...Keyword: Secularism Secularism, like most political keywords, doesn’t mean one thing. Instead we must define secularism from the historical context of its usage. In the readings “Introduction: Contemporary Secularity and Secularism” and “Rethinking Secularism” the authors do just that. What we find is that secularism is related to differentiation—keeping different aspects of social life separate and specifically differentiating between religion and the state. The forms of secularism vary depending on the religious composition of the nation. Secular is derived from the Latin word saeculum, a unit of time roughly equal to the maximum life expectancy of person (Calhoun 38). In the Middle Ages, this notion of impermanence was extended to mean ‘the world’, as opposed to the Church. ‘Secular’ priests worked out in the world at local parishes while ‘religious’ priests worked within the seclusion of a monetary (Kosmin 2). Later, during the Reformation, secularization referred to the seizure and reappropriation of Church property for non-religious use (Kosmin 2). Thus secular began to indicate a separation from the Church or the divine. However, It wasn’t until the 18th century that secularism as a core element of a nation’s political realm developed. The American and the French Revolutions produced the two main “intellectual and constitutional traditions of secularism”— a “soft secularism” and a “hard secularism” (Kosmin 2). The variations are a reflection of the symbolic and cultural...
Words: 767 - Pages: 4
...ularism Modern Myths, Locked Minds by T. N. Madan Introduction: Scope, methods and Concepts 1. Secularization, secularism, Christian tradition and the Enlightenment: a brief history T. N. Madan differentiates between secularism, secularization and secularity. 1) Secularization refers to socio cultural processes in which the role of the sacred is progressively limited; 2) Secularism is the ideology that argues for the historical inevitability and progressive nature of secularization everywhere and 3) Secularity is the resultant state of society. The term "secularism" was first used by the British writer Holyoake in 1851 to describe his views of promoting a social order separate from religion. The English word ‘secular’ comes from the Latin ‘saeculum’, which means ‘an age’ or ‘the spirit of an age’ and has the same meaning as the Greek ‘aeon’. In general terms, secularism means “belonging to this age, or worldly” along with a denial of other worldly realities (i.e. religious). The Bible introduces the idea of divine creation in the book of Genesis. God speaks directly to Man in Genesis: “Be fertile and increase, fill the earth and master it”. As Peter Berger, a social theorist notes that in this the idea of a secular world is sown as a God who stands outside of the Cosmos which is his creation. This opens the way for self making activity which Berger calls ‘historization’. Caesar was the emperor of Rome. In a famous passage Jesus said, "Render to Caesar the things...
Words: 3863 - Pages: 16
...Perhaps, some might bemoan the advent of a secular Ireland. Evaluate this statement. The process of ‘secularization’ can be described as the process of organizing society around non-religious values or principles. In otherwards, the state would no longer offer preferential treatment to religion from the equal rule of law. This would rather give the space for individuals of all creeds to grow their beliefs based on their own values and not the values imposed on them by the state. Secularization aims to allow each indivudal to pursue their own beliefs on religion. The value of secularism is best described by Mahatma Gandhi, who said: “If I were a dictator, religion and state would be separate. I swear by my religion. I will die for it. But it is my personal affair. The state has nothing to do with it. The state would look after your secular welfare, health, communications, foreign relations, currency and so on, but not your or my religion. That is everybody’s personal concern!” In recent years, many have questioned whether Ireland has become a secularised society. The findings of recent surveys suggest that the Irish continue to be religious but that they lack confidence in church leadership. Indeed, “Russians have more confidence in their religious leaders than the Irish”. This is said to be mainly due to the “well publicised cases of sexual and physical abuse by clergy and religious”. The lack of confidence in Churhces and religious organisations can be seen in Figure 6 in which...
Words: 1148 - Pages: 5
...SECULARISM IN INDIA : CONCEPT & PRACTICE Dr. Shriram Yerankar Associate Professor & Head, Deptt. of Political Science, Jijamata College, Buldana (M.S.) shriramyerankar@gmail.com Historical Background : The concept of secularism as we take it to mean today had originated in the 13th century Europe. But we can trace the philosophical concept of secularism in the writings of Kautilya, a thinker of ancient India, who lived in the 3rd century B.C. The history of Indian secularism the protest movements in the 5th century B.C. The three main protest movements were by the Charvaks, Buddhism and Jainism. All three of them rejected the authority of the Vedas and any importance of belief in a deity. It can thus be seen that the ancient thought had a profound impact on the development of the theory of secularism over the centuries. Writers differ about the origin of the concept of secularism as to whether it had its roots in the eastern or the western thought. D. E Smith says, “The Secular State is, in origin, a western not an Asian Conception. This is not to deny the obvious fact the certain elements of the ‘secular state – have a long tradition in Asia.’ The term “Secularism” was first used by the British writer George Holyoake in 1851. Although the term was new...
Words: 3137 - Pages: 13
...Indians duty to stand by and believe in this declaration. And yet recent political and social events have questioned this declaration. Is India a secular country only on paper or does secularism actually exist in India; or is in the form of pseudo- secularism, a term the BJP and its allies seem to repeatedly harp on. During the freedom struggle, secularism was emerging as the most dominant principle. The leaders of the Indian National Congress; Gandhi, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Nehru and others were deeply committed to the ideal of secularism, though each expressed it in very different manners. Secularism became the mantra of the Indian nation, a nation exhausted by partition and sectarian riots and above all the assassination of Gandhiji, did not want any more divisive talk. The founding fathers represented the aspirations of the different sections of society and it is due to the struggles of these different people that secular principles got enshrined into the Indian constitution. Under Jawaharlal Nehru and later under his successors in the Congress Party, the concept of a secular nation-state was officially adopted as India's path to political modernity and national integration. Unlike in the West, where secularism came mainly out of the conflict between the Church and the State, secularism in India was conceived as a system that sustained religious and cultural pluralism. In the post Independent scenario the social dynamics was very complex. The process of secularisation/industrialisation...
Words: 2171 - Pages: 9
...Sociology Z103 | SECULARISM AND INTERFAITH MARRIAGE: interpretation of the secularism scale of iba students and its correlation with interfaith marriage | Sociology Z103 Prepared For: AI Mahbub Uddin Ahmed Prepared By: Farzana Yasmin Rivi BBA-17(B) Roll: RQ 53 Date: 15/07/10 Institute of Business Administration (IBA) University of Dhaka Institute of Business Administration (IBA) University of Dhaka Dear Sir: Here is the report which you asked to submit for the requirement of undergraduate course- Sociology. The report topic is “Secularism and Interfaith Marriage: Interpretation of the Secularism Scale of IBA Students and its Correlation with Interfaith Marriage”. As per the requirement of the report, it is based on both primary and secondary information. The primary information was collected through survey and the main sources of secondary information are various journal articles on the topic. I would like to mention that I carried out this entire report under your supervision and that this report has not been formerly presented in IBA to the best of my knowledge. I also pledge that either today or in the future, no part of this report may be reproduced without your written permission. I sincerely hope that I was able to fulfil the course requirement successfully through the submission of this report. I have put in my best effort to contribute towards the successful completion of this report. I earnestly hope that you will accept this report and...
Words: 5862 - Pages: 24
...Secularism and Christian Apologetics When I consider the reasons I returned to school and the chain of events that precipitated this dramatic life altering change, I know in my heart it is God guiding my steps. I am only a student, a late in life student, but I hope in some way I can be of some help perhaps through education a chance in some unknown infinitesimal way of helping to restore our country to some semblance of the moral clarity this nation was founded on. The Secular left is arguably responsible for the loss of our moral compass, today’s society is devoid of character, strength of integrity, honesty, piety, and respect for fellow man. While I am just a student, for me to be able to learn about a way (Apologetics) to help defend Christianity and as a result of my studies perhaps defend my country and my God, it is quite an honor that I hold dearly. I think this is summed up best by one of history’s early recognitions of our nation when described by the French Ambassador, Alexis de Tocqueville, as observed in Democracy in America; I do not know whether all Americans have a sincere faith in their religion, for who can read the human heart? But I am certain that they hold it to be indispensible to the maintenance of republican institutions. This opinion is not peculiar to a class of citizens or to a party, but it belongs to the whole nation and to every rank of society (Tocqueville). I pray we can become closer to this ideal once again. Secularism it is commonly...
Words: 2794 - Pages: 12
...Analysis of Fall-outs with Secularism INTRODUCTION Secularism is one of the most important aspects in the present Indian socio – political – economic scene. Unfortunately, Secularism in the present Indian context seems to be incomplete due to the intermingling of religion with politics and thus Secularism has been criticized by many. This project first defines the term “Secularism”, then puts light on the Secularist ideas followed by us and finally analyses the various critiques attached to it which have developed over time. What is Secularism and Why Secularism? “Secularism is the process by which sectors of society and culture are removed or separated out from religious symbols and institutions so as to constitute their own domains. The Secular state is a state that guarantees individual and corporate freedom of religion, deals with the individual as a citizen irrespective of his religion, is not constitutionally connected to a particular religion, nor seeks either to promote or interfere with religion.” The Secularism in question is basically the interrelation between the state and multiple religious communities in India. In addition to this, we also need to know why Secularism was needed for India in the first place. The following arguments are the most apt arguments which show the need for a Secular state. Firstly, the Indian society at large was a mixture of numerous cultures, religions, customs and languages. Thus if the dream of a single nation was to be fulfilled...
Words: 1783 - Pages: 8
...Running Header: Secularism vs. Religion 1 Secularism vs. Religion Patricia Nash HIS 104 World Civilizations II Instructor: Kristy Nelson May 18, 2013 Secularism vs. Religion 2 It took the courage of one man to change the way religion was looked upon along the way for others to see that there was more of a choice out there for them. Religion was and is the way one has their own beliefs, what to them is truth, to which way they should be lead in. Each religion believes in something different from another and most of them all believe in one God, only a few does not. The world had outgrown just one religion therefore, when Martin Luther and King Henry decided to separate themselves from the church many more had emerged. Secularism identifies it’s self as something called 'religion' and separate it from the domains of the state, the economy and science. Secularism is the realization that God’s will be done plus the natural evolution of universal morality. Christianity was the spiritual identity of one’s soul, beliefs, spirituality, social, and political foundation. Then those from other countries believed that Christianity provided spiritual connections, organizing principles, and inspirations for their identity. Believers were united by their faith as well as...
Words: 1387 - Pages: 6
...Patrice Yoyo The Meaning of Life Jack H. Bayne 2-11-15 The article “Building Better Scularists”, written by David Brooks argues between the forms of secularism and religion. To begin with, David Brooks begins his article by stating how secularism shouldn’t been seen as a lack of faith, but as a positive creed (Brooks, 1). In other words, atheism doesn’t correspond with faith, instead it is viewed as a positive ideological way of life. Then, Phil Zuckerman claims that secular morality is built around individual reason, individual choice, and individual responsibility (Zuckerman, 1). In my opinion, I think that secular people don’t believe in faith nor do they have any. Therefore, how can secularism be seen as a positive creed, if in order to have creed, you must have faith. As Brooks continues his article, he also mentions the several tasks a person would have to perform to live secularism. First, he says that secular people build their own moral philosophies. I believe that if secular people build their own philosophies, then that alone gives them their meaning to life. I think that people that believe in God do find their meaning of life through God’s purpose and plan for their life. Whereas atheist search for their meaning of life by exploring different theories. This is connected to the next point that Brooks mentions in his article. He says that “secular people have to choose their own communities and come up with their own practices to make them meaningful”...
Words: 661 - Pages: 3
...I. Secularism: For me secularism defines a person who does not believe in Jesus Christ. Which makes me question the lifestyle of a person not living for Christ, a secular way of living is a person who lives and tends to show a destructive behavior with no consequence for their actions. Example of the lifestyle would be premarital sex, drunkenness, drug abuse, abortion, lying, and homosexuality in our world today. Secularism was first discovered in 1400 this was during the Renaissance days, toward the end of this period empirical science developed and the key players were Nicholas Copernicus (1473-1543), Johannes Keller (1571-1630), and Galileo Galilee (1564-1642). According to Dean Halverson in his writing on secularism p.1. They viewed science as studying the handiwork of an almighty Creator and discovering his laws. The origin of secularism is that the universe is the product of chance or pure contingency. Everything that is, is an accident. Everything is the product of chaos, flux, and randomness are king, personality, meaning, and universal laws of logic clearly have no place. If the secular- evolutionary is true which their not, then your life and existence have no meaning whatsoever so what are they living for? For this reason I ask the question how do they fill about themselves? What would they say about their identity? They believe they evolve from an animal and they are nothing more than an animal, they believe they posses potential for improving life for people. They...
Words: 771 - Pages: 4
...an enormous amount of differences between them. Spain being a part of Europe is largely influenced by the European culture furthermore the Rome culture; on the other hand India’s culture is more multifaceted and has been influenced by colonialism over the past century- both collaterally and vernacularly (Sen Amartya, 2005). India is a home to a variety of different cultures; it is known to be the most diverse country in the world in every aspect. Looking into a major aspect of any culture that has existed, religion plays a major role in the upbringing. It influences the framework of a particular culture and individual human behavior too. India being a secular state has no official religion; it has equal tolerance for every religion. Secularism was adopted in the country in the late 1800s keeping in view the multi religious nature of the Indian society. (Engineer. A., 2003). However Spain adapted Roman Catholicism as its official religion, as it’s the largest group of...
Words: 323 - Pages: 2
...Secular Humanism Vs Biblical/Christian Worldview Richard Puller Liberty University Secular humanism is defined as a theory of ethics and human fulfillment devoid of spirituality, the supernatural, or God. Man becomes the measure of all things, (Secular Humanism and Evolution by Caleb Colley, PH.D). Tom Flynn executive director of the Council for Secular Humanism and editor of Free Inquiry magazine defined Secular humanism as a comprehensive nonreligious life stance that incorporates a naturalistic philosophy, a cosmic outlook rooted in science, and a consequentialist ethical system. Secular Humanistic beliefs regarding origin, identity, meaning/purpose, morality and destiny are as follows. The Secular Humanist believes in the Evolutionary Theory. They believe that the universe already existed, that man is a part of nature and that he has emerged as a result of a continuous process. Secular Humanist believes man is a result of naturally occurring chemical reactions that have occurred through the evolutionary process and that we have no particular purpose. Secular Humanist see mankind’s existence again as a result of the evolutionary process, mankind is just matter and has no more importance than any other living thing. Secular Humanism utilizes the Ethical relativism theory, where morality is relative to the norms of one's culture. Whether an action is right or wrong depends on the moral norms of the society in which it is practiced. Secular Humanist believes that...
Words: 625 - Pages: 3
...world. If he lives a bad life, he will assume in the next generation the shape of some animal, such as a dog or a cat, or some lower kind of man. If he acts have been good, he will be reborn as a man in higher class. This view point is found in some Eastern religions. There is a third view point which calls for believe in the Day of Judgement, the Resurrection, man’s presences in Divine Court, and the meting out of reward and punishment. This is the common belief of the all Prophet. From the above, we could said that Hereafter could be derived a lot responds. This is because many of them had some wrong conceptions towards Hereafter. Therefore, we had been assigned to do this topic in order to understand the differences between secularism and Islamic viewpoint regarding the Hereafter. In addition, this is to correct these wrong conceptions and help those who want to know more about the Hereafter. Allah said, “And the stupor of death comes in truth, ‘This was the thing which thou was trying to escape!” (50: 19) In our...
Words: 5568 - Pages: 23
...Mashanna Hartley Mr. Robert Hunter APOL 104 3 October 2015 Critical Thinking Paper What is Secular Humanism? Secular Humanism is a compressive, nonreligious, and life stance incorporating natural philosophy, a cosmic outlook rooted in science, and a consequentialist ethical system (What). Secular Humanism uses science, intellect, and personal opinion to answer life’s most difficult questions. Paul Kurtz said, “Humanism cannot in any fair sense of the word apply to one who still believes in God as the source and creator of the universe,” (Noebel, p.444). The question of Origin Secular Humanism View: Matter always existed and given enough time, the end result is what you see. The Human Manifesto II, secular humanism finds no evidence to belief in supernatural. God is not necessary for morals and God does not answer mankind’s existence, according to atheists, Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins (Weiner and Gutierrez, p.64). Man is a machine, according to naturalism. Man has little or no control over his/her existence. Since man is considered to be a machine, if the machine breaks, the man’s life is over (Weiner and Gutierrez, p.65). Christian View: Christians believes God created universe and all life (Genesis 1:1-25). Christians believe animals will change to adapt to their surroundings (Genesis 1;11-12, 21-25). God created us in His own image (Genesis 1:11-12). God made man out of dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7) and made woman from Adam’s rib (Genesis 2:22). She...
Words: 1056 - Pages: 5
