A note to our younger and more conservative minded readers: this article contains explicit language…so stop reading if combinations of certain sounds offend you.
I am not about to reveal some unknown truth about Christendom or give insight into a deep, perplexing question of faith and miracles, but rather, just look at language and its quirkiness and ponder aloud as to what is meant by certain passages in the Bible. Namely,
Ephesians 4:29
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
and
Colossians 3:8
“But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.
Let’s focus on four words from these two verses. Unwholesome talk. Filthy language. The Greek used for unwholesome talk is λόγος σαπρὸς (logos sapros), literally meaning rotten or worthless words. The Greek for filthy language is αἰσχρολογία (aischrologia), literally vile conversation. The literal reading of these texts I can whole-heartedly agree with. I do believe that we should abstain from logos sapros and I do believe that we should rid our hearts of anger, rage, malice, slander, and aischrologia; however, should we allow the abuse and mistreatment of certain words in our dear, English language because, by the fate of history and societal norms, we have applied a certain evil stigma to them?
What’s in a word? What if I were to call you an apenaaier? Or perhaps, Jeg spretta søstra di mens den tilbakestående faren din sto bak og fumlet med ballene mine. Well, if you can’t understand any of that you are probably a Schwanzlutscher. Chances are, you’re not offended (unless you can speak Dutch, Norwegian, or German…then I apologize for the terrible things I have just said). The point being, it is not words or certain sounds that offend us, rather it’s the meaning behind the words. Ok let’s try this. Fuck you. Please note the reaction you just had to those seven letters. Was it a stronger reaction than to the previous string of profanities? Why? Because, trust me what I said before was a lot more offensive than those seven letters. Why is it that when a Brit says “It’s bloody cold outside,” it’s permissible for your children to hear, yet if a few seconds later someone exclaims “It’s fucking cold outside,” you blush and wish your child didn’t have to be company to such foul language. Are the letters f-u-c-k of the devil? What if I wrote cukf? Does that elicit a reaction? I know this seems a bit childish, but the logic behind certain cultural taboos baffles me. That’s why whenever preachers get on their pulpit and ramble on and on about how dirty language is all over the media and we need to stop listening to profane music and turn off those vulgar television programs I say “fuck it.” Sorry…I mean “to hell with it,” well, that’s still not quite it. I mean “never mind all that.” Do you see what just happened? I took my underlying concept that I was trying to convey, and stated it in varied degrees of vulgarity. All three expressions mean the exact same thing. Why does one way of stating an idea carry such a horrendous burden as to be deemed profane, yet another way of stating the exact same idea is ok to be uttered from “the mouths of babes?” What is deemed as filthy language, as aischrologia? Does the Bible condemn the use of “fuck it” because it has our cultural taboo word in the phrase, or does Colossians 3:8 condemn the underlying meaning of the term “fuck it” thereby condemning all who use the phrase “never mind all that.” As you can probably infer, I don’t believe the Bible has a vendetta against those who like to say “never mind all that.” Unfortunately, for those of us who choose to use more colorful words to express the same idea, we have to take it upon ourselves to be the scapegoat and rescue the rest of civilization from an everlasting damnation. All because of four little letters.
To give an example, my grandmother was born and raised in a small town in Pennsylvania. She eventually met my grandfather and they were to be married. However, she had quite a time adjusting to the linguistic civilities of the South (by now they were living in North Carolina). For her (and most Northerners of the time) ‘shit’ was a noun in common usage at not at all vulgar. When she decided to use the term in her new home there was quite an uproar. My grandfather had to explain that shit could not be said in polite conversation and certain euphemisms must be applied. Therefore, does God condemn any reference to bodily excrement? Dung, manure, turd, poop, etc. must all be profane. I have read a few books on the history of language and the English language (which I recommend, a bibliography will conclude this post for all who are interested) and the sensibilities of discourse have at some points in our history been so skewed that proper medical attention could not be addressed because the patient could not dare utter the afflicted body part. Examples include ‘stomach’ for belly, but eventually ‘belly’ became too graphic and had to be replaced with tummy, midriff, and even breadbasket. A funny story which I will paraphrase told of a young lady falling down on the sidewalk in America. When a British gentleman asked if she had hurt her leg, she averted her gaze and told him that “we don’t use that word in America.” It turns out that leg was vulgar, and was to be replaced with ‘limbs’ in polite American English conversation. Language is constantly evolving, and with that our taboo words are constantly evolving. There have been times in our language when ‘shit’ and ‘cunt’ were perfectly acceptable, but uttering words such as ‘puppy’ and ‘cad’ were highly risqué. Going back to my first example using ‘fuck,’ although it has been around for centuries (possibly millennia) for a long time it fell out of general usage. During those years the vulgar term for sex was to ‘swive.’ If I were to say ‘swive it,’ would that be offensive? Of course not.
In conclusion, swearing involves words relating to filth, the forbidden (particularly incest), and the sacred. Filth comprising mostly of bodily excrement (shit, piss, etc.), the forbidden to the ‘unspeakable’ body parts (ass, penis, cunt) and incest (motherfucker), and the sacred entails all vulgarities relating to deities (God damn, to hell with it, Jesus). I am not supporting the usage of aischrologia, but rather am trying to redefine ‘filthy language’ and have the reader see that it is not letters or words that are blasphemous or sinful, but rather the meaning behind the words. Notice I have not used examples such as “Fuck you” or “You’re an asshole” in this article. Those expletives are aimed at someone and the underlying meaning is derogatory and therefore logos sapros. While rapping up this article, I don’t want to be seen as condoning the usage of profanity, but I just wanted to give a little history and state some obvious facts on language. Sorry for upsetting anyone with the language in this article, but as the saying goes: “sticks and stones may break my bones but words shall never hurt me.”
I know this whole article was a bit silly and probably got nothing accomplished, but I love language and linguistics and this topic is just something that always has irritated me. One of my quirky pet-peeves I suppose. Basically speak how you want to speak, who’s to say that using the words “fuck” or “shit” will send you to hell? Because they won’t. How could the Bible have been condemning the use of such words when the English language hadn’t even evolved at that time? I agree it’s the meaning behind some of those words, but as I have stated, the sapros meaning behind those words cannot always be found. So what are we going to do with all this useless information you have just read? In the words of our Italian brothers and sisters… “Me ne fotto di esso!”
For those interested:
“The Mother Tongue” by Bill Bryson
“The Power of Babel” by John McWhorter
“The Story of English” by Robert McCrum, Robert MacNeil, and William Cran
Written by Tyler York.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
A Holy Conflict?
This will be my first post on Revolutionary Christians blog, and I was debating on the topic of this first post. While mulling this over the seemingly never-ending situation in Israel kept coming back to me and the fact that American Christians seem to flock to the side of Israel in all of their military adventures. For starters, I am not a Zionist, which will become known, yet at the same time I am by no means anti-Semitic. I will frame this blog around the latest Israeli military excursion into Gaza. The 22 day invasion into Gaza left 1330 Palestinians dead, 437 of those children. To put this in perspective, only 13 Israelis were killed in the conflict.
According to the Bible, Jews are God's chosen people and as Christians we are supposed to fully support Jews. I do see validity in that argument, yet I believe there is a fine line between supporting Judaism and supporting an oppressive Jewish state. American mainstream media only portrays one side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Gazans will forever be the aggressors and the Israelis will be enshrined as "protectors of their ancient homeland." In order to view this in a more humane perspective and I would argue, more Christ-like, one will have to put aside their own prejudices towards Muslims and inclinations to accept Israeli falsities as fact. I will ask the readers to turn off Fox News and CNN and dig deeper to find the true facts. When a news report reads "Israel was attacked by militants and therefore had to defend itself," don't always assume that is the case. Many times, Israel would start the conflict, thereby forcing Hamas to retaliate. Once Israel was hit by missiles, hell was let loose upon the Palestinians. An unequal, unjustifiable, and I would add illegal retaliation. I am sorry for being rather vague in these preceding statements, but I haven't the time to cite every confrontation nor do I wish to turn this blog into a one hundred page essay. I am just trying to give a few facts and perhaps pique the readers' interest to do their own research into the on going Middle East conflicts.
Moving on, I would now like to view these conflicts through a purely compassionate, humane view point. Quoted below is a clip from an article on Gazans by Medea Benjamin:
"Compassion, the greatest virtue in all major religions, is the basic human emotion prompted by the suffering of others, and it triggers a desire to alleviate that suffering. True compassion is not circumscribed by one's faith or the nationality of those suffering. It crosses borders; it speaks a universal language; it shares a common spirituality. Those who have suffered themselves, such as Holocaust victims, are supposed to have the deepest well of compassion."
Those few words truly sum up what I am trying to say. I know I have been brief, yet I hope to get a response from my readers' on the "Middle East question," because as Westerners, we obviously hold the answer [note sarcasm]. I just ask that you question the Israeli state in their torturous actions against Palestinians. I believe our God is a loving God, given that, I do not believe the Bible dictates to its readers who to love and who to scorn. I will quote a well-known passage regarding this found in the book of Matthew, chapter 5, verses 43-47:
"You have heard that it was said, "Love your neighbor and hate your enemy." But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?"
Yet, as I read this verse it doesn't completely sum up the sense of compassion I have towards the world's poor and oppressed. We are not to view Palestinians, and by extension Muslims, as our enemies. They too are children of God, beautiful and lovely in his eyes. We may say YHWH, Allah, or Jesus, but we are all his children. Do you believe God would allow "his people" [read 'Jews'] to torture and murder Palestinians [also his people—were they not created to walk this earth as well?]? It seems that Americans have an engrained notion that if we (or our allies) commit crimes, then it is forgivable, but if a "terrorist" murders it is an abomination. I am by no means forgiving the past murders of ….here it comes, Islamofascists!!!!!!, but our sense of a justifiable homicide is skewed. Do you really believe that an Israeli life is held in higher esteem in God's eyes over a Palestinian's life? I think the main topic of all of this is just that we are all humans. We were all created to live on this earth. Some of us follow the Christian faith and others put their faith in the prophet Mohammed. What it really comes down to, I believe, is do we not all ask for a prosperous life? Do we not all sweat and become tired after a hard day of work? Do we not all love our family and friends and wish only the best for them? Instead of picking apart our "enemies" and trying to find differences why not look at the similarities of God's creation and rejoice that we can stand up for what is right and say no to Israeli oppression, yes, stand up for our Palestinian brothers and sisters, cry for their dead and wounded, mourn for the lives torn apart by American-made Israeli SCUD missiles. We are all human: red, yellow, black, and white, we're all precious in his sight, da dum da dum da dum. Ah, childhood innocence.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those of hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Written by Tyler York.
According to the Bible, Jews are God's chosen people and as Christians we are supposed to fully support Jews. I do see validity in that argument, yet I believe there is a fine line between supporting Judaism and supporting an oppressive Jewish state. American mainstream media only portrays one side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Gazans will forever be the aggressors and the Israelis will be enshrined as "protectors of their ancient homeland." In order to view this in a more humane perspective and I would argue, more Christ-like, one will have to put aside their own prejudices towards Muslims and inclinations to accept Israeli falsities as fact. I will ask the readers to turn off Fox News and CNN and dig deeper to find the true facts. When a news report reads "Israel was attacked by militants and therefore had to defend itself," don't always assume that is the case. Many times, Israel would start the conflict, thereby forcing Hamas to retaliate. Once Israel was hit by missiles, hell was let loose upon the Palestinians. An unequal, unjustifiable, and I would add illegal retaliation. I am sorry for being rather vague in these preceding statements, but I haven't the time to cite every confrontation nor do I wish to turn this blog into a one hundred page essay. I am just trying to give a few facts and perhaps pique the readers' interest to do their own research into the on going Middle East conflicts.
Moving on, I would now like to view these conflicts through a purely compassionate, humane view point. Quoted below is a clip from an article on Gazans by Medea Benjamin:
"Compassion, the greatest virtue in all major religions, is the basic human emotion prompted by the suffering of others, and it triggers a desire to alleviate that suffering. True compassion is not circumscribed by one's faith or the nationality of those suffering. It crosses borders; it speaks a universal language; it shares a common spirituality. Those who have suffered themselves, such as Holocaust victims, are supposed to have the deepest well of compassion."
Those few words truly sum up what I am trying to say. I know I have been brief, yet I hope to get a response from my readers' on the "Middle East question," because as Westerners, we obviously hold the answer [note sarcasm]. I just ask that you question the Israeli state in their torturous actions against Palestinians. I believe our God is a loving God, given that, I do not believe the Bible dictates to its readers who to love and who to scorn. I will quote a well-known passage regarding this found in the book of Matthew, chapter 5, verses 43-47:
"You have heard that it was said, "Love your neighbor and hate your enemy." But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?"
Yet, as I read this verse it doesn't completely sum up the sense of compassion I have towards the world's poor and oppressed. We are not to view Palestinians, and by extension Muslims, as our enemies. They too are children of God, beautiful and lovely in his eyes. We may say YHWH, Allah, or Jesus, but we are all his children. Do you believe God would allow "his people" [read 'Jews'] to torture and murder Palestinians [also his people—were they not created to walk this earth as well?]? It seems that Americans have an engrained notion that if we (or our allies) commit crimes, then it is forgivable, but if a "terrorist" murders it is an abomination. I am by no means forgiving the past murders of ….here it comes, Islamofascists!!!!!!, but our sense of a justifiable homicide is skewed. Do you really believe that an Israeli life is held in higher esteem in God's eyes over a Palestinian's life? I think the main topic of all of this is just that we are all humans. We were all created to live on this earth. Some of us follow the Christian faith and others put their faith in the prophet Mohammed. What it really comes down to, I believe, is do we not all ask for a prosperous life? Do we not all sweat and become tired after a hard day of work? Do we not all love our family and friends and wish only the best for them? Instead of picking apart our "enemies" and trying to find differences why not look at the similarities of God's creation and rejoice that we can stand up for what is right and say no to Israeli oppression, yes, stand up for our Palestinian brothers and sisters, cry for their dead and wounded, mourn for the lives torn apart by American-made Israeli SCUD missiles. We are all human: red, yellow, black, and white, we're all precious in his sight, da dum da dum da dum. Ah, childhood innocence.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those of hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Written by Tyler York.
Where is God?
Support for Israel in Modern Times
I have written previously on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but while reading a chapter in Robert Fisk's "The Great War for Civilisation" I had one of those "aha" moments. It's one of these ideas that pops into your head that probably isn't unique, but it's the first time I have ever thought about it, so I decided to write a blog once again on this subject. Comments are obviously welcome.
In the title of this article I ask, where is God? Does he dwell in our churches? Is he found in sacred sites scattered throughout the world? According to the New Testament he is found in the hearts of believers. A church does not house God in the sense that the temple or the Arc of the Covenant housed God. God is not found in a physical dwelling. He is not intrinsically bound to tangible objects. He is. Given this, I come to the premise of this writing. And here is a dangerous question to ask in the American church: what is so special about the "promised land?" I realize, in ancient times a certain significance was attributed to places. You had sacred objects and the "holy of holies" and rites and rituals were to be performed. All of this has been done away with the New Covenant. The Holy Spirit was sent to us so that God could dwell in us, not in a building. We no longer have to use priests as a conduit to God, but we could seek God ourselves. Why, I ask, in these modern times are people still fighting and dying over something with no eternal significance? Why are the Palestinians and Israelis fighting to this day over the control of Jerusalem, more to the point, why are many American Christians supporting Israel in this fight? If God lives in the believer, if God no longer seeks refuge in holy places, what possibly could be the reasoning in fighting for a long forgotten promised land? What is so holy about a small track of land that has been raped by the Ottomans, the British, the Palestinians, the Lebanese, the Jordanians, the Syrians, and the Jews? Why would God condone the fighting over a piece of land that is no more valuable that the land found in Africa, in Australia, or in Canada? When conversing with the fundamentally minded about this topic I am barraged with claims to Jewish special status with God, that is was their land first and they want it back. OK. How about we look at a different situation thousands of miles away from the land of milk and honey?
I am a descendant of the Cherokee Indians (Native Americans for the politically correct). What if I were to lay claim to all of Appalachia because it is (rightfully) the land of my forefathers and although I no longer have Cherokee "blood" pumping in my veins I happen to remember stories of better times before the Europeans came and raped my ancestors and brutalized my people and stole their land? This parallel to East European Jewry along with the rest of the Jewish Diaspora is rather significant. What right do Poles, Germans, Russians, etc. have coming to Palestine and claiming it as their own? Because ancient texts said it was theirs? I am not downplaying the significance of the Bible nor am I forgetting the atrocities committed during the Holocaust but when do two wrongs make a right? I ask for the readers' comments on this topic. Is there a holy significance to Israel, to Jerusalem? Does the New Covenant mean anything? is the Holy Spirit relevant when speaking of this conflict?
Written by: Tyler York
I have written previously on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but while reading a chapter in Robert Fisk's "The Great War for Civilisation" I had one of those "aha" moments. It's one of these ideas that pops into your head that probably isn't unique, but it's the first time I have ever thought about it, so I decided to write a blog once again on this subject. Comments are obviously welcome.
In the title of this article I ask, where is God? Does he dwell in our churches? Is he found in sacred sites scattered throughout the world? According to the New Testament he is found in the hearts of believers. A church does not house God in the sense that the temple or the Arc of the Covenant housed God. God is not found in a physical dwelling. He is not intrinsically bound to tangible objects. He is. Given this, I come to the premise of this writing. And here is a dangerous question to ask in the American church: what is so special about the "promised land?" I realize, in ancient times a certain significance was attributed to places. You had sacred objects and the "holy of holies" and rites and rituals were to be performed. All of this has been done away with the New Covenant. The Holy Spirit was sent to us so that God could dwell in us, not in a building. We no longer have to use priests as a conduit to God, but we could seek God ourselves. Why, I ask, in these modern times are people still fighting and dying over something with no eternal significance? Why are the Palestinians and Israelis fighting to this day over the control of Jerusalem, more to the point, why are many American Christians supporting Israel in this fight? If God lives in the believer, if God no longer seeks refuge in holy places, what possibly could be the reasoning in fighting for a long forgotten promised land? What is so holy about a small track of land that has been raped by the Ottomans, the British, the Palestinians, the Lebanese, the Jordanians, the Syrians, and the Jews? Why would God condone the fighting over a piece of land that is no more valuable that the land found in Africa, in Australia, or in Canada? When conversing with the fundamentally minded about this topic I am barraged with claims to Jewish special status with God, that is was their land first and they want it back. OK. How about we look at a different situation thousands of miles away from the land of milk and honey?
I am a descendant of the Cherokee Indians (Native Americans for the politically correct). What if I were to lay claim to all of Appalachia because it is (rightfully) the land of my forefathers and although I no longer have Cherokee "blood" pumping in my veins I happen to remember stories of better times before the Europeans came and raped my ancestors and brutalized my people and stole their land? This parallel to East European Jewry along with the rest of the Jewish Diaspora is rather significant. What right do Poles, Germans, Russians, etc. have coming to Palestine and claiming it as their own? Because ancient texts said it was theirs? I am not downplaying the significance of the Bible nor am I forgetting the atrocities committed during the Holocaust but when do two wrongs make a right? I ask for the readers' comments on this topic. Is there a holy significance to Israel, to Jerusalem? Does the New Covenant mean anything? is the Holy Spirit relevant when speaking of this conflict?
Written by: Tyler York
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