As for actual “swearing,” using the Lord’s name in vain is sinful, that’s why it’s a commandment. God was clear about His name, and that makes sense. You are associating Him with something unholy. To be honest, I would much rather hear someone say ‘f*ck’ than ‘oh, my God’. I hate hearing that. I used to watch “Trading Spaces” on TLC, but hated the reveal when every episode the idiots would screech, “oh, my Gawd!” Really? They only painted the walls and reupholstered your couch, it’s not a religious experience.
But the other words are arbitrary. Think about it. Why is ‘sh*t’ offensive, but ‘crap’ okay? Do you really think saying ‘sh*t’ when you stub your toe is going to send you to hell but saying ‘shoot’ saves you? Everyone knows what your intention is. Whether a word is good or bad is random and temporal. For example, back in Chaucer’s day ‘c*nt’ was a perfectly acceptable word. It’s being considered offensive is a relatively recent development.
That’s not to say I think all swear words are acceptable. It’s all about context. For example, I wouldn’t use ‘c*nt’ because it’s demeaning. And swear words shouldn’t be used as a way to curse a person (as in ‘F you,’). But that’s different from venting frustration about a circumstance. (WTF?, though I usually speak it out as ‘what the flip.’) And I’ve always been fond of the phrase, “no, sh*t, Sherlock,” perhaps because of the alliteration.
That being said, I try to avoid swearing as much as possible. First of all, often when I substitute a non-swear, it makes me feel better because it sounds so silly that it makes me laugh internally and defuses my anger. “Jiminy Cricket” works for this, as do “what the flip” and “I don’t give a flying fart in space.” Secondly, while I don’t think swearing is immoral, it’s definitely not classy, either. I’m annoyed when people use it to excess. It reminds me of my days as an undergrad in the creative writing department at WMU. Every creative writing workshop inevitably had that one student who realized he wasn’t going to be sent to the principal’s office for using ‘f*ck’ in his story and just went gangbusters with it. It was painful having to read what he thought was edgy but was really just juvenile. Swearing is best done in moderation if done at all. No one will take you seriously if you’re always foul-mouthed. But if you’re normally restrained with your language, a well placed swear gets people’s attention. Swearing is like seasoning, a little goes a long way.