Foul language `seriously wrong'
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The need for the Saints to become edified in their language was evidently a problem among some of the men, judging from the frequency with which Brigham Young mentioned the subject, both at Winter Quarters and later in crossing the plains. Taking the Lord's name in vain was particularly offensive.
In the revelation to Brigham Young at Winter Quarters, the Lord instructed, "Keep yourselves from evil to take the Lord's name in vain, for I am the Lord your God, even the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and Isaac and of Jacob." (D&C 136:21.)President Gordon B. Hinckley, then first counselor in the First Presidency, addressed the subject in the priesthood meeting of the October 1987 general conference:
"What I fear from these reports [of public and school officials] is that the prevalent use of foul language has become an acceptable pattern in the schools, probably due in large part to the influence of TV and the general permissiveness in our society," he said. "Whatever the cause, I hope that some additional emphasis might be made to curb it, to help our youth appreciate the importance of proper language. . . .
"I do not hesitate to say that it is wrong, seriously wrong, for any young man ordained to the priesthood of God to be guilty of such. The taking of the Lord's name in vain is a most serious matter."
"When Moses was leading the children of Israel out of Egypt to the land of promise, he went up into the mountain to commune with the Lord, and the finger of the Lord wrote the Decalogue on tablets of stone. These ten commandments became the basis of the Judeo-Christian code governing human behavior. Every one of the ten is important, and among them is this statement: `Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.' (Exo. 20:7.)
"Brethren, stay out of the gutter in your conversation. Foul talk defiles the man who speaks it.
"If you have the habit, how do you break it? You begin by making a decision to change. The next time you are prone to use words you know to be wrong, simply stop. Keep quiet or say what you have to say in a different way."
