Fluff words, can we do without them?

[Sha'irullah]

You know what I mean when I say fluff words, it is those words that make even your spirit cringe so hard that even if you are an atheist you will grow a soul just so it could cringe along with the rational theists.

Words like "the sacred" or "the divine;" and let's not forget our favorite, "spiritual."

Granted that not all fluff words are fluffy but it often depends on usage. Do theists not get bothered by such phrases or common potty language? I honestly take words like spiritual and put it in the same category as cursing. It is an intellectual painful word to hear.

Am I alone on this?

 

[Shiranui117]

You know what I mean when I say fluff words, it is those words that make even your spirit cringe so hard that even if you are an atheist you will grow a soul just so it could cringe along with the rational theists.

Words like "the sacred" or "the divine;" and let's not forget our favorite, "spiritual."

Granted that not all fluff words are fluffy but it often depends on usage. Do theists not get bothered by such phrases or common potty language? I honestly take words like spiritual and put it in the same category as cursing. It is an intellectual painful word to hear.

Am I alone on this?

I mean, these words are useful when comparing broad categories of religion, or for explaining overarching ideas that extend beyond one religion or family of religions.

 

[Sha'irullah]

I mean, these words are useful when comparing broad categories of religion, or for explaining overarching ideas that extend beyond one religion or family of religions.

I can think of so many better words though. For example why not call religions, religions? Why not properly break religion down into superstition, mythology, morals and ritual?

If this was down than all Sam Harris would have to say is ritualism instead of spirituality when discussing meditation.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

You know what I mean when I say fluff words, it is those words that make even your spirit cringe so hard that even if you are an atheist you will grow a soul just so it could cringe along with the rational theists.

Words like "the sacred" or "the divine;" and let's not forget our favorite, "spiritual."

Granted that not all fluff words are fluffy but it often depends on usage. Do theists not get bothered by such phrases or common potty language? I honestly take words like spiritual and put it in the same category as cursing. It is an intellectual painful word to hear.

Am I alone on this?

Spiritual or understanding the nature of the spirit or human nature, that I get. The words that bug me are Cosmos, Universe, and Infinite Intelligence. Even the phrase new age bothers me because religion doesn't have a time line. There isn't an "old" religion and a "new" religion just people's perspectives that the past is more value than the present.

Infinite Intelligence just sounds silly. Someone explained that the universe was intelligent. The "Greater Force" or so have you. It sounds more like Star Trek.

The word god bothers me a bit because here there is only one definition, jesus christ. Though, that's not the definition of the actual word, I don't care for that word either. But the ones above annoy me the most.

 

[Sha'irullah]

I am just gonna let you know before hand that while I am writing this that I have a giant grin on my face reminiscent of a deranged serial killer because of the genius of this post.

Spiritual or understanding the nature of the spirit or human nature, that I get.

This is my understanding of spirit both literally and as an expressional phrase. The issue is that not all religions embrace the spirit of man which is life. Early Christianity was VERY spiritual in its emphasis on human suffering and the peaceful life. Along comes constantine and it is state authored and rigid. Many Muslims I know argue against love and the famed al-Ghazali argued against this as well professing it as un-Islamic and the waswas(whispers) of satan.

So unless you wish to denounce the current strains of Christianity and Islam as religions then you will have a tough time using words like spiritual.

The words that bug me are Cosmos, Universe, and Infinite Intelligence. Even the phrase new age bothers me because religion doesn't have a time line. There isn't an "old" religion and a "new" religion just people's perspectives that the past is more value than the present.

This is another things that bothers me as well and I entirely agree with you. Let me add to it . .

Religion is a direct byproduct of culture and as with all culture it has phases but cultures do not cease and reform from nothing. You have never heard of Africans that stopped being African and suddenly changed culture and ethnicity while going back in time to erase history in a literal sense of the phrase.

Religions change or become irrelevant in greater religious debate but like any idea they never go away. After all we still have flat-earthers.

Infinite Intelligence just sounds silly. Someone explained that the universe was intelligent. The "Greater Force" or so have you. It sounds more like Star Trek.

Try defining maximum intelligence. When you say infinite you can toss in whatever you like but the minute you set a threshold you must define the threshold and wiggle your way out of trying to express how you know what the threshold is without having maximum intelligence yourself.

The word god bothers me a bit because here there is only one definition, jesus christ. Though, that's not the definition of the actual word, I don't care for that word either. But the ones above annoy me the most.

An undefined word like god leaves to more obscurities and vagueness indeed. The debate over god is equally weird as well.

 

[Native]

You know what I mean when I say fluff words, it is those words that make even your spirit cringe so hard that even if you are an atheist you will grow a soul just so it could cringe along with the rational theists.

Words like "the sacred" or "the divine;" and let's not forget our favorite, "spiritual."

IMO there is nothing fluffiness in these experessions. Everything is sacred, divine and spiritual. The questions is how anybody senses the natural world and it´s values.

 

[Quintessence]

Truly, I'm not entirely sure what the OP means by "fluff words." Certainly they seem to have standards that differ from my own.

I very much appreciate it when people use phrases like "the sacred" or "the divine" because those terms are more culturally neutral or inclusive ways of referencing god(s). Nay, what makes me cringe is when people do not use these inclusive terms.

"Spiritual" on the other hand, I might call a "fluff" word in that it is lacking in substance whenever I see it used in a sentence. That is, you could delete that word and the meaning of the sentence would be the same. For me, anyway.

 

[Nietzsche]

I can think of so many better words though. For example why not call religions, religions? Why not properly break religion down into superstition, mythology, morals and ritual?

If this was down than all Sam Harris would have to say is ritualism instead of spirituality when discussing meditation.

...because different parts of something tends to have different names, for clarification?

That's just sort of how language works?