OpinionJournal - HOUSES OF WORSHIP The existence of profanity is odd evidence of the persistence of religion even for people who think they are secular. Cursing rests on the assumption that the spiritual realm is real. It is ironic to hear people who do not believe in God continually invoking him in their speech. Those who believe that, if there is a God, he is nonjudgmental and omni-nice can be heard calling down divine wrath on persons and things that make them angry. Meanwhile, status-conscious teenagers and fastidious socialites use barnyard imagery that used to mark the vulgar and déclassé.
Words have meaning, even if those who use them do not know what it is.