Ordinary Language and Religion

Over Christmas I caught some God-programs on tv at my grandmother's house. One of the hosts warned that we would have to account for all of our "idle, nonfunctioning words" on judgment day. I know she probably meant "words that aren't doing any good," but it's much more interesting if one thinks of her as meaning "words that aren't doing anything at all." In any case, the exhortation to watch one's words carefully (carrying with it the implication that everything one puts out in the world must be carefully watched), to make sure that (a) they make sense, and (b) one really means them, does resonate with religious aims.

Addendum: compare my favorite line from the Phaedo--"to express oneself badly is not only faulty as far as the language goes, but does some harm to the soul" (115e).