Watch your mouth!

One of the very first things that caught my eye when I first came to visit Pembroke a couple of years back was the sign that proudly boasts, “The prettiest little city in Canada.” Small towns and cities take great pride in beautification projects but beauty isn’t just all about the flowers and buildings and such.

A Fox News article on the web caught my eye a couple of weeks back. A lady from a small town like ours was involved in a “Communities in bloom” type competition when some folks came by, just a cussing. This poor elderly lady tried to deal with the issue directly and was met with additional profanity. The police chief managed to rally the town to vote 183-50 on a law to impose a $20 fine on any profane language.

The problems are obvious as enforcing this law in any pretty little city in Canada would be like trying to put out a forest fire with a squirt gun. We are the generation of parents that have encouraged our kids to exalt entertainment to the highest priority without any mind to the profaneness of what they are watching. Basically, Hollywood has taught our kids to cuss, and they are both very good at it.

I certainly understand the problem. I was a foul mouthed kid!

I will never forget the night that one of my friend’s parents took me on. I was playing competitive Little League baseball for Brockville and we had just won the Provincial Senior Little League Championships and were on our way to Calgary for the National finals. Apparently I was cussing up a storm at our victory celebration and Mrs. Garvey, our host, went to the laundry room, got herself a handful of Tide soap, grabbed me around the neck and jammed that handful of soap into my mouth. I have told that story literally around the world. She made an impression!

When I became a devoted follower of Jesus as a young adult, one of the immediate changes in my life, was I could no longer swear. I went to bed one night and got up in the morning and I could never and have never ever taken the Lord’s name in vein again. This was a great change from my teenage and university years as I was trilingual: English, French and profanity. That is one of the things that happens to us “Born again types.” (At least it is supposed to)

I find it strange these days that people find it so easy to curse and curse publicly with all the political correctness around. I was at a football game in Ottawa a couple of weeks ago and a “Football Mom” type, an attractive one at that, was commenting on the current state of things on the field and blurted out an F-bomb as a descriptor for the coaches negative performance. After that she looked like a “Pig in a party dress” to me.

I am not suggesting we should impose a law against cussing, but I am suggesting that everyone who holds the name of Jesus in high esteem and who does not want to hear the F-bombs at public events hold people to a higher standard. This is especially true in your work places.

I know what I am talking about here. As a Federal Government (Canada Post) head office employee, I took on a Senior Executive over his language one day in a public meeting. He had used Jesus name in vein for the last time, when I was around at least. I called him on it to which he replied, “I will say whatever I want in this place,” to which I answered, “Oh no you won’t!”

Of course Human Resources sent out the “Girl in the white coat” to see if I had lost my mind. Middle managers just don’t take on executives in an environment like that. I explained to them that our organization had “language protected” every single identifiable minority on the planet so why not the Christians?

The Human Resources lady finally said, “What do you want?” I asked her to have the V.P. Human resources send out a letter to clean things up, that an article is put in our employee magazine creating awareness of the problem and that training materials be revisited and this cursing God thing be dealt with. All three things were done!

A short time later, I was riding the elevator with a group of executives that did not know me and one of them blurted out a curse word. He stopped himself, turned to his companions and said, “I better watch myself, you never know who might be listening in.” If he only knew!

That was in 1998 and I am not sure if there was any lingering benefit to my corporate language challenge, but I did my part.

I was in a friend’s classroom a few months back and he had posted a sign, “Gay is not an adjective.” He is right, but Jesus name is not a good expression of anger either. Try cussing Mohammed and the Muslims will fix you quick!

Terry Burns is the pastor of Pembroke Pentecostal Tabernacle. The members and Board of the Tabernacle would share this opinion!

Terry welcomes your comments at thevalleypulpit@gmail.com