ESL Podcast 681 - Disagreeing about Religion

religion - a system of belief about the origins and purpose of life, including the ceremonies and rituals that are connected with it

Becca was raised as a Christian, but lately she has been studying other religions, such as Buddhism and Jainism.

taboo - something that is unacceptable in a particular culture or society and should not be spoken about

Whenever Melina's family gets together, they never talk about her drinking problem, because it's a taboo subject in their family.

to bait (someone) - to say certain things to try to get a strong reaction from someone, especially by making him or her become angry

Just ignore him! He's only baiting you because he wants to see you get angry in front of the manager.

spirituality - interest in and beliefs about the origin and meaning of life and religion

Dag has started reading a lot about spirituality, because he wants to understand what happens after we die.

disparaging remark - something one says to show that one does not think someone or something is good or important

Why does your mother always make so many disparaging remarks about how your sister dresses?

faith - a belief in something that cannot be seen or felt

Tiffany's faith was tested when a lot of bad things started happening to her family.

sacred - holy; related to a god or religion

Which books are sacred in your religion?

provocative - done to make other people become angry or upset, or to have a strong reaction

I just finished reading a provocative book about racism.

superstition - a belief that something is lucky or unlucky

Do you believe in the superstition that walking under a ladder is bad luck?

there you go again - a phrase used to emphasize that one has just done exactly what one was denying or promising not to do again

Yolanda, you promised to manage your money better this year, but now there you go again, needing to ask your parents to help you pay your bills.

to call (something) like (one) sees it - to provide one's true opinion without softening it at all, even though one knows other people might become upset by what one says

For years we've avoided talking about politics whenever Grandpa visited, but from now on, I'm just going to call it like I see it, even if it upsets him.

fundamentalist - someone who follow religious laws very strictly and believes everything in the holy books is true

Christian fundamentalists believe the world was created in just seven 24-hours days.

atheist - a person who does not believe in God; a person who denies the existence of God

Marcus is an atheist who believes that after we die, our spirit just stops existing and there is no life after death.

agnostic - a person who does not know whether or not God exists; a person who believes it is not possible to know whether God exists

Sue doesn't follow any major religions, but she thinks it's possible that God exists, so she calls herself an agnostic.

to defend - to protect someone or something from attack; to say or do things to show that something is true or good when someone else is confronting it

How can you defend the actions of a murderer?

behold - a word used to draw attention to something, often in a funny way

Behold! I have created a five-course gourmet meal for us to eat tonight.

tolerance - a willingness to let other people do, say, and believe what they want without feeling the need to criticize or change them

Not everyone shares our beliefs, so we need to learn tolerance if we're going to succeed in life.