rank told Hegumen Savva that for a long time he could not get rid of the passion for foul language. He eradicated this habit in this way. As soon as a “rotten word” escaped him, he took note of it, found a convenient place in the barracks and made 10 bows. And the vice of foul language was completely abandoned by him. It is very good for young people to follow this example.”
Priest Dmitry Smirnov in one of his interviews called foul language “the most harmful thing” that affects the soul, destroys morality, and alienates a person from God.
The archpriest called on people to control their speech and explained that, to our shame, swear words are now common and accessible even to children. Even intelligent people cultivate and broadcast abuse on TV screens.
Why are people drawn to foul language?
In any religion, foul language is considered a grave sin and is prohibited.
| Orthodoxy | Any bad word is a sin that defiles a person himself, deprives him of grace, as the Lord said: “What comes from the mouth - comes from the heart - this defiles a person.” (Gospel of Matthew). |
| Islam | “Let your mother lose you, Muaz! What else plunges people face-first into Gehenna, if not the fruits of their tongue.” (Prophet Muhammad). |
| Judaism | “Because of the sin of profanity, many troubles and new misfortunes come and the young men of Israel die.” (Babylonian Talmud). |
| Buddhism | According to the law of Karma, people who use foul language are scolded by others. If you use foul language, a time will surely come when you will suffer from being scolded. Foul language is based on such manifestations of the soul as hatred, anger, envy... And if you look at the Law of Truth, which says that everything is a manifestation of the soul, then if you use foul language, you turn your world into a world filled with anger, hatred, envy and similar manifestations of the soul. (Logical advice from a friend). |
But still, why do they swear everywhere and continue to use swear words in their speech?
There are a number of reasons why people swear:
- insult an opponent;
- release anger;
- color your speech emotionally;
- as interjections;
- to relieve psychological or physical stress;
- for the purpose of adaptation in an environment where swearing is the norm;
- as a tribute to fashion.
Let's name the main reasons for foul language.
