I have trouble not wincing when I hear the word “jesus” tho. makes me feel pressured, or like some scam is gonna go down.[/quote]
How do you feel about Joshua – which is pretty much equivalent to Jesus? If that isn’t a problem you’re probably reacting to the evangelicals not the word. I feel the same way about aggressive vegans and gluten-free types and anti vaxxers. I think excessively clean eaters are today’s Puritans – complete with the smug feeling of superiority.
I love this quote from CS Lewis: “Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.”
There are a lot of wince-y words out there. Usually, though, it’s not the word(s) but the people using them.
