Editing Profanity (section)

=== Religion ===
[[File:Woman exclaiming "Oh My God!" before a bike crash.webm|thumb|A woman exclaiming "Oh My God!" before a [[dirtbike]] crash|thumbtime=0]]
[[File:Tabarnak graffiti.jpg|thumb|Graffiti on a mailbox in Quebec reading {{lang|fr|Pas de publicité tabarnak}}, meaning "no [[advertising mail]]" and using the {{lang|fr|sacre}} "{{lang|fr|tabarnak}}" ([[tabernacle]])]]
A distinction is sometimes made between religious profanity, which is casual, versus blasphemy, which is intentionally leveled against a religious concept.{{Sfn|Hughes|2015|pp=xvii, 31}} It was commonly believed among early civilizations that speaking about certain things can invoke them or bring about curses.{{Sfn|Hughes|2015|p=xvi}} Many cultures have taboos about speaking the names of evil creatures such as [[Satan]] because of these historical fears.{{Sfn|Ljung|2011|p=6}}

Religions commonly develop derogatory words for those who are not among their members. Medieval Christianity developed terms like ''heathen'' and ''[[infidel]]'' to describe outsiders.{{Sfn|Hughes|2015|p=223}} [[Secularization]] in the [[Western world]] has seen exclamations such as ''God!'' divorced from their religious connotations.{{Sfn|Matusz|2017|pp=39–40}} Religious profanity is not inherent to all languages, being absent from Japanese, [[indigenous languages of the Americas]], and most [[Polynesian languages]].{{Sfn|Hughes|2015|p=xxi}}

European languages historically used the [[crucifixion of Jesus]] as a focal point for profane interjections. Phrases meaning "death of God" were used in languages like English ('''Sdeath''), French ({{lang|fr|Mort de Dieu}}), and Swedish ({{lang|sv|Guds död}}){{Sfn|Ljung|2011|p=42}} Christian profanity encompasses both appeals to the divine, such as God or heaven, and to the diabolic, such as the Devil or hell. While the impact of religious swearing has declined in the Christian world, diabolic swearing remains profane in Germany and the [[Nordic countries]]. Islamic profanity lacks a diabolic element, referring only to divine concepts like Muhammad or holy places.{{Sfn|Ljung|2011|p=37}}

Words related to Catholicism, known as {{lang|fr|sacres}}, are used in [[Quebec French profanity]], and are considered to be stronger than other profane words in French. Examples of {{lang|fr|sacres}} considered profane in Quebec are {{lang|fr|tabarnak}} ([[tabernacle]]), {{lang|fr|hostie}} ([[Sacramental bread|host]]), and {{lang|fr|sacrament}} ([[sacrament]]). When used as profanities, {{lang|fr|sacres}} are often interchangeable.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nosowitz |first=Dan |date=26 May 2016 |title=The Delightful Perversity of Québec's Catholic Swears |url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-delightful-perversity-of-quebecs-catholic-swears |access-date=19 September 2024 |website=Atlas Obscura |language=en}}</ref>

The [[Book of Leviticus]] indicates that blasphemous language warrants death, while the [[Gospel of Matthew]] implies condemnation of all swearing, though only the [[Quakers]] have imposed such a ban.{{Sfn|Hughes|2015|pp=21–22}} [[Islam]], [[Judaism]], and [[Brahmanism]] forbid mention of God's name entirely.{{Sfn|Hughes|2015|pp=xxi, 201}} In some countries, profanity words often have [[pagan]] roots that after Christian influence were turned from names of deities and spirits to profanity and used as such, like {{lang|fi|[[perkele]]}} in Finnish, which was believed to be an original name of the thunder god [[Ukko]], the chief god of the [[Finnish paganism|Finnish pagan]] pantheon.<ref>{{cite book |last=Siikala |first=Anna-Leena |title=Itämerensuomalaisten mytologia |publisher=SKS |year=2013 |location=Helsinki}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Salo |first=Unto |title=Agricola's Ukko in the light of archeology. A chronological and interpretative study of ancient Finnish religion: Old Norse and Finnish religions and cultic place-names. |year=1990 |isbn=951-649-695-4 |location=Turku}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Miten suomalaiset kiroilivat ennen kristinuskoa? |url=http://www.kielikello.fi/index.php?mid=2&pid=11&aid=784 |access-date=25 December 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Suomen kielen etymologinen sanakirja. 3. |publisher=Suomalais-ugrilainen seura |year=1976 |isbn=951-9019-16-2 |location=Helsinki}}</ref>