Week 4    Day 2

    Listen:

Cursing and Bad Language

The Law in Mark and Luke

Exodus 22:28

Thou shalt not revile God, and a chief among thy people thou shalt not curse.

Arcana Coelestia 9349

Those [laws] which are to be altogether observed and done are those contained in... Exod. 22:28....

Matthew 5:22

But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother rashly shall be subject to the judgment; and whoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be subject to the council; and whoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be subject to the hell of fire.

Arcana Coelestia 9220

“Thou shalt not curse God,” signifies that truths Divine must not be blasphemed; “and a prince in thy people thou shalt not execrate,” signifies that neither are the doctrines of truth to be blasphemed....

Arcana Coelestia 245

That “He said to the serpent, Thou art cursed above every beast, and above every wild animal of the field” signifies that the sensuous part turned itself away from that which is heavenly, and turned itself to that which is of the body, and thus cursed itself, may be clearly shown from the internal sense of the Word. Jehovah God or the Lord never curses anyone. He is never angry with anyone, never leads anyone into temptation, never punishes anyone, and still less does He curse anyone. All this is done by the infernal crew, for such things can never proceed from the Fountain of mercy, peace, and goodness.

New Jerusalem and Her Heavenly Doctrine 325

Obedience is due to a king, according to the laws of the realm, and on no account ought he to be injured either by word or deed; for on this depends the public safety.

New Jerusalem and Her Heavenly Doctrine 322

The regal office consists in administering according to the laws of the realm, and in judging according to these laws, from a principle of justice. A king who regards the laws as above himself, is wise; but he who considers himself as being above the law, is not wise. A king who looks upon the laws as above himself, places the regal office in the law, and the law rules over him; for he knows that the law means justice, and all justice, which is justice, is Divine. But he who looks upon himself as being above the laws, places the regal office in himself, and either believes himself to be the law, or that the law, which is justice, is derived from himself. Hence he claims for himself that which is Divine, when yet he ought to be under it.

True Christian Religion 298

In the spiritual sense, the name of God means everything which the church teaches from the Word, and by which the Lord is invoked and worshiped. All such things in the complex are the name of God. “To take the name of God in vain,” means, therefore, to introduce any of these things into frivolous conversation, into false speaking, lying, curses, witchcraft or spells; for this too is reviling and blaspheming God, thus His name.

Charity 175

The externals of the mind which pertain to worship are: (1) Thought and meditation concerning God, and concerning heaven, eternal life, and salvation. (2) Reflection upon one’s thoughts and intentions, as to whether they are evil or good, and that the evil are from the devil, and the good from God. (3) Turning one’s mind away from impious, obscene, and filthy language. (4) Besides thoughts, there are also affections which come to the sight and sense of a man.

Arcana Coelestia 7379

“And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments,” signifies the abuse of Divine order, whence there was the like in the outward form; “and caused frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt,” signifies in respect to reasonings from the natural mind....

Miracles 17

Magical miracles, such as were performed in ancient times in Egypt, in Chaldea and among other gentile races, were accomplished by artificial means only, or by witchcraft, for no other end than to bring about a belief that they were divine manifestations, and thus to assert authority even over souls, and to gain worldly wealth. These miracles were in themselves contrary to Divine order, but as to outward form they were like Divine miracles.

Many such miracles are wrought by diabolic spirits in the other life. These spirits, when set free, have no other aim than to imitate heavenly things, and by these imitations to delude the minds of others, especially to the end that they may rule over and injure them. Those are delusions induced by persuasions and appearances, and by disorderly applications of correspondences, by which newcomer spirits are particularly charmed. There is a field stretching forward to a considerable length, in the plane of the sole of the foot, where these spirits are present in great number. The hell of the magi of Egypt and Chaldea is there also, but in caverns below. All who entangled others by their cunning wiles, during their life in the body, are associated with such spirits.

previous		next