Etna and I have enjoyed watching the summer series show Suits on AMC in its first seasons. The acting is excellent and the storylines are intriguing. This season the writers—and ultimately the AMC network—have pushed the boundaries yet again with foul language on the show using one particular phrase repeatedly that feels like a punch in my gut every time I hear it.
This morning we watched this week’s episode. Between the recap from last week and this week’s airing, I counted at least six uses of the Lord’s name used in vain (the "GD" phrase).
That’s the offensive phrase. Just about every other unsavory word doesn’t seem to bother me (right or wrong), but hearing "GD" pains me greatly. Why?
It’s offensive because of my respect and love for my compassionate Creator and his incredible and sacrificial love for mankind (you, me, and every other soul on this planet throughout time… even mass murders, rapists, and self-proclaimed haters of God).
It’s also offensive to God. Really offensive. In fact, it’s the third of the Ten Commandments (shared a couple of commandments before “Thall shall not kill” if that helps you see the seriousness of it, even though I don’t think God puts any of the commandments above the others). Using “GD” proclaims that God damns people (meaning he desires that certain people to go to hell and is purposely sending them there with prejudice and malice, two ungodly attributes he does not possess).
God has never “damned” anyone. He created man in His own image for heaven’s sake (pun intended), and even sent His Son Christ to die for us to make a relational connection to him while we were still sitting in a self-created and separating cesspool of sin.
Interestingly, I cannot recall an actor on broadcast TV (movies, yes, but not TV) using the N word or a slur for a homosexual and probably never will. And this exposes the root of the issue. Read the next three paragraphs slowly and ponder the much broader implication before you scroll down to the next post.
When a culture chooses to elevate its respect of man and thumb its nose at the Creator of man, God gives that culture what it wants… independence from Him. And then culture falls apart and nobody is happy with the results (if they're still around to be unhappy as history proves). A Man powered Godless culture has no foundation or stability on which to operate. It’s a house built on shifting sand.
Will I write AMC and request they avoid the use of this phrase in future episodes of Suits and other shows they air? You bet. Will I send a letter to the FCC asking why they were permitted to get away with this? Absolutely.
AMC writer's flagrant use of "GD" is the fruit. I’ll attempt to pick it off the tree with written letters. But it’s the root of that tree that motivated me to write this and share it with you in hopes you will stop and think about it for a moment. Some how, some way, our culture now thinks using a racial slur is worse than a God slur. They’re both wrong and offensive to God. Let’s work toward not denigrating one another OR our Creator.
[If you’re reading this and you agree, please stop and pray for mankind and yourself while you’re at it.]
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