Secularism

Secularism (/sɛkjʊləˌɹɪzəm/, sek-YOO-lər-iz-em) is the principle of being indifferent to or skeptical and/or critical of religious belief.

Secularism is most commonly thought of as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state and may be broadened to a similar position seeking to remove or to minimize the role of religion in any public sphere.[1] The term "secularism" has a broad range of meanings, and in the most schematic, may encapsulate any stance that promotes the secular in any given context.[2][3] It may connote anti-clericalism, atheism, naturalism, non-sectarianism, neutrality on topics of religion, or the complete removal of religious symbols from public institutions.[4]

Secularism can be also defined as treating every religion equally and providing equal facility.

As a philosophy, secularism seeks to interpret life based on principles derived solely from the material world, without recourse to religion. It shifts the focus from religion towards "temporal" and material concerns.[5]

There are distinct traditions of secularism in the West, like the French, Benelux-German, Turkish, and American models, and beyond, as in India,[4] where the emphasis is more on equality before law and state neutrality and equidistance from all religions rather than a complete blanket separation. The latter in the case of India, is termed as interventionist secularism, wherein the state intervenes to abolish practices of religion which it considers against constitutional principles.[6] The purposes and arguments in support of secularism vary widely, ranging from assertions that it is a crucial element of modernization, or that religion and traditional values are backward and divisive, to the claim that it is the only guarantor of free religious exercise.

  1. ^ Luke W. Galen. The Nonreligious: Understanding Secular People and Societies. Oxford University Press, 2016. p. 22-23
  2. ^ Bullivant, Stephen; Lee, Lois, eds. (2016). "Secularism". A Dictionary of Atheism. Oxford University Press.
  3. ^ John R. Shook, The Oxford Handbook of Secularism. Oxford University Press, 2017. p. 10
  4. ^ a b Hashemi, Nader (2009). "Secularism". In Esposito, John L. (ed.). The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195305135.
  5. ^ Roznai, Yaniv (June 7, 2017). "Negotiating the Eternal: The Paradox of Entrenching Secularism in Constitutions". Michigan State Law Review. 253. Social Science Research Network: 324. SSRN 2982275. Archived from the original on August 22, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2022., citing Domenic Marbaniang
  6. ^ Madra, Aysel (2015). "Interventionist Secularism: A Comparative Analysis of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (1923–1928) and the Indian Constituent Assembly (1946–1949) Debates". Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. 54 (2): 222–241. doi:10.1111/jssr.12192.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · View on Wikipedia

Developed by Nelliwinne