Q:What/when is it "cursing"? Is it the actual word or the intent? If I get really angry with you and say "fudge you", is it the same as if I had actually used the vernacular?

A:Curse means the opposite of bless. On the human level, to curse means to wish evil, harm, or suffering on someone (Genesis 9:25, 49:7); on the divine level, it implies judgment. God cursed the serpent and the earth after Adam and Eve's fall into sin (Genesis 3:14-17). God's curse was also spoken on various sins (Deuteronomy 27:15-26). Under the Mosaic Law a person who cursed his or her parents was put to death (Leviticus 20:9). Christians are told to bless, not curse, those who curse them (Matthew 5:11; Luke 6:28; and Romans 12:14). In this case, it does not matter if you use the vernacular or if you use a "soft word," the problem does not lie in the word, but in the intent. The soft word may make things sound better, but the anger is still there. Like Jesus reminded us, it is what comes out of the mouth from the heart that makes a person unclean, because it is from the heart that comes evil thoughts, murderer ... slander (Matthew 15:17-19). As Christians, we are called to bless people; every time we fail in doing that, we need to repent, ask for God's forgiveness and try to do better the next time.