My husband and I are both off from work today, so while he finishes his nap (he worked graveyard shift last night) I’m sitting here with a cup of my favorite tea and a pile of books. I have several books I want to/need to finish reading in the next week, because I decided to try out a mystery book club that meets at my local library. Besides those, I have a couple books that were recently given to me and some research books to read. Whew! So here we go. I may write reviews of these once I’ve finished them.
The Darkest Evening of the Year, by Dean Koontz. The story centers around a golden retriever rescue operation, as far as I can tell, hence my desire for the book. My sweet husband gave it to me along with a lovely card and box of Godiva chocolate for Valentine’s Day. 
Passionate Housewives Desperate for God, by Jennie Chancey and Stacy McDonald. This was given to me by my dear friend Theresa for my birthday after we’d discussed it a little.
B is for Burglar and O is for Outlaw, both by Sue Grafton. These are a couple books for the mystery book club. I’ve read one of Sue Grafton’s alphabet series before and wasn’t all that thrilled (quite a bit of language and sexuality – blah, I just wanted the mystery, please), but I thought I could at least start a couple others. I’ll just skip them if they’re not any good. While I don’t mind language in books when it is for good cause (i.e., bad guy realism or an intense situation) it really irks me when swear words are used in place of what should have been a broader vocabulary on the part of the author. Anyway, we’ll see.
Hancock Park, by Katherine V. Forrest. Also for the book club. I have no clue about this author or her writing style, so it should be interesting.
The Glimmer Train Guide to Writing Fiction, edited by Susan Burmeister-Brown and Linda B Swanson-Davies. I picked this up because Glimmer Train is such a highly thought of literary magazine. So far it’s proven to be interesting, and the first chapter actually gave me a lightbulb on what to do with the point-of-view in my WIP.
Whose Body?, by Dorothy L. Sayers. I’ve read one other book by her (Strong Poison), and loved it. She wrote mysteries set in the early 1900s, and her Lord Peter Wimsey character is awesome. I’m guessing this one will be just as good. 
Even if it’s not, Strong Poison is definitely worth checking out.
Dog Man, by Martha Sherrill. This is an autobiography/history of how the Akita breed survived through World War II in Japan. Since I’m in love with the breed, I wanted to read the story.
Also reading a short history on Germany to help with my genealogy research.
Whew! I think that’s quite enough for right now. 
I can’t be grateful enough that we now live close to a substantial library system! If anyone else has read these, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts.
I want to encourage you not to use profanity in your book. And, I disagree with you: there is NO situation in my mind where swearing is alright- even if it helps move along the action. See, the more you hear people swear- in movies and real life- or think about swearing, or read swear words, the more it becomes normal and “not SO bad” to you. Then you begin to use those words yourself. And swearing is not God honoring (check out Phillipians 4:8). I personaly don’t want to fall into the habit.
I don’t mean to preach, but from what you said in this post, I wanted to make sure that you understood swearing is NOT ok, and I hope you won’t use it in your book.
I enjoy reading you blog. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the comment, Tori. I love a good discussion.
While I understand the point you are trying to make by citing Phillipians 4:8, I don’t think that verse applies to the issue of swearing. It’s telling Christians to keep a pure mind and heart. This could be taken as relating to what comes out of our mouths as well, but I personally don’t think it’s referring to that.
Anyway, I do take issue with constant swearing. However, I do believe their are times and situations where certain words that we Americans consider swear words are not inappropriate. For instance, there are times when something may be damned. In reference to a person however, I don’t think the word or expression is at all appropriate because all humans are made in God’s image and it is not for us to say who is to be damned and who is not. Some would say I’m splitting hairs, but I have really put a lot of thought into this issue. What about saying something can go to hell (again, differentiating between an object and a person)? Sometimes, it’s appropriate. These instances are mainly what I was referring to in my post.
IMO, most other swear words are crude and should be kept out of daily conversation. However, most of the American populace disagrees with me.
I’m curious as to why you think swearing in books, even to create realistic characters, is wrong. The Bible is hardly a sanitized Book. While I believe Christians are called to be pure and aim to live holy, I do not believe the Bible instructs us to live life in an ivory tower or to hide ourselves from the world. Books should be a learning tool as well as an amusement, and as such they should not create a sanitized reality for us. Unfortunately, many “Christian” books have done just that.
Looking forward to seeing your thoughts.
I haven’t read any of those books, though I’ve always been slightly interested in Sue Grafton’s series.
On the swearing issue, if I may add my two cents…
I don’t believe swearing is, in any way, morally wrong. There is no passage anywhere in the Bible that condemns the act of cursing. Furthermore, in the original Greek, the apostle Paul himself was known to use some very strong language. I find it interesting – and right on par with what you were saying, Lita, about Christian books over sanitizing everything – that our modern translations of the Bible take out the swear words.
I’ve heard many people quote Phillipians 4:8 as an argument to cursing. While it does not explicitly say anything about swearing, their argument is that, in speaking about the condition of your mind and heart, swearing must be wrong because of what you are thinking or feeling as you do it. I would argue that it doesn’t matter. How many times have you stubbed your toe and yelled something as innocent as, “Wow!” through gritted teeth and utter frustration? Does it really make a difference whether that word is “wow” or something more crude? You’re saying it with the same intent.
Someone once asked me a very good question: would you rather have a friend say, “I hate you!” or “You’re a d**n good friend?” In such a case, the intent of “hate” is so much worse than “d**n.” (Asterisks used in respect of Lita.)
Bottom line is, for me, that swearing is a socially crude thing and not anything morally wrong. I myself swear all the time. I don’t see a problem with it. But when I am around friends who do not like to hear it, I refrain from using it out of respect for them and their opinions.
Thank you Tori. If swearing is NOT morally wrong, and the bible DOESN’T say anything about it, then why did Jesus say:
“34But I tell you, Do not swear AT ALL: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”
Matthew 5:34-37
I have been in a recent situation where I have been exposed to some VERY mild language, and now sometimes I find myself using it. And I KNOW that it does not honor or please my Father God.
Also, about Phillipians 4:8. It says “8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” I ask you this. When you hear a word like that or read a word like that, are you fixing your mind on something admirable?
I agree that we shouldn’t have a “sanitized reality,” however that doesn’t mean that we need to fill our minds with those things.
One last thought to leave you with: Eph. 5:4 “Nor should there be obscenity, FOOLISH TALK or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.”
First off… If you think about it, what comes out of your mouth was in your mind at one point or another. Frankly, I must say I was relieved when I saw your reply. I was expecting a battle, but I must say I kind of agree with you. I personally wouldn’t… uh… curse anything (don’t want to even write the word- yes, I’m paranoyed). And because Hell is a very real place, I don’t mind when people say the word in an appropriate way. It really all depends on the meaning behind the word.
The Bible literally says that we are to “be in the world, but not of the world” meaning we are to live in the world, but not adopt its ways. Also, there is no “swearing” in the Bible except the kind mentioned above.
As for your last retort, I don’t know. Personaly, though, I’m glad there are “sanitized” as you put it, books out there as an alternative to dirty language.
Why do we keep from swearing in the presence of children? Why is swearing supposed to be “beeped out” on radio and T.V.? Why do we not respect people who fling cuss words around carelessly as much as we could if they didn’t? Just some food for thought (you don’t have to answer). I’m very glad you’ve thought this matter through.
(P.S. Jessica, that made me think some- the word doesn’t matter if the meaning is the same. But I would still most definitely rather have someone say “You’re an extremely good friend” than use crude language in place of it).
If I may, Bethany, I would first like to say that the verses in Matthew and Ephesians are entirely out of context. In Matthew 5:33, it states: “Again, you have heard that it was said in ancient time, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’” When the verses you quoted are put in context with this one, we can then see that it is saying that we are not to use grand oaths to promise something when our own simple word should be enough (thereby deducing that we are to live such honorable lives as to be trustworthy to those whom we give promises).
Ephesians 5:4 is, in many modern translations of the Bible, translated incorrectly. Taking the verse directly from the original Greek text, is says that “shameful and foolish words or coarse joking” are “out of place.” In this instance, the greek words can also be said to mean “silly or vulgar talk.” Given that the verse before and the verse after this one speak in detail about fornification, it could even be deduced that the verses refer to sexual jokes or crude speech to do with private body parts. Either way, “obscene,” “vulgar,” and “coarse” do not automatically translate to “cuss words.”
Second, on Phillipians 4:8, it is true that is says that we should look to/think about admirable things. But let me ask you this: when you are cut off in traffic and you happen to think “You jerk!” are you fixing your mind on something admirable? The intent bears more worth than the word itself.
Last, let me say that I am not attempting to force anyone to see swearing as I do. I have friends who do not like it when I swear and so I do not do so around them, out of respect for them. What I do have a problem with, however, is being morally condemned for a “sin” that is never stated as such in the Bible.
(Tori: I’m glad we agree on that and I do understand that you’d rather not hear such language. As I said above, I have no qualms with anyone who’d rather not hear that sort of thing – I only grow frustrated when people tell me the Bible says something that does not seem to exist there.)
I am going to throw in my two sans on the swearing issue because I love discussions…
I am just going to ask: where did this aversion to ‘foul language’ come from?
For instance, bringing up a word to describe a intimate act in a vulgar way in order to make a joke – yes, I took the long way of saying a four-letter word there in context – is considered by parents in our sanitized Christian community to be horrible. Yet some of those same parents literally put their kids in Shakespearean plays. Does anyone realize just how raunchy the Bard could be? Or could it be most people can’t translate the English?
Just an example…
Wow. Having lots of comments is fun.
Makes me a happy blogger.
Jessica pretty much stated what I would have about the Matthew and Ephesians verses. Those verses are not at all talking about what we think of as “cuss words.” Crude, vulgar words (in Ephesians), possibly, and I would agree that Christians should refrain from using them in their daily life. I think a fair case can be made for keeping words like s**t and f*** out of a Christian vocabulary because they are are considered vulgar by our society.
However, as I said before, I believe there is time and place for STRONG language, and there is a difference between using strong/crude language in real life and using it in a book. While I don’t think it necessary for authors trying to be realistic to pepper every bad-guy sentence with cussing (which would quite probably be realistic), I don’t think it’s bad to include a little. You are of course free to disagree with me.
As for why we don’t swear in front of small children (I think the other two instances Tori mentioned have been explained), I believe it good and proper for children to be spared most situations and discussions that would call for strong language, if at all possible.
Morc, that’s a good question. I think part of it may be due to people not understanding Shakespeare’s language (after all, he doesn’t use words that we consider cussing today), but I’ll let some others throw out their ideas on that point.
Wow, sounds like your reading list is even longer than mine! I wish I had that much spare time to read!
A good example, Shakespeare.
At least concerning my parents and their friends, I think classical and historical works are given far more leeway than anything modern is. Now while I don’t know for certain why this is, I would wager that it has something to do with “learning” and being removed from the thing. For example, we can read about the despicable and disgusting acts the Mayans committed with their sacrifical victims, but it is considered vulgar to report details of a soldier tortured in Iraq.
The fact that one is history somehow makes it okay. I think it’s hypocritical and even a little silly.
Because you cannot change my view of something that I believe is moraly wrong, can we agree to disagree? Lita, I’m sorry for starting all this controversey…
And as for everyone else, I challenge you pray about this issue. If God tells you you’r views are fine, then I agree. But if he lays it on your heart to stop, please do so. Thanks!
(Actually Jessica, I’ve never driven a car before- I’m too young)
(Lita, I don’t know if I’ll be allowed to read your book when it comes out)
No apology needed, Tori. As I said before, I love a good discussion. I don’t think anyone here is upset with you, just discussing/debating, which is very good, IMO.
That’s weird, I never heard of any of those.