Wooden Swearing by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Nov 19, 1912

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 39, No. 45.

"Wooden Swearing"

By Editor

We are asked to say something regarding bywords, expletives, what is sometimes called "wooden swearing." Really, they all belong to the same family—profanity—so-called "wooden swearing" and bywords and expletives. Some of them are disreputable, all of them ought to be.

There are proper oaths. God has sworn by Himself to confirm His promises. Judicial oaths are proper. So Jesus took oath before the high priest of His nation, who adjured him to tell whether He (Jesus) were the Christ or not. Then Jesus responded to the judicial proper oath. But of the extra-judicial oath, the voluntary act, our Lord says: "Swear not at all; neither by the heaven, for it is the throne of God; nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, for thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your speech be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: and whatsoever is more than these is of the evil one." Matt. 5: 34-37.

Now we would not understand that the Lord would confine His prohibitions to the things named,—Jerusalem, the earth, heaven, the head. In fact, what is said after that, precludes not only these things, but all things that are used as bywords. These are simply named as samples of the vast number of oaths heard in every country and in all ages.

The oath was given first as an added confirmation of a statement, as, Thus and thus I have told you, and I swear that it is true. If a man were a worshiper of the true God, he would make oath by Him. If he were an idolater, he might swear by any one of a hundred gods, or by all of them together. So one of the characters of Macauley's poems swore by the "nine gods." Many of those heathen oaths have come down to us, and are commonly used by Christians who do not think they are using profanity at all. Take the words "Jove," and "Gosh," and all such kindred terms. They can be traced back to heathen deities.

There are different motives which prompt men to swear. Some swear because they think it "manly." What a pitiful conception it is of manliness! But some one among their companions swears, and he is their hero, and so they swear. How natural it is to imitate the lowest elements of character in our poor, human heroes!

Some swear to emphasize their statements. That was the old heathen practise. They feared some one would not believe what they said, and so they swore by some one god, or many, that what they said was true. The same practise is still continued. Men and women utter meaningless oaths, such as "I hope to die," or "I cross my heart," etc., etc. What a small opinion such have of their own words! Why is it necessary to multiply expletives, words that are utterly meaningless, to enforce or emphasize a plain, simple declaration?

Some swear only when they are angry. That is, they lack facilities of expression, they can not find words to express their pent up feelings, and so they swear. How foolish that is! It does not help one in any way. It gives no one respect for himself, it certainly does not lead others to respect him more.

Some swear even tho they condemn it in themselves, and others because it is habit. They formed the habit when they were young, perhaps, and yet the greater number of such ones will never swear in the presence of ladies and strangers. If they can abstain from it under such circumstances, they certainly could under all circumstances. Some do not like to take the name of God in vain, and therefore they will substitute adjectives that are of the same meaning, as, "Mercy," and "Goodness," and "Gracious," and "Heavens." Others, fearful that these may be wrong, are prone to use words of weaker signification, like "O dear," and "My land," and "Sakes alive," and one very common word that is heard on almost every hand, "Gee." All of them are modified oaths. People despise themselves for using them, but continue.

Let us plead with our great family of SIGNS readers, to abstain from them, put them away, enlarge our vocabulary, find other ways of expressing ourselves, think so much of our own word that we are willing to let it stand naked and alone, without surrounding it with one to a half dozen expletives. "Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man."