"Religion" as a polluted word

What does it mean for words like "religion" to become "polluted"? How does it happen, and can they be cleaned up and made usable again?

Galen Watts is assistant professor in the department of sociology and legal studies at the University of Waterloo

Sam Reimer is professor of sociology at Crandall University.

Read their scholarly article: “Symbolic Pollution and Religious Change: The Religious Imaginary of Anglo-Canadian Spiritual but Not Religious Millennials.” Sociology of Religion, June 9, 2024.

Read a short, accessible article by Galen Watts on this topic, published Jan. 13, 2025:
How religion’s brand became unpopular in Canada