It would be interesting to understand how the word 'force' came to be applied to what we now commonly understand the term to mean. I would risk a guess that there was a time during which the meaning of the word was used (in the scientific literature) in various ways - something akin to the term "closed system" that is used in subtely distinct ways even today.

People very often use the word force to mean something - anything - that compels something else into action - even when the origin of the force is understood (or at least implied) to be something mysterious and supernatural. This is sometimes done because it's easier to convey something as a metaphor than to create a new vocabulary. It also has the benefit of making even the most silly ideas seem scientific, modern, and facund with esoteric understanding and profound insight for one who is sufficiently openminded, intelligent, and spiritually advanced.

Often, the word 'energy' is used synonymously, or nearly so, in this context. In physics, as you well know, energy and force are distinct concepts.

k