Easter

As the time for the observance of Easter, by some, approaches, I thought that I would investigate some things concerning one of the holiest days of the year for Christianity. My aim is to make this as short and brief as possible.

One has to start by asking if Easter is even Scriptural. Is it something that we see the "church" observing? We do find the word Easter in some translations:

Acts 12:4

And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.

On appearance it seems that Easter is in Scripture, yet if we look at the Greek we discover that the word Easter is a mistranslation. In fact, it is referring to the "Jewish" holy day of Passover.

3957 pa,sca pascha {pas'-khah}
Meaning: 1) the paschal sacrifice (which was accustomed to be offered for the people's deliverance of old from Egypt) 2) the paschal lamb, i.e. the lamb the Israelites were accustomed to slay and eat on the fourteenth day of the month of Nisan (the first month of their year) in memory of the day on which their fathers, preparing to depart from Egypt, were bidden by God to slay and eat a lamb, and to sprinkle their door posts with its blood, that the destroying angel, seeing the blood, might pass over their dwellings; Christ crucified is likened to the slain paschal lamb 3) the paschal supper 4) the paschal feast, the feast of the Passover, extending from the 14th to the 20th day of the month Nisan
Origin: of Aramaic origin cf 06453; TDNT - 5:896,797; n n
Usage: AV - Passover 28, Easter 1; 29

Therefore Easter is not actually found in Scripture.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary Easter had a pre-"Christian" origin, namely a festival in honor of Eostre, the Teutonic dawn-goddess, as well as the goddess of fertility. Also known as:

• Eostre, Eastre, Eostra, or Ostara
• Eos, the Greek dawn goddess
• Usha or Ushas, the Hindu dawn goddess
• Ishtar of Assyia
• Astarte, Ashtaroh, Ashtoreth and the queen of heaven.

Of interesting note, the Scriptures to mention the queen of heaven. The book of Jeremiah has some things to say about the queen of heaven and those that worship her. It's not a pretty picture.

Jer. 7:16-21

 16 Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.
 17 Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
 18 The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.
 19 Do they provoke me to anger? saith the LORD: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces?
 20 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched.
 21 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Put your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat flesh.

Jer. 44:16-23

 16 As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the LORD, we will not hearken unto thee.
 17 But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil.
 18 But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine.
 19 And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her, without our men?
 20 Then Jeremiah said unto all the people, to the men, and to the women, and to all the people which had given him that answer, saying,
 21 The incense that ye burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, ye, and your fathers, your kings, and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the LORD remember them, and came it not into his mind?
 22 So that the LORD could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations which ye have committed; therefore is your land a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day.
 23 Because ye have burned incense, and because ye have sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, nor walked in his law, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies; therefore this evil is happened unto you, as at this day.

We see in these passages that God sent the prophet Jeremiah to warn God's people against worshiping the queen of heaven. Yet they did not obey the voice of the Lord and continued to worship the queen of heaven, which is part of the reason God led them away to be captives of the Babylonians. If God was displeased with it then, do you think that He would be okay with it now?

How about those Easter eggs? It wouldn't be Easter without them right? The rabbit, hare, or bunny was associated with the pagan goddess of Ishtar in her captivity as Aphrodite. It was a symbol of productivity and fertility. (Briannnica 14th Ed.)

Of interesting note even the Catholic Encyclopedia, the 1909 Edition, states that "A great may pagan customs, celebrating the return of spring, gravitated to Easter. The egg is the emblem of the germinating life of early spring...The rabbit is a pagan symbol and has always been a symbol of fertility."

According to Funk and Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend; "Children roll pasach eggs in England. Everywhere they hunt the many-colored Easter eggs, brought by the Easter rabbit. This is not mere child's play, but the vestige of a fertility rite, the eggs and the rabbit both symbolizing fertility. Furthermore, the rabbit was the escort of the Germanic Goddess Ostara who gave the name to the festival by way of the German Ostern" (1949 Ed.)

There are MANY more references I could share but I think you get the picture.

How about sunrise service? Well, as already noted above Easter is derived from dawn goddesses, so a sunrise service should be of no surprise. We have already read in the Scriptures of the queen of heaven and Tammuz. We see that God's people worshiped Tammuz at the rising of the sun. God called it an abomination.

Eze. 8:15-16

 15 Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these.
 16 And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD'S house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.

This ties in with the Easter hams. Tammuz was killed by a bore (pig), though I won't get into that here. The pig was was sacred to the goddess Demeter, the corn goddess, a diety of abundance and fertility - a counterpart of Astarte or Easter. According to The Golden Bough, "The pig was sacred to her; in art she was represented carrying or accompanied by a pig; and the pig was regularly sacrificed in her mysteries...originally the pig was an embodiment of the corn-goddess herself"

Pigs and cakes of dough were traditionally thrown into the chasms of two similar gods, Demeter and Proerpine, which appear to have been sacred caverns or vaults. The heathens believed that by eating what represented and embodied their god - in this case swine- they were literally partaking of their god.

Notice the cakes? In Jeremiah we see that they made cakes to the queen of heaven. Because these cakes were made to the queen of heaven, they were marked with a cross, symbol for woman and also signifying life in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. Hmmm. Hot cross buns!

Please forgive me for not speaking on Lent or Good Friday. I shared some information, even some tidbits to stir up your own appetite for study. What are we to do as followers of Christ? Be like a noble Berean (Acts 17:11), that you may be approved unto God (2 T. 2:15!

2 Cor. 6:14-7:1

 14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

 1 Corinthians 8:1-13

 1 Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.
 2 And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.
 3 But if any man love God, the same is known of him.
 4 As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.
 5 For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,)
 6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.
 7 Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.
 8 But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse.
 9 But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.
 10 For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols;
 11 And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?
 12 But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.
 13 Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.

Until the next blog, grace and peace to you!

What a special day! Thought that I would post two blogs today! Have you ever wondered as you go to "church" how it got it's form or do you just go without a care in the world as to how the "church" became what you know (?) and love (?) today? Today, another history lesson to wet your appetite for more. Before I begin, did you notice that I italicized the word "church"  and placed it between quote marks? Well, I will get into that in another blog. Today, though we begin with the origin of "Sunday school".

The Origin Of Sunday School

Have you ever wondered were Sunday school originated? In this article I will give you a brief history on the origin of Sunday schools.

Sunday schools began as schools for the poor. They were created in England around the year 1780. The schools provided rudimentary instruction to working people on their free day. By the 1790’s there were several of these schools in the United States.

The Philadelphia schools were organized for the benefit of such persons of either sex (and of any age) as cannot afford to educate themselves, were run by the First Day Society, which paid teachers to instruct pupils in reading and copying from the Bible. [Thomas Laquer, Religion and Respectability: The English Sunday School and the Formation of a Respectable Working Class (New Haven 1977); Edwin Wilbur Rice, The Sunday-School Movement, 1780-1917 and the American Sunday-School Union, 1817-1917 (Philadelphia 1917)]

These schools had the additional purpose of controlling children’s activities. Employment of children in industries had brought together youth of similar ages who worked together on weekdays and spent their Sundays playing in alleys and wharves, to the great disturbance of the families in the vicinity of such places, and the profanation of the day. [Albert Matthews, Early Sunday Schools in Boston, (1919) p 280]

Sunday schools provided an alternative to Sunday rowdiness. The schools would also teach proper behavior, enforcing cleanliness, providing Sunday clothing, and reprimanding children for lying, swearing, talking in an indecent manner, or other misbehavior. [First Day Society Rules, in Board of Visitors Minutes, February 1, 1791, Presbyterian Historical Society.]

For the next three decades, Sunday schools were part of an informal network of free schools operated by various religious and philanthropic groups to provide rudimentary education to children of the poor. Depending on their sponsorship and frequency of meeting, these schools placed more or less emphasis on religious and moral instruction. Schools run by the New York Free School Society, for example, combined daily academic instruction with Sunday attendance at Sunday schools. In October 1811, Presbyterian missionary Robert May opened an evening Sunday school in Philadelphia in which, unlike previous free schools, he taught religious doctrine solely and without remuneration. Schools resembling May’s became increasingly common during the decade 1810-1820 as young, newly converted Protestants turned Sunday teaching as a means of expressing their newfound convictions. By 1820, there were several hundred Sunday schools in the United States. All emphasized religious instruction over reading and writing, although most taught the later subjects as a means of inculcating the former. Many Sunday school organizers, in fact, began lobbying for extension of a system of free daily schools so that they would be free to teach religion alone on Sundays. [Robert May Sunday School Minutebook, 1811-1812, Presbyterian Historical Society.]

Sunday schools then aimed at teaching basic Protestantism to children of the unchurched poor. The Bible provided the text for teaching the truths of the Gospel, a knowledge of which, Protestants believed, was essential for moral living and good citizenship. Knowledge of the Bible, they felt, would teach pupils the duty required of them as social, rational and accountable beings. [Kensington Sunday School Association Minutes, Constitution, 1817, Presbyterian Historical Society.]

Students busied themselves memorizing prescribed portions of the Old and New Testaments, and vying with each other for weekly prizes awarded those who memorized the largest number of verses. Grounding the memorization practice on the principle that so much Divine Truth lodged in the mind cannot fail of good effort, teachers encouraged students to commit to memory large portions of the Bible. [Buffalo Sunday School Union, Religious Intelligencer 4 (September 25, 1819): 270-271.]

Many schools used a ticket reward system whereby students received one blue ticket for every ten verses memorized, traded six blue tickets for one red, and eventually cashed in the red tickets at a value of one-half cent each toward purchasing Sunday school books or tracts. [Rice, Sunday-School Movement, p. 297; Frank Glenn Lankard, A History of the American Sunday School Curriculum (New York and Cincinnati, 1927), p.134.]

The assumptions behind memorization were soon challenged. Teachers quickly realized that pupils were often more motivated by a desire for red tickets than by a thirst for Bible knowledge. The heart is left unimproved by moral truth, complained a typical critic of the memorization-reward system (perhaps he had had to listen while an eager student recited the begats). Emphasizing the importance of understanding what one learned, Sunday school organizers began actively discouraging random memorization of Bible verses. [The Reward System, American Sunday School Magazine 5 (November, 1828): 322.]

This the season for some, therefore I thought that this week I would blog an old article I had done on the festival named after a man named Patrick.

St. Patrick's Day St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, the only definite statement to be made about his birthplace is that it was not in Ireland. He is said to have been born at Kilpatrick, near Dumbarton, Scotland; in a village close to Glastonbury, England; in Monmouthshire, England; in Tours, France; and in Wales. In his Confession, he tells us he was born at Bannavem Taberniae, but just where that was we do not know. He was, as far as anyone has been able to determine, a Britannic Celt, raised a Roman Catholic. The year of his birth is equally confused; A.D. 373, 386, 387, 389, 395, and sometime early in the fifth century have all been advanced as possible birth dates. He seems to have died in either 461 or about 492. One Irish legend states that he died at the age of one hundred twenty, as Moses did. Some scholars believe that there must have been at least two St. Patricks whose deeds have been ascribed to one man. According to them, this would also account for the long life span. The Irish scholar James Carney discounts this theory, holding that St. Patrick arrived in Ireland in 461 and not in the widely accepted 432. He says that "the Patrick of 432-461 is. . . merely a chronological phantom." Neither is it known whether March 17 was the birth or the death date of St. Patrick; it may in fact be neither. What we know of his life is taken from his two works: the Confession, a justification to his ecclesiastical superiors of his actions; and the public letter which he addressed to Coroticus, a British chief who raided Ireland, killing and enslaving Christian converts. His family was well respected. His father, Calpurnius, was the son of a priest, Potitus. Calpurnius was a deacon himself and also a member of the municipal council. At the age of sixteen Patrick was captured by Gaels and taken by boat to Ireland where he was sold as a slave. His six years of captivity were spent tending flocks. During this time he experienced a spiritual awakening and began to have dreams and visions which he considered to be divinely inspired. One of these dreams contained a message to escape, telling him that a ship would be lying ready for him. He made his escape and traveled two hundred miles to find his expected ship. Three days later he landed in either Britain or Brittany. Wandering through the barren countryside, Patrick and the crew avoided starvation when a herd of wild pigs appeared in answer to Patrick's prayers. He returned to his home, but once more the course of his life was directed by a dream. He saw a man approaching him, bearing a letter from the people of Ireland which urged him to free them from slavery; "We beseech thee, holy youth, to come and walk once more amongst us." The years preceding Patrick's election to the episcopate are not well documented. He is said to have studied at erins, the island monastery off southern France founded by St. Honoratus. He was a pupil of St. Germain of Auxerre, and in Auxerre he was ordained deacon by Bishop Amator. In the year 431, some say, he was a candidate for the vacancy in the Irish episcopate. However, a friend who had formerly wanted Patrick's election to this post revealed an unknown sin from Patrick's past which, with accusations of his lack of learning, was sufficient to deprive him of the job. Instead Palladius was ordained the first bishop of Ireland by Pope Celestine I. Palladius died the following year and Patrick was immediately made a priest and then a bishop. He went to Ireland and spent the rest of his life there. Many thousands of Irishmen were converted through his labors. He founded churches and schools, at least one college, and generally organized the Church of Ireland. St. Patrick and the Druids Missionaries had been to Ireland before him, but the country was still primarily ruled by the Druids. Though St. Patrick never claimed the performance of a miracle in his own writing, tales of his miraculous exploits against the troublesome Druids abound. Once, at Tara, he disrupted the pagan springtime New Year festival. All fires had been extinguished as the people waited for the High King Loaghaire to kindle the New Fire which they would take to their houses. St. Patrick seems to have appropriated the pagan custom and inaugurated the Easter fire in its stead, for he set his fire on the hill of Slane opposite the hill of Tara where the king would light his. The Druids complained to Loaghaire that the fire, lighted in defiance of his royal edict, would blaze forever there unless they extinguished it that very night. Nine chariots were sent against the saint, circling counter to the sun's path. But they were unable to prevail against the power of his holy fire. A torunament of miracles followed, reminiscent of Moses' contest with the Pharaoh's magicians. In dealing with the Druids, St. Patrick fought them with their own methods. He was forced, in his own words, "to curse their fertile lands, so that they became dreary bogs; to curse their rivers, so that they produced no fish; to curse their very kettles, so that with no amount of fire and patience could they ever be made to boil; and, as a last resort, to curse the Druids themselves, so that the earth opened and swallowed them up." His victory won him the right to preach Christianity throughout the land. The Shamrock and the Trinity One of the stories concerning St. Patrick which is often judged authentic, probably because of its simplicity and basis in human ingenuity, is the tale of the shamrock and the Trinity. The doctrine of Three Gods in One, each separate and distinct, yet each totally God, is claimed by Christians to be a mystery and is accepted on faith. In trying to teach his converts about the Trinity, St. Patrick held up a shamrock explaining that the three leaves represented the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, while the stem was the Godhead itself from which they proceeded. This is said to be the origin of the use of the Shamrock which is customarily worn on St. Patrick's Day. Scholars have discovered that the shamrock, or trefoil, was initially used in ancient Celtic fertility rites. It represented a triad of goddesses and its green leaves were burned and the ashes sprinkled over the fields to promote growth. Driving the Snakes Out of Ireland The expulsion of all the snakes from Ireland is certainly the most popular of the stories told about St. Patrick. Accompanied by the furious rat-a-tatting of a big drum, St. Patrick arrived at the hill from which he was going to banish the reptiles. The people who had gahtered to watch the spectacle cried out when the drum broke, because they believed St. Patrick's magic power wad dependent on it. A huge black snake slithered down the hill, laughing to see the saint so suddenly powerless. But just then an angel appeared and mended the drum. The drum was sounded and St. Patrick preached the sermon that drove the snakes and vermin from Ireland. Two stories are told about the last snake in Ireland. An old serpent who lived in Lake Dilveen gave St. Patrick such trouble that he was left in the lake with the promise that the bishop would return "on Monday" to destroy him. St. Patrick entirely forgot about him and the serpent is said to be still alive in Lake Dilveen. Every Monday he comes to the surface, looks about questioningly, and says, "It's been a long Monday, Patrick." According to the other story, the last snake refused to be driven away. St. Patrick had a box made and told the serpent to get in. "No," said the serpent, "it's too small." "Nonsense," said St. Patrick, "it's just your size, try it and see." "Very well," said the serpent, "I'll show you it's to small." So he crawled in, and sly St. Patrick snapped the lid shut and plunged the snake into the sea. Many other miracles were ascribed to St. Patrick. He was said to have raise his father and several other people from the dead. He burned snow to make a fire; caused demons in the shape of vultures to die int he sea; fooled the Druids by accepting wine they had poisoned, froze it, poured off the poison then melted the wine and drank it. His staff was supposed to have been given to him by Christ in a vision; it was a miraculous instrument and never left his side. A staff that was reported to be his was kept in the church at Armagh until the veneration rendered to it was thought to be superstition by the Protestants who burned it in the sixteenth century. Another tradition says that St. Patrick was granted by God the right to judge the Irish at the final judgment. After a life of strenuous missionary activity, St. Patrick died in either 461 or 492. His place of death is uncertain, although Saul-not far from Downpatrick-is usually named. His body was thought to have been buried under the Abbey of Downpatrick, in a shroud made for him by St. Brigid (who is also buied under the Abbey). A modern stone marks the spot. **Note: Taken from "Celebrations, The Complete Book of American Holidays" by Robert J. Myers.

Recently, I seen a discussion on euphemisms. One that came to the forefront was "OMG" Most that I seen in the discussion admitted to using it and didn't see anything wrong and seemed to have fun with it. It reminded me of several Scriptures such as James chapter 3, Mt. 12:34-37 as well as:

Prov. 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Prov. 14:9 Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour.

Prov. 10:19 In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.

Prov. 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Prov. 30: 11 There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.

 12 There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.

It also brought to my remember an article by the late Harold Buckles on this subject 35 years ago!

CUSSERS AND CUSSING

 34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

 35 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.

 36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

 37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. (KJV) Mt. 12:34-37

 29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. (KJV) Eph. 4:29

Have you ever heard of the great American SLANGUAGE? If you are one who uses slang or swear words, be sure to read this article. Maybe you are forced to be around this "blue air", either at home or at work. Perhaps you can gain something helpful here. Come alive!

"Less Brains Than A Fish"

If you "cuss", you have less brains than a fish! How do I know that? Ever sin the devil tempts men with is "baited" in one way or another - except cursing. If a man steals, he has a plan as to how he will use his ill gotten gains. Boozers are promised a feeling of security by the devil, some form of "high". BUT - what are CUSSERS offered? NOTHING! One man told me, "It helps to let off steam". I told him I knew that was just another of the devil's lies. See - I just used to hang around the CESS-pool halls. I've heard them cuss and then turn around and curse their own curse words. Cussers bite the devil's UNBAITED hook. Even a fish has more brains than to bite an unbaited hook!!

Cursing...A DEFINITION 

Just what is cursing? It has been defined as "a feeble mind attempting to express itself". Reader, if you have ever been afflicted with this asisnine, ungodly, wicked habit, you KNOW that we write the truth. One man defended his swearing by saying it was "just a habit. I don't mean anything by it". But this is excatly what God says is wrong with such speach.  7 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 If you use the expression, "Oh God", and you don't mean it, you have taken His name in vain. Vain means empty, or without meaning.

One man swore in my presence and I rebuked him for it. He said, "Oh pardon me, I forgot you were a preacher". I told him he owed GOD an apology, not me, for it was HIS name which he had desecrated.

MINCED OATHS - By Words and Slang

You are PROFANE if you use sacred things in a meaningless, irreverent, or blasphemous way. A euphemism is the use of a less offensive word in place of an offensive one. Webster's Dictionary defines "Gosh" as a euphemism for God. This is a SOFTENED form of "God", used as a mild oath. You don't believe me? Look the following up for yourself:

1. Golly. A euphemistic substitute for God. (Webster's)

2. Heck. Slang. A euphemism for hell. (Webster's)

3. Darn. It means damn. (Funk and Wagnel's)

4. What the duce. Really means, what the devil. (Webster's)

5. Gee. Euphemistic contraction of Jesus. (Webster's)

Here are some others for you to check up on: Goh; Egad; Dickens; Goodness Gracious; My Goodness; For Goodness Sake; Zounds; My Heavens; or For Heaven's Sake.

Many who would not think of cursing, openly use slang words which are very closely akin. A large majority of the Christians I know use one or more of these "parlor forms of cussing", and think nothing of it! Such forms of "Slanguage" should be rigidly excluded from our speech.

Jesus said say "yes" or "no", and mean it, without any additions to make it STRONGER. He said that anything more comes from EVIL (Mt. 5:37) Any CHRISTIAN'S "yes" and "no" should be sufficient for his life backs up what he says.

"CUSS LIKE A MAN!"

The Catholic soft ball team was playing the Christ of Christ. Some of the Catholic boys were taking God's name in vain and using other forms of foul language. The Church of Christ preacher stepped out on the field saying since this was a CHURCH league game, he would take his team and go if any more foul language was used. The game turned and the Church of Christ fellows were losing. They began using slang words (some were listed earlier) with the same tone of voice the Catholics had used in swearing. One of the Catholic boys walked out on the field and said, "you little milk and water 'Christians', if you're going to cuss, why don't you cuss like men and use the real thing?"

In this ungodly age in which we live, women are becoming more and more brazen in their profane cussing. In my short life-time, I can remember when a man would not swear in the presence of a woman. But - "you've come a long way, baby". In one secular job I worked at a few years back, the two most profane "loud mouths" on the job were women! Such be-nighted souls only think they've been liberated.Yes, we've even had Presidents who were profane cussers. And it was so very nicely tape recorded so everyone could realize the extent of contamination in high places. But that"Expletive" was finally DELETED. 

Modern sprts seems to be honey combed with profanity. One high school coach I've known cursed the players roughly. Cursing in any form is NOT harmless.

The Cause and The Cure for Cussing

Jesus said that "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh" (Mt. 12:34). Some swear to add "flavor" to their speech. But God has said, "let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth" (Eph 4:29). It is evident that God doesn't favor that flavor! Some curse when they are angry. One man said, "I never swear, except when I am angry". He was told that he may as well have said, "I never kill anyone, unless I am angry".

Only Christ can clean up a sinner's HEART. With the heart man believers unto righteousness, and then he can use his mouth the right way, to confess Christ (Rom. 10:9, 10). Once you are truly converted to Christ, baptized for the remission of your sins, you will want to say only what Christ wants you to say (cf. Acts 26:19, 20).

Here are some charges against profanity:

1. It sets a bad example for everyone.

2. It destroys the character of the one who swears, and pollutes the minds of the hearers.

3. It dishonors God, who created all things.

4. It destroys reverence for God.

5. Nothing good, helpful, or noble ever came from swearing.

6. Swearing does not encourage anyone to do what is right.

7. Swearing is a contempt for law, both God's and man's.

YOUR SPEECH

Become a true Christian. "Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man" (Col. 4:6).

Peter was asked if he was a follower of Christ (Mt. 26:71-74). He cursed and swore, saying "I know not the man". You don't have to say that you aren't a Christian. Just cuss, and everyone will know you are not one!

God made man's mouth (Ex. 4:11). God expects us to use that ability to praise Him! (Heb. 13:15) Do it.

Harold Buckles

Taken from:

GOOD READING - Volume 15 No. 4 - April - 1981