But the result of that is that when you disagree with the mainline view of something (like cursing or alcohol), the discomfort you feel when it's condemned is seen as you balking at the truth.
So if you tried to talk about it, explain how you saw things differently... you'd just be clinging to your sin and resisting the truth.
Discussion would be shut down before it could even happen. Why should the mainline believers talk? Why listen? Why consider other points of view? One way is right and the other is wrong, so why give it any more thought than that?
How righteous is it to treat someone like their words don't matter? Like different viewpoints aren't only unwelcome but inherently sinful?
How does that bring anyone closer to Christ? How does it allow for grace? How is it compassionate or thoughtful or kind?
It doesn't and it's not.
Anyway, there was a bit of a rant in the pulpit recently about cursing, and I use cursing in some of my fiction writing. I felt guilt and shame even though I've struggled with the matter for years and found my own views on it, and I got the impression that talking about it would only be seen as me making excuses.
It helped a bit to think about my therapist and how exasperated and annoyed she'd be with that guy, but it doesn't erase the fact that a part of me wanted to squish myself back into that Sweet Obedient Little Girl box where I don't get to make my own choices or be an adult or rebel at all ever for any reason or else I'm bad and people will frown at me and judge me and reject me.
Fear is a powerful motivator to keep people in line, and rejecting other ways of thinking while refusing to listen is a great way to encourage that fear.
