A few thoughts.
Neither druid nor shaman are terms used in specific real world religions. These were terms used by others to label them, not things they called themselves. Much like the various Native American tribes did not generally call themselves many of the names that were used to refer to them.
I think the bigger point that gets missed is this, that most people only object to terms that are used to reflect negatively on their real world beliefs or customs. Take the issue around the use of Phylactery as an example. A Phylactery specifically refers to a small leather box containing Hebrew texts on vellum, worn by Jewish men at morning prayer as a reminder to keep the law in the real world. Turning it into a vessel that is used to trap souls and house the soul of a necromancer could definitely be seen as an offensive perversion by many devout real world Jewish people, while they likely would not mind if it were used in game for some more benevolent purpose. That said, I am not Jewish and do not propose to speak for Jewish people. I just think it is less about the words or terms being used and more about the way in which they are used.
Personally, as I wrote in another thread, I and the various Jewish friends and friends with at least one Jewish parent or grandparent with whom I have played since the late 1970s have never been offended. However, we do not get to speak for everyone. That stated, the issue of any offense should not be the term phylactery, but the description of the Lich's phylactery if there is anything to be offended by at all.
First, what you described is a Tefellin. A Tefellin is a type of phylactery (because phylactery is derived from a Latin word derived from a Greek word and Jews lived in the Roman and Greek "worlds" for a time as well as later in Medieval Europe). However, not all phylactery are Tefellin.
The definitions for a phylactery according to Dictionary.com:
The first definition is as you described. However, the next two definitions are as follows:
2. "(in the early Christian church) a receptacle containing a holy relic."
3. "an amulet, charm, or safeguard against harm or danger"
The definitions according to Merriam-Webster:
1. again is the phylactery as you described (but only since the 14th century).
2. an amulet
However, if you trace the word back to the Greek origin from which phylactery is derived, you will see that the lesser used safeguard (as seen in the definition in dictionary.com) also applies as well as the origin used by the early Christian church for a receptacle containing a holy relic.
Merriam-Webster traces the origin as follows:
Middle English
filaterie, philacterie, borrowed from Late Latin
filactērium, phylactērium "amulet, tefellin," borrowed from Greek
phylaktḗrion "guarded place, outpost, safeguard, amulet, tefellin," from
phylaktḗr "guard, guardian" (from
phylak-, stem of
phylássein "to keep watch on, guard, preserve"
As a side note, the concept of wearable prayers and sacred texts housed in an item are not unique to the Jewish faith. They were found in the Islamic faith as well. With regards to boxes, specifically, small wearable boxes with prayers text are said to have been worn by followers of Islam in the Medieval Meditarranean Islamic World. And, while not boxes, in Central and Western Asia, a common Islamic amulet was a written sacred verse wrapped in triangular paper packages often worn by infants and young children.
Anyway, as stated at the begining, myself as someone of the Jewish faith and those of my players whom were Jewish and/or had a Jewish parent or grandparent, but did not practice the faith never took offense. The earliest versions lich in D&D simply stated the lich was created through conjurations, enchantments and a phylactery. Even later when Tefellin became described we never assumed it was a Tefellin. You need to store the lich's soul and/or the spells in an item for protection, the word phylactery (to us) was still applicable without being tied to the Jewish faith.
Is there anything wrong with Paizo changing the term? No. It is their perogative. I just disagree with those stating that all phylactery = Tefellin, the use of the word phylactery is, automatically, offensive to those of us of the Jewish faith (it may be to some unaware of the word's origin, alternate definitions, or that similar objects have been used elsewhere), and, therefore, the term phylactery itself need be abandoned.
