Secularization of Language. To Do or Not to Do?

In our daily conversations, we often use phrases with religious origins. Expressions like “Goodbye,” “Thank God!” and “God forbid” have become so embedded in our language that we rarely pause to consider their roots. Today, let’s talk a bit about the evolution of language, the secularization of society, and the complex relationship between religious heritage and culture.

One of the most amusing aspects of these religiously rooted phrases is the irony that while many people, regardless of their religious beliefs, use these expressions, it’s often the deeply religious individuals who refrain from using them casually. (Remember, Gosh, Goodness, Golly, and Jeez.)

Take, for instance, “Goodbye.” Originally a contraction of “God be with ye,” the phrase has lost its religious connotation for most speakers. Similarly, exclamations like “Oh my God!” or “Jesus!” are often used as general expressions of surprise or frustration rather than as invocations of deity. Like in many other European languages, these phrases have undergone a semantic shift, where their meanings separated from their original religious context.

The widespread use of phrases with religious roots in secular contexts re in line with Western societies becoming increasingly secular. As a result, religious language has been repurposed and secularized.

However, while language secularization doesn’t necessarily indicate a complete departure from religious influence. it still demonstrates the waiting influence of religion in European societies.

Attempting to purge a language of phrases with religious origins would be both impractical and culturally counterproductive. Language is a living record of a society’s history and development over time, and the presence of religiously derived phrases is nothing but linguistic fossil records of cultural evolution.

Moreover, these phrases often carry emotional meanings that purely secular alternatives might lack. Such expressions merely contribute to the richness of language.

Accepting these language artifacts as part of cultural heritage is the constructive attitude supported by well-known theist scholars such as Richard Dawkins, who goes one step further and advocates for teaching the Bible in schools as literature.

Engaging with this linguistic heritage would demonstrate both the cultural appreciation from atheists and secularists and the fact that they are at peace with themselves.

History has shown that purge attempts in languages often stem from authoritarian motivations such as religious fundamentalism or extreme anti-religious sentiment with a desire to control thought and expression. A truly open and democratic society should be able to accommodate linguistic diversity, including phrases that reflect various aspects of its cultural heritage.

Moreover, attempts to eliminate these phrases to secularize the language would more than likely be futile since language evolves organically, shaped by the people speaking it every day. Engineering languages rarely succeed and often lead to unintended consequences.

Isn’t it awesome that the following words reflect the Pagan history of Germanic peoples?

• Tuesday: Tiw’s Day, named after the god Tiw or Tyr
• Panic: From Pan, the Greek god of nature
• Echo: Named after a nymph in Greek mythology
• Fauna and Flora: Named after Roman nature deities
• Atlas: A Titan in Greek mythology, now used for map collections
• Volcano: Named after Vulcan, the Roman god of fire

Phrases with religious roots in everyday secular speech illustrate the natural evolution of languages. Rather than being a problem to solve, they showcase cultural history and the processes of societal change in English-speaking countries.

Ultimately, we must strive to understand and value the various schools of thought that have contributed to the current shape of languages rather than trying to rid it of all past influences.

#LanguageEvolution #CulturalHeritage #LinguisticDiversity