I taught our monthly family home evening lesson yesterday. The topic I chose was profanity/vulgarity. I took most of my remarks from two General conference talks. Following are the quotes used from Elder Oaks' and President Hinckley's talks.
Tammy’s
family home evening lesson – July 2014
Elder Dallas H. Oaks, of the quorum
of the 12 apostles, Reverent and Clean, April 1986 General Conference:
"The nature and extent
of profanity and vulgarity in our society is a measure of its
deterioration.
For many in our day, the profane has become commonplace and the vulgar has
become acceptable. Surely this is one fulfillment of the Book of Mormon prophecy that in the last days “there shall be great
pollutions upon the face of the earth.” (Morm. 8:31.)
The people of God have always been
commanded to abstain from language that is profane or vulgar. Latter-day Saints
should understand why.
In the third of the Ten Commandments, the Lord commanded ancient Israel: “Thou shalt not take the
name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that
taketh his name in vain.” (Ex. 20:7.) This same commandment was repeated
to the Book of Mormon people by the prophet Abinadi (see Mosiah
13:15) and to each of us through modern prophets. (see D&C 136:21.)
This scripture shows that we take the name of the Lord in vain when we use his
name without authority. This obviously occurs when the sacred names of God the
Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, are used in what is called profanity: in
hateful cursings, in angry denunciations, or as marks of punctuation in common
discourse.
There are no more sacred or significant words in all of our language than the
names of God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ.
It should be obvious to every believer that these mighty names—by which
miracles are wrought, by which the world was formed, through which man was
created, and by which we can be saved—are holy and must be treated with the
utmost reverence. As we read in modern revelation, “Remember that that which
cometh from above is sacred, and must be spoken with care, and by constraint of
the Spirit.” (D&C 63:64.)
Satan seeks to discredit the sacred names of God the Father and his Son, Jesus
Christ, the names through which their work is done. He succeeds in a measure
whenever he is able to influence any man or woman, boy or girl, to make holy
names common and to associate them with coarse thoughts and evil acts. Those
who use sacred names in vain are, by that act, promoters of Satan’s purposes.
Profanity is profoundly
offensive to those who worship the God whose name is desecrated. We all
remember how a prophet reacted from a hospital bed when an operating room
attendant stumbled and cursed in his presence. Even half-conscious, Elder
[Spencer W.] Kimball “recoiled and implored: ‘Please! Please! That is my Lord
whose names you revile.’” (Improvement Era, May 1953, p. 320.)
Profanity also takes its toll on the one who uses it. …The Spirit of the
Lord, the Holy Ghost, testifies of God the Father and his
Son, Jesus Christ. (See 2 Ne. 31:18.) When those names are dishonored,
that Spirit, which “doth not dwell in unholy temples” (Hel. 4:24), is offended and withdraws. For
this reason, those who profane the name of God inevitably relinquish the
companionship of his Spirit.
As the Apostle Paul taught Timothy,
in order to be “approved unto God,” we must “shun profane and vain babblings:
for they will increase unto more ungodliness.” (2 Tim. 2:15–16.) Profanity leads to more
ungodliness because the Spirit of the Lord withdraws and the profane are left
without guidance.
Vulgar and crude expressions are also
offensive to the Spirit of the Lord.
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 also progressively
self-defeating, since shock diminishes with familiarity and the user can only
maintain its effect by escalating its excess.
Members of the Church, young or old,
should never allow profane or vulgar words to pass their lips. 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.)
The Book of Mormon teaches us that when we are brought before the judgment bar
of God “our words will condemn us … and our thoughts will also condemn us.” (Alma 12:14.) Let us
recognize profanity and vulgarity for what they are. They are sins
that separate us from God and cripple our spiritual defenses by causing the
Holy Ghost to withdraw from us.
We should abstain and we should teach
our children to abstain from all such expressions.
We obviously cannot control all that goes on in our presence. Modern revelation
suggests one alternative for those who would be clean: “Go ye out from among
the wicked. Save yourselves.” (D&C 38:42.) Sometimes we can remove ourselves
from language that is profane or vulgar. If this is not possible, we can at
least register an objection so that others cannot conclude that our silence
means approval or acquiescence.
The language of Latter-day Saints
should be reverent and clean. We understand the eternal requirement of
cleanliness, and we understand the sacred significance of the names of the
Father and the Son."
[end of Elder Dallin H. Oaks’ quotes
from April 1986 General conference talk]
Gordon B. Hinckley, first counselor
in the first presidency at the time, Take Not the Name of God in Vain, October
1987 General Conference—priesthood session:
"I clipped from the Wall
Street Journal a recent column by Hodding Carter. In it he states:
“If it was once rare to hear sailors’
language in mixed company, it is now difficult to avoid it. For whatever
reason, the enduring contribution to America left by the 1960s has been the
debasement of public discourse and behavior.”
Mr. Carter writes as a former Marine
and as a newspaper reporter, both groups known for their use of salty language.
This he admits, and confesses his guilt. But he decries the growing public
practice. He continues:
“Such behavior is not confined to the
big cities or the two coasts. … While what was once labeled ghetto language is,
of course, prevalent in the ghetto, it is also commonplace at Harvard and Tulane,
at Davenport, Iowa, and Destin, Florida, to name a few … places.”
He goes on: “Beyond language is the
larger problem, which is the decline of civility in general. …
“And so we are assaulted on all sides by the ethos of the slob, with few having
the courage or desire to confront it head on.” Says he, “I rarely challenge the
foulmouth who embarrasses my mother in a public place. … I, like most of you,
simply wince and turn away” (Wall Street Journal, 4 June 1987, p.
23).
Conversations I have had with school
principals and students lead me to the same conclusion—that even among our young
people, there is an evil and growing habit of profanity and the use
of foul and filthy language.
I do not hesitate to say that it is
wrong, seriously wrong, for any young man ordained to the priesthood of God to
be guilty of such.
The taking of the Lord’s name in vain
is a most serious matter.
When Moses was leading the children of Israel
out of Egypt to the land of promise, he went up into the mountain to commune
with the Lord, and the finger of the Lord wrote the Decalogue on tablets of
stone. These ten commandments became the basis of the Judeo-Christian code governing human behavior. Every one of the ten is important,
and among them is this statement: “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy
God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in
vain” (Ex. 20:7).
So serious was violation of this law
considered in ancient Israel that blasphemy of the name of the Lord was
regarded as a capital crime.
“And he that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, he shall surely be put to death,
and all the congregation shall certainly stone him” (Lev. 24:11–16).
While that most serious of penalties
has long since ceased to be inflicted, the gravity of the sin has not changed.
In a general epistle to the entire
Church issued by the First Presidency on April 8, 1887, a hundred years ago,
they said concerning this problem, which evidently was serious then as it is
now, “The habit … , which some young people fall into, of using vulgarity
and profanity … is not only offensive to well-bred persons, but it is
a gross sin in the sight of God, and should not exist among the children of the
Latter-day Saints” (inMessages of the First Presidency, comp. James
R. Clark, 6 vols., Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1965–75, 3:112–13).
When I was a small boy in the first
grade, I experienced what I thought was a rather tough day at school. I came
home, walked in the house, threw my book on the kitchen table, and let forth an
expletive that included the name of the Lord.
My mother was shocked. She told me
quietly, but firmly, how wrong I was. She told me that I could not have words
of that kind coming out of my mouth. She led me by the hand into the bathroom,
where she took from the shelf a clean washcloth, put it under the faucet, and
then generously coated it with soap. She said, “We’ll have to wash out your
mouth.” She told me to open it, and I did so reluctantly. Then she rubbed the
soapy washcloth around my tongue and teeth. I sputtered and fumed and felt like
swearing again, but I didn’t. I rinsed and rinsed my mouth, but it was a long
while before the soapy taste was gone. In fact, whenever I think of that
experience, I can still taste the soap. The lesson was worthwhile. I think I
can say that I have tried to avoid using the name of the Lord in vain since
that day. I am grateful for that lesson.
On one occasion, Jesus said to the
multitude, “Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which
cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man” (Matt. 15:11).
Brethren, stay out of the gutter in your conversation. Foul talk defiles the
man who speaks it.
If you have the habit, how do you
break it? You begin by making a decision to change. The next time you are prone
to use words you know to be wrong, simply stop. Keep quiet or say what you have
to say in a different way. As you practice such restraint, it will become easy.
President Heber J. Grant was wont to say, “That which we persist in doing
becomes easier for us to do; not that the nature of the thing itself is
changed, but that our power to do is increased” (see Conference Report, Apr.
1901, p. 63).
We begin with self-discipline.
Perhaps you feel I have belabored the point unduly. If I have done so, it is
because I feel it is so very important. It is a tragic and unnecessary thing that
boys and girls use foul language. It is inexcusable for a girl so to speak. It
is likewise serious for the boy who holds the priesthood. This practice is
totally unacceptable for one authorized to speak in the name of God. To
blaspheme His holy name or to speak in language that is debauched is offensive
to God and man.
The man or the boy who must resort to
such language immediately says that he is poverty-ridden in his vocabulary. He
does not enjoy sufficient richness of expression to be able to speak effectively
without swearing or using foul words.
I know that the Lord is pleased when
we use clean and virtuous language.
Don’t swear. Don’t profane. Avoid so-called dirty jokes. Stay away from
conversation that is sprinkled with foul and filthy words. You will be happier
if you do so, and your example will give strength to others."
[end of
President Hinckley’s quotes from October 1987 General conference priesthood
session talk]
