List of religious slurs
Encyclopedia
The following is a list of religious slurs 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.
Baby Sprinkler : derogatory term for members of christian denominations which practice infant baptism
(especially by affusion
or aspersion
) used by members of protestant denominations which practice believer's baptism
.
Bead Mumbler, Bead Jiggler, Bead Rattler : derogatory term for Roman Catholics, referring to prayer with a rosary
Bible basher : (UK, Australia & New Zealand) derogatory term used to describe 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.
Bible thumper
: (U.S.) derogatory term used to describe 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.
Burkha Boy : (NZ, chiefly north island) derogatory term used to describe a Muslim male.
Campbellite
: Potentially derogatory term for an individual in any part of the Restoration Movement
associated with Thomas and Alexander Campbell
Church of Christer : Potentially disparaging term for a member of the Churches of Christ or the Christian churches and churches of Christ
Christ fucker : Extremely disparaging term for any Christian but usually a male Christian fundamentalist who uses religion to justify prejudice against homosexuals.
Christ Killer : Derogatory term for a Jew.
Clam, clamhead : derogatory terms for a Scientologist, from a passage about clam engrams
in L. Ron Hubbard
's 1952 book, What To Audit, later renamed The History Of Man.
Fundie
, fundy : (US and some other English-speaking
countries) religious fundamentalist, particularly Christian fundamentalists.
Fish eater (US) : Catholic
Fenian
: (UK) Derogatory term for an Irish Roman Catholic.
Happy Clapper, Happy-Clappy : (AUS/ SA / NZ) derogatory term similar to Bible Basher, used to describe a Protestant, particularly one from a Pentecostal or fundamentalist denomination who believes in the fundamentalist authority of the Bible, and the manner in which they clap, sing and celebrate during their church services.
Holy Roller
: (US) ritualistic Protestants 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. An example is Aunt Esther in the television sitcom Sanford & Son.
Hun : (Northern Ireland) - derogatory term for a Protestant.
Hun : (Scotland) - a term used as a derogatory term for a Protestant, specifically supporters of the team Rangers
, a traditionally Protestant club of the Scottish Premier League
. Rangers supporters have been active in having this term recognised as sectarian. However, given this term is used by fans of many clubs in Scotland to describe Rangers supporters, it seems unlikely that this is being used as a sectarian term.
Irvingite : a member of the Catholic Apostolic Church
— often taken to be offensive [Edward Irving died 1834 Scottish clergyman + -ite] May also refer to members of the Old Apostolic Church
and New Apostolic Church
.
JAP : Jewish-American Princess
Jack Mormon
: (Western U.S.) a. a non-faithful LDS person, b. a non-Mormon.
Jesus freak
: (U.S.) A member of some Christian movements
Kike
: A Jew.
Left-footer : (Northern Ireland) (West of Scotland) Catholic (Northern Ireland) (Lancashire) Used by Protestants to describe Catholics or a supporter of Celtic F.C.
. From the myth in Glasgow that Irish Catholic labourers pushed spades into the ground with their left foot and kicked footballs with the left foot. It is also used in south Cork to describe Protestants.
Left-legger : Used in the Republic of Ireland
to describe a Protestant, usually from Northern Ireland
. It is usually considered offensive, as it derives from a person who is a "leftie", in other words, unusual.
Mackerel Snapper
: or Mackerel Snapper, is a sectarian slur for Roman Catholics, originating in the U.S. in the 1850s and referring to the custom of Friday abstinence
. The Friday abstinence from meat (red meat and poultry) distinguished Catholics from other Christians, especially in North America
, where Protestant churches prevailed and Catholics tended to be poor immigrants from Italy
and Ireland
.
Marrano
: (Spain) a Jewish convert to Christianity, usually for social and not spiritual reasons; derives from the Inquisition
; today, can be used to describe a Jew who marries a Catholic. Can also be called a Converso
. (It is also a Latin American Spanish slang synonym for "dirty pig" or swine.)
Molly Mormon
: The opposite of a Jack Mormon; a female Mormon who is strict and rigorously follows the Church's rules, even more so than average Mormons. Also, a Mormon from Utah.
Mussie, Mozzie, or Muzzie : A term used to reference a Muslim
. Strictly a pejorative.
Orangie :(Ireland/UK) a derogatory term for pro-British Ulster Protestants (referring to supporters of the Orange Order
).
Papist
: (Northern Ireland
and Scottish
Protestants) a Roman Catholic person — usually Irish Catholic. Used in the movie Mississippi Burning
.
Peter Priesthood : Male version of a Molly Mormon.
Popeblower : a devout Catholic.
Prod, proddy dog : (AUS Catholics (particularly school kids)) term for Protestants, particularly rival kids from Protestant schools. "Proddywhoddy" and "proddywoddy" are used in children's school rhymes in Cork
.
Raghead : derogatory term for muslims.
Russellite : one of the Jehovah's Witnesses (Charles Taze Russell
died 1916 American religious leader + -ite Also: Walkie-Talkie :(South Africa)- due to the fact that they walk from door to door speaking to householders about their belief's)
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.
Spike: a very High Church
Anglican or Anglo-Catholic
Swaddler: (Ireland) - a Protestant. "(…)So we walked on, the ragged troop screaming after us: 'Swaddlers! Swaddlers!' thinking that we were Protestants" (James Joyce
, "An Encounter
", part of "Dubliners
", depicting daily life in Dublin around the turn the 20th Century.
Taig
: a. (Northern Ireland Protestants) a Catholic, from Tadhg, Irish
for Timothy. b. (England) obsolete: an Irishman.
Tim: (Northern Ireland, Scotland) derogatory term for a Catholic, especially supporters of the Celtic
football team, a traditionally Catholic club of the Scottish Premier League
Towel Head : derogatory term for a Muslim or Sikh man
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
or to refer to them in a derogatory (critical or disrespectful), pejorative
Pejorative
Pejoratives , including name slurs, are words or grammatical forms that connote negativity and express contempt or distaste. A term can be regarded as pejorative in some social groups but not in others, e.g., hacker is a term used for computer criminals as well as quick and clever computer experts...
(disapproving or contemptuous) or insulting manner.
Baby Sprinkler : derogatory term for members of christian denominations which practice infant baptism
Infant baptism
Infant baptism is the practice of baptising infants or young children. In theological discussions, the practice is sometimes referred to as paedobaptism or pedobaptism from the Greek pais meaning "child." The practice is sometimes contrasted with what is called "believer's baptism", or...
(especially by affusion
Affusion
Affusion is a method of baptism where water is poured on the head of the person being baptized. The word "affusion" comes from the Latin affusio, meaning "to pour on" . Affusion is one of three or four methods of baptism, in addition to the greater wetting of total immersion baptism and...
or aspersion
Aspersion
Aspersion , in a religious context, is the act of sprinkling with water, especially holy water. Aspersion is a method used in baptism as an alternative to immersion or affusion...
) used by members of protestant denominations which practice believer's baptism
Believer's baptism
Believer's baptism is the Christian practice of baptism as this is understood by many Protestant churches, particularly those that descend from the Anabaptist tradition...
.
Bead Mumbler, Bead Jiggler, Bead Rattler : derogatory term for Roman Catholics, referring to prayer with a rosary
Rosary
The rosary or "garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary...
Bible basher : (UK, Australia & New Zealand) derogatory term used to describe 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.
Bible thumper
Bible thumper
Bible thumper is a pejorative term used to describe someone perceived as aggressively pushing their Christian beliefs upon those who do not share them. Its target domain is broad and can often extend to anyone engaged in a public show of religion, fundamentalist or not...
: (U.S.) derogatory term used to describe 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.
Burkha Boy : (NZ, chiefly north island) derogatory term used to describe a Muslim male.
Campbellite
Campbellite
Campbellite refers to any of the religious groups historically descended from the Restoration Movement, a religious reform movement in the early 19th century in the United States...
: Potentially derogatory term for an individual in any part of the Restoration Movement
Restoration Movement
The Restoration Movement is a Christian movement that began on the American frontier during the Second Great Awakening of the early 19th century...
associated with Thomas and Alexander Campbell
Church of Christer : Potentially disparaging term for a member of the Churches of Christ or the Christian churches and churches of Christ
Christ fucker : Extremely disparaging term for any Christian but usually a male Christian fundamentalist who uses religion to justify prejudice against homosexuals.
Christ Killer : Derogatory term for a Jew.
Clam, clamhead : derogatory terms for a Scientologist, from a passage about clam engrams
Engram (Dianetics)
In Dianetics and Scientology, an engram is defined as "a mental image picture which is a recording of an experience containing pain, unconsciousness and a real or fancied threat to survival. It is a recording in the reactive mind of something which actually happened to an individual in the past and...
in L. Ron Hubbard
L. Ron Hubbard
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard , better known as L. Ron Hubbard , was an American pulp fiction author and religious leader who founded the Church of Scientology...
's 1952 book, What To Audit, later renamed The History Of Man.
Fundie
Fundie
Fundie or fundy is a pejorative slang term used to refer to religious fundamentalists of any religion or denomination, although it is primarily directed towards fundamentalist Christians. The term is intentionally derogatory, and is used most commonly by those opposed to the Christian Right movement...
, fundy : (US and some other English-speaking
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
countries) religious fundamentalist, particularly Christian fundamentalists.
Fish eater (US) : Catholic
Fenian
Fenian
The Fenians , both the Fenian Brotherhood and Irish Republican Brotherhood , were fraternal organisations dedicated to the establishment of an independent Irish Republic in the 19th and early 20th century. The name "Fenians" was first applied by John O'Mahony to the members of the Irish republican...
: (UK) Derogatory term for an Irish Roman Catholic.
Happy Clapper, Happy-Clappy : (AUS/ SA / NZ) derogatory term similar to Bible Basher, used to describe a Protestant, particularly one from a Pentecostal or fundamentalist denomination who believes in the fundamentalist authority of the Bible, and the manner in which they clap, sing and celebrate during their church services.
Holy Roller
Holy Roller
Holy Roller is a term in American English used to describe Pentecostal Christian churchgoers. The term is commonly used derisively, as if to describe people literally rolling on the floor or speaking in tongues in an uncontrolled manner....
: (US) ritualistic Protestants 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. An example is Aunt Esther in the television sitcom Sanford & Son.
Hun : (Northern Ireland) - derogatory term for a Protestant.
Hun : (Scotland) - a term used as a derogatory term for a Protestant, specifically supporters of the team Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
, a traditionally Protestant club of the Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
. Rangers supporters have been active in having this term recognised as sectarian. However, given this term is used by fans of many clubs in Scotland to describe Rangers supporters, it seems unlikely that this is being used as a sectarian term.
Irvingite : a member of the Catholic Apostolic Church
Catholic Apostolic Church
The Catholic Apostolic Church was a religious movement which originated in England around 1831 and later spread to Germany and the United States. While often referred to as Irvingism, it was neither actually founded nor anticipated by Edward Irving. The Catholic Apostolic Church was organised in...
— often taken to be offensive [Edward Irving died 1834 Scottish clergyman + -ite] May also refer to members of the Old Apostolic Church
Old Apostolic Church
The Old Apostolic Church is a Christian religious community, with historical roots in the Catholic Apostolic Church and the New Apostolic Church...
and New Apostolic Church
New Apostolic Church
The New Apostolic Church is a chiliastic church, converted to Protestantism as a free church from the Catholic Apostolic Church. The church has existed since 1879 in Germany and since 1897 in the Netherlands...
.
JAP : Jewish-American Princess
Jewish-American princess
Jewish-American Princess or JAP is a pejorative stereotype of a subtype of Jewish-American female. The term implies materialistic and selfish tendencies, attributed to a pampered or wealthy background.-Origins:...
Jack Mormon
Jack Mormon
The term Jack Mormon is a slang term originating in nineteenth-century America. It was originally used to describe a person who was not a baptized member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints but who was friendly to Church members and Mormonism, sympathized with them, and/or took an...
: (Western U.S.) a. a non-faithful LDS person, b. a non-Mormon.
Jesus freak
Jesus freak
Jesus freak is a term arising from the late 1960s and early 1970s counterculture and is incorrectly used as a pejorative for those involved in the Jesus movement...
: (U.S.) A member of some Christian movements
Kike
Kike
Kike is a derogatory slur used to refer to a Jew.-Etymology:The source of the term is uncertain. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it may be an alteration of the endings –ki or –ky common in the personal names of Jews in eastern Europe who immigrated to the United States in the early...
: A Jew.
Left-footer : (Northern Ireland) (West of Scotland) Catholic (Northern Ireland) (Lancashire) Used by Protestants to describe Catholics or a supporter of Celtic F.C.
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
. From the myth in Glasgow that Irish Catholic labourers pushed spades into the ground with their left foot and kicked footballs with the left foot. It is also used in south Cork to describe Protestants.
Left-legger : Used in the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
to describe a Protestant, usually from Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. It is usually considered offensive, as it derives from a person who is a "leftie", in other words, unusual.
Mackerel Snapper
Mackerel Snapper
"Mackerel snapper" is a sectarian slur for Roman Catholics, originating in the United States in the 1850s. It referred to the Catholic discipline of Friday abstinence from red meat and poultry, for which fish was substituted...
: or Mackerel Snapper, is a sectarian slur for Roman Catholics, originating in the U.S. in the 1850s and referring to the custom of Friday abstinence
Abstinence
Abstinence is a voluntary restraint from indulging in bodily activities that are widely experienced as giving pleasure. Most frequently, the term refers to sexual abstinence, or abstention from alcohol or food. The practice can arise from religious prohibitions or practical...
. The Friday abstinence from meat (red meat and poultry) distinguished Catholics from other Christians, especially in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, where Protestant churches prevailed and Catholics tended to be poor immigrants from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
Marrano
Marrano
Marranos were Jews living in the Iberian peninsula who converted to Christianity rather than be expelled but continued to observe rabbinic Judaism in secret...
: (Spain) a Jewish convert to Christianity, usually for social and not spiritual reasons; derives from the Inquisition
Inquisition
The Inquisition, Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis , was the "fight against heretics" by several institutions within the justice-system of the Roman Catholic Church. It started in the 12th century, with the introduction of torture in the persecution of heresy...
; today, can be used to describe a Jew who marries a Catholic. Can also be called a Converso
Converso
A converso and its feminine form conversa was a Jew or Muslim—or a descendant of Jews or Muslims—who converted to Catholicism in Spain or Portugal, particularly during the 14th and 15th centuries. Mass conversions once took place under significant government pressure...
. (It is also a Latin American Spanish slang synonym for "dirty pig" or swine.)
Molly Mormon
Molly Mormon
Molly Mormon is a term for the popular stereotype of a female member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . A Molly Mormon is thought to be the "perfect Mormon woman" - an attractive and chaste woman whose life revolves around the family and marriage and the social demands of...
: The opposite of a Jack Mormon; a female Mormon who is strict and rigorously follows the Church's rules, even more so than average Mormons. Also, a Mormon from Utah.
Mussie, Mozzie, or Muzzie : A term used to reference a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
. Strictly a pejorative.
Orangie :(Ireland/UK) a derogatory term for pro-British Ulster Protestants (referring to supporters of the Orange Order
Orange Institution
The Orange Institution is a Protestant fraternal organisation based mainly in Northern Ireland and Scotland, though it has lodges throughout the Commonwealth and United States. The Institution was founded in 1796 near the village of Loughgall in County Armagh, Ireland...
).
Papist
Papist
Papist is a term or an anti-Catholic slur, referring to the Roman Catholic Church, its teachings, practices, or adherents. The term was coined during the English Reformation to denote a person whose loyalties were to the Pope, rather than to the Church of England...
: (Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
and Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
Protestants) a Roman Catholic person — usually Irish Catholic. Used in the movie Mississippi Burning
Mississippi Burning
Mississippi Burning is a 1988 American crime drama film loosely based on the FBI investigation into the real-life murders of three civil rights workers in the U.S. state of Mississippi in 1964. The film focuses on two fictional FBI agents who investigate the murders...
.
Peter Priesthood : Male version of a Molly Mormon.
Popeblower : a devout Catholic.
Prod, proddy dog : (AUS Catholics (particularly school kids)) term for Protestants, particularly rival kids from Protestant schools. "Proddywhoddy" and "proddywoddy" are used in children's school rhymes in Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
.
Raghead : derogatory term for muslims.
Russellite : one of the Jehovah's Witnesses (Charles Taze Russell
Charles Taze Russell
Charles Taze Russell , or Pastor Russell, was a prominent early 20th century Christian restorationist minister from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, and founder of what is now known as the Bible Student movement, from which Jehovah's Witnesses and numerous independent Bible Student groups emerged...
died 1916 American religious leader + -ite Also: Walkie-Talkie :(South Africa)- due to the fact that they walk from door to door speaking to householders about their belief's)
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.
Spike: a very High Church
High church
The term "High Church" refers to beliefs and practices of ecclesiology, liturgy and theology, generally with an emphasis on formality, and resistance to "modernization." Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term has traditionally been principally associated with the...
Anglican or Anglo-Catholic
Swaddler: (Ireland) - a Protestant. "(…)So we walked on, the ragged troop screaming after us: 'Swaddlers! Swaddlers!' thinking that we were Protestants" (James Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
, "An Encounter
An Encounter
An Encounter is a short story by James Joyce. It is second in a collection of Joyce's short stories called Dubliners.-The story:The story involves a boy–the narrator–and his friend Mahony taking a day off from school and going to the shore, to seek adventure in their otherwise-dull lives...
", part of "Dubliners
Dubliners
Dubliners is a collection of 15 short stories by James Joyce, first published in 1914. They were meant to be a naturalistic depiction of Irish middle class life in and around Dublin in the early years of the 20th century....
", depicting daily life in Dublin around the turn the 20th Century.
Taig
Taig
Taig is a derogatory term for an Irish Catholic. It is mainly used by sectarian loyalists in Northern Ireland and Scotland. It has been used in sectarian slogans such as "Kill All Taigs" , "All Taigs Are Targets" and "Any Taig Will Do"...
: a. (Northern Ireland Protestants) a Catholic, from Tadhg, Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
for Timothy. b. (England) obsolete: an Irishman.
Tim: (Northern Ireland, Scotland) derogatory term for a Catholic, especially supporters of the Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
football team, a traditionally Catholic club of the Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
Towel Head : derogatory term for a Muslim or Sikh man
See also
- Lists of disparaging terms
- List of ethnic slurs
- Hate speechHate speechHate speech is, outside the law, any communication that disparages a person or a group on the basis of some characteristic such as race, color, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, or other characteristic....
- Term of disparagement