The War on Words:

Why Securing Language Is a Spiritual and Civic Imperative

We are standing at the edge of a crisis—not of economy or climate, but of something even more foundational: the right to name, to speak, and to be heard.

Recently, news surfaced of a disturbing and extensive list of words that have been discouraged or banned from use in federal documents by officials aligned with the Trump administration. This is not conjecture. It includes over 200 terms that relate to identity, inclusion, science, and social equity. Words like “diversity,” “racism,” “mental health,” “pregnant people,” “implicit bias,” “gender,” “LGBTQ,” “accessibility,” and “climate crisis” have all been flagged. Even “woman” and “women” are on the list of banned words. Entire realities and communities have been reduced to silence by bureaucratic decree.

Let us be clear: this is not merely a political maneuver. It is a metaphysical assault.

New Thought has long taught that words are not passive. They are dynamic. They carry frequency, energy, and intention. They shape thought, and thought shapes reality. When we speak of “divine mind,” we speak of a consciousness that creates through the Word. In every scripture, ancient or modern, it begins with the Word. To control words, then, is to attempt to control consciousness itself.

Eliminating language is a denial of existence. It erases people from policy, from protection, from personhood. To forbid terms like “transgender,” “intersectionality,” “oppression,” or “belonging” is to suggest that these lived realities are illegitimate, that the people who embody them are inconvenient, invisible, or expendable.

This is where New Thought must rise. Not with outrage alone, but with clarity and conviction. We believe in the creative power of language. Our prayers are words. Our affirmations are words. Our vision statements, our sermons, our intentions—they all begin and end with words.

If language is sacred, then silence in the face of linguistic suppression is spiritual complacency.

We must speak these words boldly. We must write them. Share them. Teach them. We must make a practice of keeping them alive—not just in diversity trainings or academic circles, but in the pulpit, in our classrooms, in our casual conversations. In our prayers and our policies.

Let’s not be mistaken. When governments discourage or censor the use of inclusive, identity-affirming language, they are not neutral. They are taking a side—a side that resists justice, that fears change, that thrives on erasure.

And yet, we do not meet fear with fear. We meet it with light. With courage. With the unshakeable truth that language, like Spirit, cannot be contained.

Now is the time to safeguard the words that carry the frequency of liberation.

To speak of equity is not radical—it is responsible.
To name racism is not divisive—it is honest.
To say “pregnant person” or “trans youth” or “BIPOC” is not performative—it is precise, respectful, and real.
To teach about gender identity, accessibility, or mental health is not dangerous—it is necessary.

This is not about being politically correct. It’s about being spiritually aligned with truth, compassion, and dignity for all people.

At New Thought Media Network, we believe in the power of consciousness expressed through language. We believe that every person has the right to be spoken of, spoken with, and spoken for in words that reflect their truth. The suppression of language is the suppression of life itself.

Let us remember: every social justice movement began with people reclaiming their voice. Let us not wait to be silenced. Let us speak. Let us write. Let us educate. Let us affirm the reality of a world that works for everyone—and make that affirmation loud enough to echo through systems and laws.

Language is not the end of the work. But it is the beginning.

And in this beginning, was the Word.