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A contemporary commercial from Spectrum uses a variety of descriptive terms to indicate words that are vain, empty and meaningless.  Words like:  hooey, balderdash, flimflam, flapdoodle, jibber-jabber, hemming and hawing, and hogwash.  Hooey is nonsense.  Balderdash is senseless talk or writing.  Flimflam is “deceptive nonsense.” Flapdoodle is nonsense, silly or stupid.  Jibber-jabber is senseless talk.  Hemming and hawing is to speak in an evasive, vague way to avoid the truth.  Hogwash is nonsense.  The terms are colorful and make a distinctive point.
In the New Testament, there are a variety of descriptive terms and phrases that indicate false doctrine.  Since all false doctrine is untrue, it is meaningless and vain.  What follows is a survey of some of these terms.
The traditions and commandments of men.  “But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?” And, “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matt. 15:3,9.  See also, Col. 2:8 and 22).  In religious conduct and action, it is vain to follow the traditions and commandments of men.  Vain worship is the result of such blindness.
Vain jangling.  “Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling” (I Tim. 1:5-6).  Vain jangling is foolish talking.  When a person attempts to teach another person what they themselves do not understand, the result is vain jangling.
Blasphemy.  Paul speaks of Hymenaeus and Alexander whom he delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme (I Tim. 1:20).  To blaspheme is to speak against God or that which is holy.  Paul, before his conversion, describes himself as a blasphemer (I Tim. 1:13).  At the time, Paul did not believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God.  He spoke against Christianity and persecuted the Lord’s church.
Seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.  “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils” (I Tim. 4:1).  Seducing spirits are working through men who are filled with hypocrisy and speak lies.  Lies are pure vanity or hogwash.  Lies cannot save.  Only the truth saves!  Doctrines of devils describes the source and content of the lies delivered by men.  Satan himself is the father of lies (John 8:44).  When men lie, they do the work of the devil and his cohorts.
Lies.  “Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron” (I Tim. 4:2).  Some examples of lies:  (1) the first lie in the Bible, Satan said to Eve, “Ye shall not surely die” (Gen. 3:4); (2)  Hymenaeus and Philetus taught that the resurrection is past already and overthrew the faith of some (II Tim. 2:17-18); (3) Some Jewish Christians were teaching that Gentiles had to be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses which was not true (Acts 15:1, 24).  The apostles and elders wrote a letter to be distributed among the Gentile churches which, in part, said, “Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment” (Acts 15:24).  Yet, there are still religious teachers today who affirm that Gentiles have to keep the law of Moses (the Ten Commandments are part of the Law of Moses).  The Mosaical Law was fulfilled by Jesus Christ and, upon His death on the cross, a new law or testament went into force (Col. 2:14; Heb. 9:15-17).  Today, we are living under the law of Christ, not the law of Moses. All men are amenable to the law of Christ (Matt. 28:18-20).
Profane and old wives’ fables.  “But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness” (I Tim. 4:7).  The word “fable” is translated from the Greek word muthos.  A fable or myth is an account that does not align with the facts.  It is not grounded in historical reality. Hence, it is the opposite of the truth. These fables are profane, i.e. without sacred merit.  Superstitious stories such as are told by old women to children.  Timothy was to avoid these and reject them.
Profane and vain babblings.  “O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and opposition of science falsely so called: which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen” (I Tim. 6:20).  Profane babblings are worldly chatter or godless speaking.  Timothy is to hold to the gospel of Christ and not forsake it for such flapdoodle.
Oppositions from science falsely so-called.  This phrase does not refer to modern science as we know it.  The word “science” in this sense is not found in the New Testament.  Rather, this phrase refers to those who claimed a knowledge inaccessible to others (proto-Gnostics). This type of knowledge was a “falsely named” ideology.  It was not knowledge at all.  If you do not know the truth, you do not know anything. All false doctrine is classified as ignorance and is part of the darkness of this world.  Only the knowledge of God will dispel this darkness (I Cor. 15:33-34).
Folly.  In a list of nineteen sins which would characterize the last days (Christian Age), Paul names folly or senselessness.  These men were without understanding.  Consequently, they opposed the truth as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses.  The content of their teaching was flimflam.
Fables and Jewish fables.  Paul warns Timothy of Christians who would be turned away from the truth unto fables (II Tim. 4:4).  In Titus 1:14, he warns against Jewish fables.  As we have already seen, a fable is a myth and does not comport with the truth.  Jewish fables were likely stories based upon perversions of the Old Testament incidents. A current illustration of a myth would be Darwin’s theory of the origin of humanity or organic evolution.
Philosophy, vain deceit, rudiments of this world.  “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ” (Col. 2:8).  Worldly systems of philosophy must be rejected.  Acts 17:18 mentions Epicureans and Stoics at Athens.  These men were materialistic deists and pantheists.  Epicureans sought happiness through serene detachment.  Stoics sought salvation by aligning the will with the inherent Reason of the universe.  Happiness results when one does not want things to be anything but what they are.  Both forms of philosophy missed the truth of the gospel of Christ.  Paul called them to repentance in Acts 17:30.
Vain deceit is another way of describing lies.  The rudiments of the world were delusive speculations of Gentile cults and Jewish theories treated as elemental principles.  Both were devoid of truth.  A modern illustration of worldly rudiments would be the belief that the arrangment of constellations at the time of one’s birth makes you behave in a certain way or display certain characteristics.  This is a form of determinism and superstition.  It is pure hooey!
All of these words and phrases denote information that is contrary to the truth.  None of these things can save a person’s soul from eternal damnation.  Only the blood of Christ saves from the wrath of God (Rom. 5:8-9).  Jesus is the truth (John 14:6).  The doctrine of Christ frees the soul from the servitude of sin (John 8:32).  True freedom is found only in Christ and His truth.