Aleteia logoAleteia logoAleteia
Thursday 28 March |
Holy Thursday of the Supper of the Lord
Aleteia logo
Spirituality
separateurCreated with Sketch.

Is swearing a sin?

SWEARING

Shutterstock

Philip Kosloski - published on 04/26/22

Swearing, or using bad language, is mentioned numerous times in the Bible and is explained as a sin in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Please consider a gift for Aleteia!
Help us spread the joy of Christ's victory.
Aleteia depends on your support.

Join our Lenten Campaign 2024.

DONATE NOW

In today’s popular culture, swearing, or using bad language, is extremely common. At first glance, it doesn’t appear to be a sin, as it doesn’t always hurt someone.

Technically speaking, the use of profanity is not in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, but it does fall under a few different categories.

Using the Lord’s name in vain

First of all, whenever someone uses the Lord’s name in their swearing, it is a direct violation of the second commandment.

The second commandmentforbids the abuse of God’s name, i.e., every improper use of the names of God, Jesus Christ, but also of the Virgin Mary and all the saints.

CCC 2146

This is probably the most obvious way that swearing can be a sin, as it does not treat God’s name with respect.

Calling other people names

The next way that swearing can be a sin is by calling other people vulgar names.

God calls each one by name. Everyone’s name is sacred. The name is the icon of the person. It demands respect as a sign of the dignity of the one who bears it.

CCC 2158

Calling someone a profane name is another clear example of how a person can violate the second commandment.

Foul language in general

After the above examples, there is more gray area, as the Church doesn’t specifically list every single curse word in the Catechism.

However, the Bible does repeatedly stress the need to avoid all “foul language.”

But now you must put them all away: anger, fury, malice, slander, and obscene language out of your mouths.

Colossians 3:8

It is not what enters one’s mouth that defiles that person; but what comes out of the mouth is what defiles one.

Matthew 15:11

As with all sin, a person must know that it is a sin and say these words with full consent. Sometimes we may let one slip, and this isn’t always easy to stop.

The key is to try and let our language lift other people up, instead of bringing them down.

Tags:
SacramentsSpiritual Life
Support Aleteia!

Enjoying your time on Aleteia?

Articles like these are sponsored free for every Catholic through the support of generous readers just like you.

Thanks to their partnership in our mission, we reach more than 20 million unique users per month!

Help us continue to bring the Gospel to people everywhere through uplifting and transformative Catholic news, stories, spirituality, and more.

Support Aleteia with a gift today!

jour1_V2.gif
Daily prayer
And today we celebrate...




Top 10
See More
Newsletter
Get Aleteia delivered to your inbox. Subscribe here.