Secularization and Vocabulary Today
I came accross this article while browsing for definitions of different religious terms.
Though biased and quite conservative, Audrey English makes some valuable claims about the secularization of religion. It is true that historically religious terms have been slowly, but not so subtly, been making their way into mainstream vocabulary.
For example: Instead of the Virgin Mary, the image of someone like Sarah Jessica Parker now comes to mind when considering an icon. People use the expression "holy crap", though crap is usually far from holy. Children and adults alike often exclaim "Oh my God!" or "swear to God", when God could be something that they do not even believe in. Sports announcers often use religious language to describe the fierce competition that has little to do with the love and peace that religion should convey.
English claims that "these illustrate a need, the desire for God which is in the heart of every human being", yet she also believes that "this revolution has succeeded in transforming a society predominantly Christian into a secular society where Christian values are continually being destroyed."
Although I agree that using those meaningful, sacred words in everyday life devalues them, I don't think anyone can claim that it is the reason that society has been demoralized over the past few decades. One of English's ideas for reviving the Catholic Language is that "words like Our Lord, blessings, grace, offering up, prayer, sacrifice ought to be in current daily use." I personally do not see the benefit of this on the re-sacredization of the language, nor can I picture any of my friends saying "offering up" daily.
The real relevance here is that everyday, through the media in society, religion is becoming more secular and less sacred.
Though biased and quite conservative, Audrey English makes some valuable claims about the secularization of religion. It is true that historically religious terms have been slowly, but not so subtly, been making their way into mainstream vocabulary.
For example: Instead of the Virgin Mary, the image of someone like Sarah Jessica Parker now comes to mind when considering an icon. People use the expression "holy crap", though crap is usually far from holy. Children and adults alike often exclaim "Oh my God!" or "swear to God", when God could be something that they do not even believe in. Sports announcers often use religious language to describe the fierce competition that has little to do with the love and peace that religion should convey.
English claims that "these illustrate a need, the desire for God which is in the heart of every human being", yet she also believes that "this revolution has succeeded in transforming a society predominantly Christian into a secular society where Christian values are continually being destroyed."
Although I agree that using those meaningful, sacred words in everyday life devalues them, I don't think anyone can claim that it is the reason that society has been demoralized over the past few decades. One of English's ideas for reviving the Catholic Language is that "words like Our Lord, blessings, grace, offering up, prayer, sacrifice ought to be in current daily use." I personally do not see the benefit of this on the re-sacredization of the language, nor can I picture any of my friends saying "offering up" daily.
The real relevance here is that everyday, through the media in society, religion is becoming more secular and less sacred.
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