Secularism

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The term secular is used to distinguish non-religious things from religious ones. The thing need not be anti-religious to be secular; in fact, that would be a misleading use of the term. Instead, describing something as secular generally means it is simply unrelated to religion.

For example, the United States government is, under the Constitution, a secular government. That does not mean the government acts against the interests of religion or the religious. On the contrary, it means that the government must remain neutral with respect to religion, to the extent possible. Furthermore, it doesn't mean that religious people cannot populate government positions. Indeed, in the U.S. most office holders are religious. But government officials cannot use their executive, legislative or judicial powers to promote one religion over another, or religion over irreligion.

"Is there any maxim in politics more certain and infallible, than that both the number and authority of priests should be confined within very narrow limits; and that the civil magistrate ought, for ever, to keep his fasces [bound wooden bundle symbolising judicial authority] and axes from such dangerous hands? But if the spirit of popular religion were so salutary to society, a contrary maxim ought to prevail."

David Hume, Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion

"History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government."

Thomas Jefferson
"We have to reappropriate the concept of laïcité [secularism] so we can explain to our young pupils that whatever their faith, they belong to this idea and they’re not excluded. Secularism is not something against them; it protects them [...] If a big number of young pupils felt secularism was an attack on them, it was because the term had been misused and deformed in the public debate for years by the extreme-right and the right as an attack on Islam. [1]"

An argument against secularism is that the loss of religion is causing national decline. Another is that "turning our back on God" will leave us unprotected against disasters or God will actively causes disasters as punishment.

History[edit]

Religions have a range of attitudes to secularism that have varied through history. Many religious figures have been powerful forces in politics as can be seen in the history of the Catholic Church and Islam. Some religious believers argue that all aspects of life are ultimately subservient to their agenda, which aims at forming a theocracy.

"The crucial factor is that the modern state in Muslim societies, a state imported from Western models, aims at the transformation of all aspects of life.[2]"
"Secularism is compatible with Islam. It is just incompatible with the current version of political Islam.[3]"

Unfortunately, theocratic systems tend to create continuing conflict between different religious groups trying to achieve dominance. One side denounces the other as "heretics" and goes as far as killing them, until the tables are turned and the cycle of violence continues. In response, there are both religious and non-religious writers that argue that having some or all aspects of government as independent and impartial provides some protection and freedom for individual believers (as well as atheists). In the United States, this principle is known as the separation of church and state.

"Luther’s view of religion, as an essentially subjective and private quest over which the state had no jurisdiction, would be the foundation of the modern secular ideal. [4]"

"There is no compulsion in religion."

Surah 2:256 Bible-icon.png
"Jesus said, 'My kingdom is not of this world.' John 18:36 Bible-icon.png And Jesus said unto them, Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's. Mark 12:17 Bible-icon.png"
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof[5]"

Fortunately, some religious groups have evolved to accept secularism to an extent.

Secular vs. atheistic[edit]

Being secular is not the same as being atheistic. Both believers and non-believers (with respect to any particular god claim) can participate together in a secular purpose.

Secularism causes extremism?[edit]

Some apologists have argued that as religion becomes marginalised, it becomes more extreme.

"I believe the marginalisation of religion in our national life risks pushing more young Muslims into the arms of Isil. ... This is where hard-edged secularism ... actually serves to aid and abet the extremism we are all seeking to confront. Because if you push faith to the margins, then to the margins and into the shadows faith will be outworked [6]"
"It is driving people underground and for young people with an interest in spirituality it does make them vulnerable to grooming by extremist groups. [7]"

There is no evidence that this is the case and the comment is probably wishful thinking or intended to deflect attention from the real causes of extremism and fundamentalism.

An opposing view is that moderate religion legitimizes fundamentalism.

Secularism and quality of life[edit]

Many of the most stable and high quality of life countries are very secular. Of particular note are Sweden, Germany, Spain and France which are highly secular. Some of the lowest quality of life countries are strongly Christian, including the Dominican Republic and El Salvador. [8][9] More strongly religious states within the US have a lower quality of life (Mississippi and Alabama). More secular states in the US have a higher quality of life (Vermont and New Hampshire).[10]

"if declining levels of religiosity were the main cause of…social ills, we should expect those countries that are now the least religious to have the greatest problems. The reverse is true.[10]"

Apologists sometimes argue that secularism causes societal problems. This is largely due to their dogma that morality depends on religion.

"Today, countries where freedom, justice and tolerance are the norm are almost all influenced by the Bible's teaching, in stark contrast to those that have deliberately rejected it.[11]"

Apart from being false, it also this overlooks the millennia of conflicts between Christians, the Crusades, the Inquisition, etc. Many of the conflicts in the world are caused by imperial ambitions of majority Christian countries; either the West (Catholic/Protestant) or Russia (Orthodox Christian). Just because the Bible had some influence, it does not make it the main influence in personal or political freedoms or security; in fact it appears to have a negative influence.

Government as a replacement for God[edit]

Some theists argue that reliance on secular government replaces our "reliance on God" and that it is a form of idolatry. This argument is best countered by rejecting the premise that God is something to be relied on.

"In effect, we allow or permit or volunteer ourselves to become government slaves and they become our masters and thus we lose our sovereignty and thereby make God of secondary importance, presumably because we want a hand-out and government “security”. [...] By surrendering our sovereignty and letting government become our god, we have committed idolatry: relying more on government and man than we do on God or ourselves to meet our needs.[12]"

There are no secular countries or people[edit]

Main Article: There are no atheists
"That does not mean this has become a secular country. There are no secular countries, just as there are no secular people. Everybody believes in something. All of us were born with the need to worship. The question is what? So no, America has not lost its religion, it's just replaced its religion.[13]"

This argument denies the experience of people who consider themselves to be secular.

Also, it confuses what it is to be a secular country. It is possible for everybody in a country to be religious but the countries government and its institutions may be secular in the way it operates. Personal belief and secularism are generally distinct.

It also ignores religious secularism, in which people participate in the social institutions of a religion but reject their metaphysical claims.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. [1]
  2. [2]
  3. [3]
  4. [4]
  5. [5]
  6. [6]
  7. [7]
  8. Rahman, T., Mittelhammer, R., & Wandschneider, P. (2011). Measuring quality of life across countries: A multiple indicators and multiple causes approach Journal of Socio-Economics, 40 (1), 43-52 DOI: 10.1016/j.socec.2010.06.002
  9. [8]
  10. 10.0 10.1 [9]
  11. John Blanchard, Why believe the Bible?, 2004
  12. [10]
  13. Tucker Carlson in Video Proves MAGA Is TOTALLY Not A Cult


v · d Secularism
Support for separation of church and state   United States Constitution · First Amendment · Free exercise clause · Religious test · Separation of church and state
Attacks against separation of church and state   Proselytizing · Theocracy · In God We Trust · Persecution · Authoritarianism · Fundamentalism · Blue laws · Dominionism · Sharia · Theodemocracy · Blasphemy laws · Blasphemous libel · List of Theocratic political parties
Arguments for theocratic government   America as a Christian nation · Australia as a Christian nation · Canada as a Christian nation