Reply #3: This need to use the magic words is related to being brought up in

[JDPriestly]

or converting to fundamentalist Christianity. That movement uses catch phrases too. "Washed in the blood of the Lamb" used to be a favorite. "Saved" is definitely a favorite these days. "Born again," a very reassuring phrase.

I suppose that all movements have these favorite catch phrases. What makes the magic words of the Fundamentalists different from the magic words in law or in bridge, for example, is that the Fundamentalists' magic words are generally defined in a circular way and carry a heavy emotional and social load. Also, you can't question what they mean or whether they are being properly used in a particular situation because those who use those terms are very defensive about them. They are sacred and magical after all. You have to use the right terms or you might go to some bad place when you die. If you don't use the right term for terrorists, you might be punished in some way. That gives the people who dictate the language a lot of power over the conversation.