First let me make two points:
- This is NOT an important conversation. The Kingdom of God is so much bigger than a list of “naughty words.” So I am just having some fun here.
- There really is not a right or wrong answer. Virtually no modern day “naughty words” are in the Bible, so it’s all a judgement call.
Is “freaking” a bad word?
Having said that, lets answer the question. No, freaking is not a bad word. If you don’t know already, it is a replacement for the the “F- word.” “The F-word” is bad because it is a vulgar reference to the act of sex. The Bible does say something about this:
Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place… Ephesians 5:4
Now, here’s where things get dicey for the overly zealous “naughty word” monitor. Some might say, “if the ‘F-word’ is bad and ‘freakin,’ ‘frick,’ or ‘fudge’ are put in its place, isn’t that just as bad?” The answer is “NO!” No it’s not just as bad. In fact, the person using this word should be applauded for replacing a vulgar word with a word that actually has no meaning.
Is that poop?
It’s like this: imagine you are eating a delicious sausage link and someone slaps it out of your hand and says, “that looks like poop!” What would you do? I would explain that it may look like poop, but it’s actually a delicious sausage link. They wrinkle their nose and say to me, “you shouldn’t eat poop.” Confused, I stare blankly at them and finally say, “it’s not poop … it’s sausage.” Wouldn’t it be confusing if they said, “you shouldn’t eat things that look like poop!” then walked away?
This is the conversation I feel like I constantly have with certain people. They say, “it sounds like the ‘F-word'” and I say, “but it’s not the ‘f-word,'” and they say “but it sounds like it” and I say, “but it’s not the ‘f-word'” and then they say …. I think you get it.
Heck, I love expletives.
Expletive: word or phrase inserted to fill a vacancy without adding to the sense.
Ephesians 5:4 does not say shouting out expletives is wrong. When you hit your thumb with a hammer you have got to say something. Ephesians says this word should not be vulgar. This verse is telling us that obscenity is bad. “Shoot! Darn! Frick! Fiddle sticks! Holy guacamole!” These are all examples of people making a better vocabulary choice by replacing a more vulgar term with a good replacement. In fact, here are some great examples:
Christian Cuss Words
It’s Ok to disagree
If you don’t feel the same, it’s ok to disagree. If you are a Christian let’s just agree on one thing: the Kingdom of God is way bigger than these silly little conversations. Jesus did not die on the cross so people would stop cussing.
