Swear words- are they offensive?

Swear words are interesting. Even outside of religion, almost all of us can agree that some words are "worse" or to be used more sparingly than others. Most of us probably wouldn't drop the f-bomb in front of a three year old, or we'd at least think twice about it. I'm pretty sure even controversy corner has a rule not to use swear words-- but why? I grew up in a Christian home and was told those words were "bad" and didn't "honor God"; now that I don't identify with a religion, I use swear words all the time, but I also know when it's inappropriate to use them. I just find it interesting that even in non-religious settings swear words can still be incredibly offensive.