SUMMARY

We start off season 2 with our first expert! Kris Kyle is a linguistics professor at the University of Oregon. With his knowledge of language, Rick and Brad pick Kris’ brain on how language has been shaped over time. This all comes from the question about swearing. What makes a word “bad”? What do you think? Can saints cuss?

 
 

QUESTIONS DISCUSSED

  • Should saints swear? What is swearing/cussing?

  • What is culture? Is there a universal “culture”, or is it based on perception?

  • What are examples of ”bad” words being accepted in different cultures? What are words that we use that are considered bad in other cultures?

  • What is a word?

  • If God created with words, how do we balance the gift and power of words while realizing the malleability of words in society?

  • Where do we draw the line in what we say so that it doesn’t become hurtful? Can swearing help our Christian mission?

  • Can we perfectly go throughout our life speaking without offending anyone?

  • Do watered-down words mean the same as swear words?

  • Besides swearing, how else does our language as Christians affect those around us? Does politically correct language matter?

  • How do we read God’s word into our culture instead of culture guiding our thoughts on language/communication?

  • Can you tear someone down without using “bad” words? Can you tear someone down by using “good” words?

  • Are there generational differences in how swear words were used within the most recent generations?

  • How do we react to others who use different language than we are used to?

  • What is our heart-intention behind the use of language?

RESOURCES/REFERENCES

LOCAL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

Bhumi owner, Mollie DeCost, recently moved to Eugene from Colorado. Her oldest son who is a nurse moved here mid-pandemic due to the medical staffing shortages Oregon was facing and felt called to help. A year later he told Mollie that he loved it and wouldn’t be coming home. Not long after, her middle son told her that he would be relocating to Eugene as well to join his brother.

Mollie’s heart was broken, so she decided that she needed to follow her children. Mollie, her husband, and her 13-year-old, sold their home and their legal support business, and left all of their friends and family behind for a new Oregon adventure.

Mollie decided to start Bhumi because she could no longer handle all the stress and sadness associated with the legal support business. The store is called Bhumi (pronounced “boomie”), which translates to “Earth” in Hindi. It is a refill station, that buys large quantities of eco-friendly options of everyday household and personal care products in bulk which allows customers to refill containers rather than waste the plastic packaging that would occur by purchasing a new single-use container each time. Bhumi also sells eco-friendly options of other common items like bamboo toothbrushes, reusable drinking straws, reusable snack bags, etc. 

There is also a “potting bar” (not an alcohol establishment) where people can buy a plant and pot from the store or bring in their own and pot it in the store. There is soil, rocks, plants, pots, etc. and Mollie will clean up the mess for a small charge. This is helpful for those who have a small space and have no place to store supplies.

Bhumi is also a terracycle drop-off location for multiple hard-to-recycle items. They accept toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, empty deodorant containers, drinking straws, coffee pods/capsules (like Keurig, but any brand), disposable razors, bottle caps (plastic & metal), and children’s drink pouches. Who knew all of that could be recycled!? for a full list, you can visit their website under the recycling tab.

The goal for Bhumi can be summed up nicely by its mission statement: 

To breathe life and awareness back into the planet by advocating for a more conscious way of life that focuses on using and producing less waste.

They hope to accomplish this by helping to eliminate the need for disposables that strain our finite resources and damage our planet while offering a variety of everyday product options that are eco-friendly, sustainable, and fair-trade. Essentially, living as lightly as possible on our shared earth and leaving no trace.

Secondarily, Mollie meets and speaks with many people each day. She spends time educating them on the environmental strain that plastics have on our planet, sometimes the customers educate her and sometimes people just come in wanting someone to talk to. She really enjoys being that person. She sees all of these interactions as an opportunity to reach a greater good. 

Bhumi offers great convenience by supplying a wide variety of refill options so that you don’t have to go to so many places trying to refill things. Mollie’s attitude is great because she doesn’t really want to be set apart in her industry because she doesn’t want to be competitive. She wants everyone to win and to work together to help each other. Being good stewards of the planet that we were all blessed to care for.

So go into Bhumi (in the Meridian building, 18th & Willamette) for your bulk household, personal care, or plant products to reduce waste and care for our earth! Say hi to Mollie and let her know you heard about Bhumi on the podcast.