July 30, 2025: The Unfiltered Truth

The class that will never be forgotten.

My college offered a Christian Ethics course taught by one of the most respected professors on campus.

He was wise and compassionate, grounded in both scholarship and faith. Before launching into deep lectures, he opened every class with prayer.

Then came that day.

The syllabus included controversial topics. And one morning, just after prayer, he looked out at the room and did something no one expected.

He started cussing.

Not a mild slip or a single sharp profanity. But a full-throttle, rapid-fire, machine gun style explosion. Every scandalous, eyebrow-raising, did-he-just-say-that dirty word you can imagine.

Students froze with jaws open. Was he having a breakdown?

When he finally stopped, silence hovered like smoke in the air.

Then he said, “Why are you so shocked? They’re just words. Vowels and consonants created by humans. They have no power beyond the meaning you give them. Even ‘innocent’ words become swears if your intent is wrong. It’s more of a heart issue than a mouth issue.”

Boom. An unforgettable lesson that had the whole campus talking.

I thought of it again today when reading about celebrity couple Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell. In an interview, Dax said they let their kids swear, as long as it stays in the house and only “when it’s called for.”

His explanation? “These are noises that come out of your mouth and you assign what they mean to you.”

Hmmm. Sounds familiar.

I think my new cussword will be... son of a motherless goat.

Unless my intent is wrong.