Would Jesus say ‘chorva?’
August 8th 2009 14:00
Wednesday, 10 June 2009 16:42
By Pastor Emil L. Galang and the KKB Core Leaders
If the Bible is against homosexuality, is it also against gayspeak?
From Allan K. to JM Cobarrubias, to Danton Remoto and your downtown beautician, the gay community has successfully launched a language that is widely used in our culture today. Gayspeak (Filipinized as swardspeak—coined from radio announcer Tita Swarding) is undoubtedly more commonplace and non-exclusivist than ever before. Thanks to Giovanni Calvo’s 90s TV show Katok Mga Misis in which a segment was devoted to teaching gayspeak words to viewers who were mostly housewives; and, in 2004, GMA-7’s Out, which rehashed the segment.
There now seems to be no more awkwardness with a straight guy who finishes his sentence with “chorva,” or with a straight woman who invites her friends to “lafang,” instead of “eat.” And children folk songs are not exempted from the linguistic amalgam, either. Check out the kids’ old-time favorite “Langit-lupa” translated in “badaf” fashion: Langit, lupa infairness/ In, in, infairness/ chugi heartness, flowing ang dugesh/ Chugi, alayv, dis-a-pir na u jan!
Admittedly, that was a funny take on a rather immutable kids’ play song. Well, oddity really often tickles the funny bone. And if we only had more space here, we would have included “Bahay Kubo” (“Valer Kubech”) and “Ako ay May Lobo” (“Aketch ai May Lobing”) as examples.
Fictioning acceptability
Humor, however, is not the goal of gayspeak. Many academicians and writers agree that social acceptability and assimilation is the primary reason why gays are ramming gayspeak into daily life. Norberto V. Casabal of Lyceum of Subic Bay observes that gayspeak functions “as an ‘armor’ to shield themselves from the chasm and the social stigma caused by gender differences.” Remoto notes that it is “a way of fictioning their integration into society.”
Fictioning. That’s the keyword. Homosexuals are still relegated to society’s backseat; and should they eventually emerge as high society aristocrats, no level of linguistic revolution can imbue genuine significance to their lives unless they come to terms with the Word’s take on homosexuality. “That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved,” (NLT) says Paul in Romans 1:26-27. Leviticus 18:22 , 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:10 also unite in echoing God’s opposition to homosexuality. But just like any other sin, it can be forgiven by the grace of God that is always available to anyone who repents.
Far-reaching implications
So what’s this to do with the playful-sounding gayspeak? Is there anything to hotly contest about its use even by Christians and heterosexuals?
The values and beliefs that define us are reflected in our daily conversations. Our daily conversations shape and influence the values and beliefs of our society. This means that the way we speak has far-reaching implications.
In finding the correlation between language and culture, language professor Claire Kramsch of the Berkeley Language Center writes, “Speakers identify themselves and others through their use of language; they view their language as a symbol of their social identity… Thus, we can say that language symbolizes and reflects cultural reality.” Researcher-writer Alleen Pace Nilsen meanwhile observes, "Language and society are as intertwined as a chicken and an egg. The language that a culture uses is telltale evidence of the values and beliefs of that culture."
Casual use of gayspeak, therefore, is equivalent to linguistic signification and acceptance of homosexuality as a cultural reality that is influential to our society’s values and beliefs. Christians should take no part in this.
The spread of gayspeak usage will accomplish nothing but the promotion of a culture and lifestyle that is not rooted on values that positively address the spiritual needs of homosexuals.
Real purpose
Homosexuals, like everybody else, need to understand that the worth and recognition they long for is being offered by Jesus Christ, who gave up his life for the salvation of sinners. The best that this world can offer is a shallow and fleeting brand of significance that will always be sapped by worldly troubles. But Jesus came so that we may have life and have it to the full (John 10:10). Real purpose and protection from prejudice is found in Jesus alone. He is defender of the oppressed and the marginalized. Christians should serve to share this truth by good works and by words that strengthen, encourage and promote Christian values.
Nilsen’s statement actually goes well with Jesus’ explanation in Luke 6 of man’s language choice: “Each tree is recognized by its own fruit… For out of the overflow of [a man’s] heart his mouth speaks.” (NIV)
Contributing to a defense mechanism of a misleading sense of acceptance and self-worth can never be found overflowing in the center of Jesus’ heart. So would Jesus ever say chorva? Don’t count on it. That’d be fictioning.
Chief researcher for this article: Jonathan S. Rebayno
----------------------------- ----------------------------- ----------------------
Pastor Emil L. Galang has been faithfully serving the Lord since KKB's growing up years during the early 90's. Under the leadership of KKB Chairman Joel Villanueva and the JIL Church Executive Management Board, he is now the Executive Director of KKB Movement. As such, he leads its supreme decision-making body known as the KKB Core Leadership. He writes KKBmovement.org’s “Hot Topic” column with the KKB Core Leaders. Pastor Emil is happily married to Weng, and super-dad to Josiah Charles and Ruth Beatrice.
By Pastor Emil L. Galang and the KKB Core Leaders
If the Bible is against homosexuality, is it also against gayspeak?
From Allan K. to JM Cobarrubias, to Danton Remoto and your downtown beautician, the gay community has successfully launched a language that is widely used in our culture today. Gayspeak (Filipinized as swardspeak—coined from radio announcer Tita Swarding) is undoubtedly more commonplace and non-exclusivist than ever before. Thanks to Giovanni Calvo’s 90s TV show Katok Mga Misis in which a segment was devoted to teaching gayspeak words to viewers who were mostly housewives; and, in 2004, GMA-7’s Out, which rehashed the segment.
There now seems to be no more awkwardness with a straight guy who finishes his sentence with “chorva,” or with a straight woman who invites her friends to “lafang,” instead of “eat.” And children folk songs are not exempted from the linguistic amalgam, either. Check out the kids’ old-time favorite “Langit-lupa” translated in “badaf” fashion: Langit, lupa infairness/ In, in, infairness/ chugi heartness, flowing ang dugesh/ Chugi, alayv, dis-a-pir na u jan!
Admittedly, that was a funny take on a rather immutable kids’ play song. Well, oddity really often tickles the funny bone. And if we only had more space here, we would have included “Bahay Kubo” (“Valer Kubech”) and “Ako ay May Lobo” (“Aketch ai May Lobing”) as examples.
Fictioning acceptability
Humor, however, is not the goal of gayspeak. Many academicians and writers agree that social acceptability and assimilation is the primary reason why gays are ramming gayspeak into daily life. Norberto V. Casabal of Lyceum of Subic Bay observes that gayspeak functions “as an ‘armor’ to shield themselves from the chasm and the social stigma caused by gender differences.” Remoto notes that it is “a way of fictioning their integration into society.”
Fictioning. That’s the keyword. Homosexuals are still relegated to society’s backseat; and should they eventually emerge as high society aristocrats, no level of linguistic revolution can imbue genuine significance to their lives unless they come to terms with the Word’s take on homosexuality. “That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved,” (NLT) says Paul in Romans 1:26-27. Leviticus 18:22 , 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:10 also unite in echoing God’s opposition to homosexuality. But just like any other sin, it can be forgiven by the grace of God that is always available to anyone who repents.
Far-reaching implications
So what’s this to do with the playful-sounding gayspeak? Is there anything to hotly contest about its use even by Christians and heterosexuals?
The values and beliefs that define us are reflected in our daily conversations. Our daily conversations shape and influence the values and beliefs of our society. This means that the way we speak has far-reaching implications.
In finding the correlation between language and culture, language professor Claire Kramsch of the Berkeley Language Center writes, “Speakers identify themselves and others through their use of language; they view their language as a symbol of their social identity… Thus, we can say that language symbolizes and reflects cultural reality.” Researcher-writer Alleen Pace Nilsen meanwhile observes, "Language and society are as intertwined as a chicken and an egg. The language that a culture uses is telltale evidence of the values and beliefs of that culture."
Casual use of gayspeak, therefore, is equivalent to linguistic signification and acceptance of homosexuality as a cultural reality that is influential to our society’s values and beliefs. Christians should take no part in this.
The spread of gayspeak usage will accomplish nothing but the promotion of a culture and lifestyle that is not rooted on values that positively address the spiritual needs of homosexuals.
Real purpose
Homosexuals, like everybody else, need to understand that the worth and recognition they long for is being offered by Jesus Christ, who gave up his life for the salvation of sinners. The best that this world can offer is a shallow and fleeting brand of significance that will always be sapped by worldly troubles. But Jesus came so that we may have life and have it to the full (John 10:10). Real purpose and protection from prejudice is found in Jesus alone. He is defender of the oppressed and the marginalized. Christians should serve to share this truth by good works and by words that strengthen, encourage and promote Christian values.
Nilsen’s statement actually goes well with Jesus’ explanation in Luke 6 of man’s language choice: “Each tree is recognized by its own fruit… For out of the overflow of [a man’s] heart his mouth speaks.” (NIV)
Contributing to a defense mechanism of a misleading sense of acceptance and self-worth can never be found overflowing in the center of Jesus’ heart. So would Jesus ever say chorva? Don’t count on it. That’d be fictioning.
Chief researcher for this article: Jonathan S. Rebayno
----------------------------- ----------------------------- ----------------------
Pastor Emil L. Galang has been faithfully serving the Lord since KKB's growing up years during the early 90's. Under the leadership of KKB Chairman Joel Villanueva and the JIL Church Executive Management Board, he is now the Executive Director of KKB Movement. As such, he leads its supreme decision-making body known as the KKB Core Leadership. He writes KKBmovement.org’s “Hot Topic” column with the KKB Core Leaders. Pastor Emil is happily married to Weng, and super-dad to Josiah Charles and Ruth Beatrice.
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