RE: Religion and language
January 30, 2015 at 2:16 pm
(This post was last modified: January 30, 2015 at 2:18 pm by Alex K.)
@Jenny A
That was one of the most striking things when I came to the babble belt the first time. They really believe that certain words of the English language are magical. They will make Jesus cry. They will anger God. It doesn't matter in which context they are understood by the speaker or the audience. It doesn't matter that someone might use "fucking" simply as a means of emphasis without even promoting indecent relations with the inanimate objects in question - in the puritan mind, the word itself offends God. Never mind that the English language is a recent concoction even on mere bibliccal time scales, a weird product of a shitload of historical coincidences - no - the words themselves as they are now are magical. I have never before seen such an infantile lack of awareness of history and perspective from otherwise intelligent people.
That was one of the most striking things when I came to the babble belt the first time. They really believe that certain words of the English language are magical. They will make Jesus cry. They will anger God. It doesn't matter in which context they are understood by the speaker or the audience. It doesn't matter that someone might use "fucking" simply as a means of emphasis without even promoting indecent relations with the inanimate objects in question - in the puritan mind, the word itself offends God. Never mind that the English language is a recent concoction even on mere bibliccal time scales, a weird product of a shitload of historical coincidences - no - the words themselves as they are now are magical. I have never before seen such an infantile lack of awareness of history and perspective from otherwise intelligent people.
The fool hath said in his heart, There is a God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
Psalm 14, KJV revised edition
