List of religious slurs

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The following is a list of religious slurs in the English language that are, or have been, used as insinuations or allegations about adherents of a given religion or to refer to them in a derogatory (critical or disrespectful), pejorative (disapproving or contemptuous), or insulting manner.

Christians

Bible beater 
a dysphemism for Christian fundamentalists[1] It is also a slang term for an evangelizing Christian fundamentalist.[2]
Bible thumper (also "bible basher") 
(mainly US) someone perceived as aggressively imposing their Christian beliefs upon others. The term derives from preachers thumping their hands down on the Bible, or thumping the Bible itself, to emphasize a point during a sermon. The term's target domain is broad and can often extend to anyone engaged in a public show of religion, fundamentalist or not. The term is most commonly used in English-speaking countries.[3]
Fundie
(US) Someone who holds to the Fundamentals of the Christian Faith (from a series of essays, called The Fundamentals, written from 1910-1915, defending basic Christian doctrines). Now used derogatively of generally. Any who believe the miraculous accounts in the Bible, and particularly, those who are evangelicals or who are active in the politics.[citation needed]
God botherer 
(Australia, UK, New Zealand) Predominantly tagged to a Christian, usually one who openly declares their faith,[4] even when unwelcome.

Protestants

Bible basher 
(UK, Australia & New Zealand) a Protestant, particularly one from a Pentecostal or fundamentalist denomination, who believes in the fundamentalist authority of the Bible; also commonly used universally against Christians who are perceived to go out of their way to force their faith upon others.[5]
Holy Roller 
(US) an enthusiastic Protestant prone to rolling on the floor, suffering from fits or "speaking in tongues" (Pentecostals during worship or prayer). The term holy roller, however, is applied to some Evangelical Protestants, especially charismatics, if they are vocal about their own religious views or critical of individuals who do not meet their moral standards. Similar to Bible thumper.[6]
Orangie 
(Ireland/UK) a pro-British Ulster Protestant, referring to supporters of the Orange Order.[7]
Prod, proddy dog 
(AUS Catholics (particularly school kids)) a Protestant, particularly a rival kid from a Protestant school. "Proddywhoddy" and "proddywoddy" are used in children's school rhymes in Cork.[8]
Quaker 
A member of the Religious Society of Friends. Originally derogatory, later embraced by Friends. According to George Fox, founder of the Society of Friends, British magistrate Gervase Bennet "was the first person that called us Quakers, because I bade them tremble at the word of the Lord." Fox had been brought before Bennet on a charge of Blasphemy.[citation needed]
Russellite 
a Jehovah's Witness, from American religious leader Charles Taze Russell.[9][10]
Soup-taker 
(Ireland) a person who has sold out their beliefs, referring to the Irish potato famine when some Catholics converted to a Protestant faith in order to gain access to a free meal.[11]
Spike 
a very High Church Anglican or Anglo-Catholic.[12]

Catholics

Creeping Jesus 
a derogative Hiberno-English term to describe a Roman Catholic seeking to make a public display of religiosity in a manner which seems hypocritical and simply for show
Left-Footer 
(Especially Ireland and Scotland) an informal phrase for a Roman Catholic.[13]
Mackerel Snapper 
a Roman Catholic; the term originated in the U.S. in the 1850s and refers to the custom of Friday abstinence.[14] The Friday abstinence from meat (red meat and poultry) distinguishes Catholics from other Christians, especially in North America.[citation needed]
Mick 
(Australia) a Roman Catholic, a hypocorism of Michael[15]
Papist 
(Northern Ireland and Scottish Protestants) a Roman Catholic person — usually Irish Catholic.[16]
Redneck 
A derogatory Northern English term for a Roman Catholic, nowadays somewhat dated.[17]
Taig 
(Northern Ireland Protestants) a Catholic; from tadhg, Irish for "Timothy.".[18] Used by supporters of The Rangers Football Club to describe Catholics in general.

Jewish

Abbie, Abe, and Abie
(North America) a Jewish male. From the proper name Abraham. Originated before the 1950s.[19]
Heeb, Hebe
(U.S.) offensive term for a Jew, derived from the word "Hebrew".[20][21]
Hymie
A Jew, from the Hebrew Chaim ("life"). Also used in the term "Hymie-town," a reference to New York, and in particular, Brooklyn.[22]
Ikey, ike, ik
a Jew [from Isaac][23]
Ikey-mo, ikeymo
a Jew [from Isaac and Moses][23]
Kike
The Yiddish word for "circle" is kikel (pronounced KY-kul)—Illiterate Jews who entered the United States at Ellis Island signed their names with a circle instead of a cross because they associated the cross with Christianity.[24][25] An alternate theory is that the "circle" refers to the Jewish immigrant bread the Bagel.[citation needed]
Mocky,[26] moky, moxy, mockey, mockie, mocky
(U.S.) a Jew. First used in the 1930s, possibly from the Yiddish word makeh meaning "plague".[27]
Mock, moch
(U.S.) a Jew [first used in the 1960s as an abbreviated form of mocky (q.v.)][23]
Sheeny
From Yiddish "shaine" or German "schön" meaning "beautiful."[28]
Shylock
Comes from Shakespeare's play "Merchant of Venice".[29]
Yid
Yiddish word for Jew.[30]

Muslim

Mussie
Corruption of the word "Muslim".[31]
Quran thumper 
An excessively zealous Muslim[32]
Raghead 
Arabs, Indian Sikhs and some other Indian peoples, for wearing traditional headdress such as turbans or keffiyehs. Sometimes used generically for all Islamic nations.[citation needed] Muslim men however do not wear headdresses and this stereotype is often quoted through ignorance. Muslim women wear headdresses that cover the complete head, different in style to Sikhs and Indians.
Sand nigger 
A Muslim of descent from desert dwellers especially Arabs.
Towel head 
A person who wears a turban. Often refers specifically to an Arab or Indian on their cultural tradition of wearing head dresses.[citation needed]
Wog
Rafidah
Slur by Sunnis against Shia
Nasibi
slur by Shias against Sunnis

Zoroastrian

Arab Sunni Muslims use slurs against Persian Shias by calling them "fire worshipers" and "majoos", "majus" (ماجوس) which means Zoroastrians, Magi.

Scientologist

Clam, clamhead
a Scientologist, referring to a passage about clam engrams in L. Ron Hubbard's 1952 book, What To Audit, later renamed The History Of Man.[33][unreliable source?]

Generally religious

Fundie or fundy 
An abbreviation for fundamentalist.[citation needed]

General non-believers

Goy 
a Jewish term for a Gentile, originally not meant to be offensive.[34]
Infidel 
a term used by Christians/Muslims for a non-Christian/Muslim.[35]
Jack Mormon 
(Western U.S.) either a non-faithful LDS person or a non-Mormon altogether. Jack Mormon is a slur usually used by non-Mormons to describe Mormons that don't follow the Word of Wisdom (dietary and health practices that exclude the use of tobacco or alcohol) and by Mormons to describe members that do not sufficiently follow practices. It is also used by Mormons to describe those who were Mormon but remain friendly to the Church. It may be applied to ex-Mormons who have repudiated the Church and its teachings but that is a rare usage.[36]
Pagan 
Defacing, trivializing blanket term, originally meaning "country hick", and used mainly by Christians in order to demonize followers of non-Abrahamic religions (that is, of any religion except for Judaism, Christianity and Islam). Usually non-capitalized in order to enhance the sense of defacement and trivialization. [37][38][39]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ "roller, n1", definition 17b, The Oxford English Dictionary (account required for online access). See also the sermon "Why I Am a Holy-Roller" by William Marrion Branham, August 1953.
  7. ↑ Share, op. cit. p. 231.
  8. ↑ Share, op. cit. p. 253.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Hughes, "Ireland" p. 78
  12. ↑ The Chambers Dictionary, Edinburgh 1993, p. 1662
  13. ↑ http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/left-footer
  14. ↑ The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English p. 1250 (2005 Taylor & Francis)
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Simpson, "papist" op. cit.; Share, op. cit. p. 237.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Simpson, "teague"
  19. ↑ Spears, p. 1.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Hymie, Eric Wolarsky, Rhetoric of Race Dictionary Project, College of New Jersey. Retrieved 6 November 2007.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 John A. Simpson, Oxford Dictionary Of Modern Slang ISBN 0-19-861052-1. "ikey", "ikeymo", "mock"
  24. ↑ Encyclopedia of Swearing: Social History of Oaths, Profanity, Foul Language, and Ethnic Slurs in the English Speaking World/ Geoffrey Hughes. Armonk, N.Y. : M.E. Sharpe, c2006
  25. ↑ Leo Rosten: The Joys of Yiddish, cited in Kim Pearson's Rhetoric of Race by Eric Wolarsky. The College of New Jersey.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Online Etymological Dictionary: Yid
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ 2008, Alum Bati, Harem Secrets, page 130
  33. ↑ Operation Clambake clam FAQ
  34. ↑ Rich, Tracey R. "Jewish Attitudes Toward Non-Jews". Judaism 101. Retrieved 6 July 2015. "The word "goy" means "nation," and refers to the fact that goyim are members of other nations, that is, nations other than the Children of Israel. There is nothing inherently insulting about the word "goy." In fact, the Torah occasionally refers to the Jewish people using the term "goy." Most notably, in Exodus 19:6, G-d [sic] says that the Children of Israel will be "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation," that is, a goy kadosh. Because Jews have had so many bad experiences with anti-Semitic non-Jews over the centuries, the term "goy" has taken on some negative connotations, but in general the term is no more insulting than the word "gentile."
  35. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  36. ↑ Spears (2001), "Jack"
  37. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  38. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  39. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

References

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