For many people, religion provides language and rituals for key milestones in life, from births to weddings to funerals. But what if you don’t ascribe to any particular religion? What words do you use to mark those moments? An uplifting new...
Liam from San Francisco, California, asks about woo-woo, an adjective for beliefs or practices that strike someone as kooky, mystical, unscientific, or just a little out there. The modern use shows up by the 1980s and 1990s, and an early-1970s...
Nell from Virginia Beach, Virginia, remembers her great-grandfather and her grandmother using the phrase as clean as seven waters to mean “spotlessly clean.” The word waters in this case is analogous to washes or rinses, so being cleaned...
For many of us, religious liturgy provides the words we need for life’s major milestones. But what if you don’t ascribe to any particular religion? In her uplifting new book, The Wonder Paradox: Embracing the Weirdness of Existence and...
How far back does cursing go? People have been using coarse language for thousands of years. Just check out the filthy graffiti on the walls of Pompeii. Although cursing has changed over time, the F-word and its ilk have been around for hundreds of...
A nullifidian is someone who subscribes to no particular faith or religion. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of ““Nullifidian” Means Having No Particular Religion” I saw the online profile of someone the other day who used...