For Heaven's Sake by Mike Morgan for December 13, 2010

gees…

The “Big Four” sins among children:

Disobeying parents (or other authorities, like teachers) Fighting with brothers or sisters “Bad language” Lying

Adults add a few others, but generally tend to specialize more. Anger and impatience tend to dominate–including cursing.

Anger and impatience are sins? ummm…….

Then people tell me Oh My Gosh! and freaking are really swears even though I am not thinking swearish words when I use them. Actually, I think I got gosh from Osh Kosh B’Gosh or something like that. Freaking is to cause to be disturbed(mentally) seems like a good adjective to me.

On anger - Christ amplified or clarified the extent so that people understood it was your mental thoughts:

Matt 5:21-23 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. NKJV

The use of euphemisms such as OMG even if you use “Gosh” (noted you used capital “G”) is no different than actual use of God since in your mind you want to use an expletive, but choose a “substitute to supposedly make it acceptable - but we all know what is meant - including God. So for example when Battlestar Galactica folks use “frack” we all know what they really mean. The root of the issue is lack of control of the tongue and the mind. The definition of the word is irrelevant - it is how it is used - to my knowledge neither the old or new Battlestar ever defined the word to avoid being censored.

There are three main categories of sins - Overt (sins you do physically such as murder of theft); Sins of the tongue (slander, maligning and such); then Mental sins (sins committed in your mind). All sins start in the mind and all sins are intentional. That is Christ’s point in Matt chapters 5 & 6 and the parallel passages in Luke.

Derek, don’t forget sins of omission: “Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’ He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” (See Mt. 25:31-46)

LuvH8: I would distinguish the anger itself from how you respond to it. Anger, as a feeling, is not good or bad. It just is. It tells us there’s something we feel is wrong.

How we respond–cursing, flying off the handle, road rage, or using the anger to change what’s wrong–that’s where the sin may come in.

Also, over time, we can cultivate and increase anger, or work to reduce it. Same with lust, laxness, pride, envy, and so on. In that sense, if we indulge and promote anger, it can become sinful. If we resist and work to reduce it, and use it well, it can even become a benefit.

Actually, it looks cooler if it is all capital letters, like Golly Gee Willikers! I still don’t know about that though, I usually use it in fun and am not thinking of God.

What I do, or have done? ….. Phooey!

I call my brothers ….. and that isn’t even including what I call others.

My imagination …… is a bad thing.

Sins of Ommission! …… now doomed.

I was told that Jesus got angry when i used to attend church.

@LuvH8, I agree: when we try to “do it all” by ourselves, we are doomed. It’s only when we turn to God, receive God’s free gift of redemption and grace, open our hearts to love–then it is possible, because it’s God acting in us.

If you don’t much like someone, it’s hard to help them, say, with homework when they ask us. We kinda know we should, but we really don’t want to. But when we care about them, even if they bug us (think little brothers), it’s easier: because we care, we act as we should. So with sin: when we are trying to do it on our own, we are fighting ourselves, and get nowhere. But when God is acting in us, then the hard part is done. (Not that the rest is exactly easy…)

and I still don’t know what to say

Don’t worry too much, LuvH8, God loves you anyway.