Secularism is a theoretical and ideological concept that is becoming increasingly popular in Western Europe, especially France and the UK. This rather interesting philosophy has become heavily politicized over time, and its supporters to some extent go too far in their rejection of religious views. This trend is difficult to assess unambiguously, it has both pros and cons, depending on the particular country or region where it has gained official status.
Secularism and its principles
The main idea of this trend is the thesis that neither the state nor the law should be based on religious concepts. The government and the judiciary should not be guided by sources of faith in their work. All bodies and institutions should be clearly separated from churches and religious communities, and also free from their influence. The source of this concept lies in the historically substantiated fear of coercion to faith emanating from the state and its power structures. Therefore, the supporters of secularism are doing everything possible so that the authorities and society are neutral in their attitude to religious issues. Any political activity, from their point of view, cannot be based on the feelings of believers or the dogmas of the church, it should be based on facts and logic, as well as the interests of various groups of people. The bow of the state and religion in any form is unacceptable.
How did secularism come about?
Many ancient and medieval philosophers stood at the origins of this trend. Especially the great contribution to its emergence was made by the thinkers of the Enlightenment in France - Didro, Holbach, La Mettrie) However, the very concept of secularism was formulated only in the nineteenth century, when the theory of the sacredness of power and its divine origin was destroyed as a result of revolutions. Then it was transformed into an ethical doctrine, which puts the welfare of a person regardless of the principles of faith. In a word, the theory of secularism suggests concentrating on the problems of this world, while religious thinking deals with the connection with the sacred and the invisible.
Secularism and atheism
These two phenomena are usually confused, however, despite the fact that there is a lot in common between them, they still do not coincide. Atheism is primarily a worldview and philosophical doctrine, and in secularism the political component is very strong. In addition, not all supporters of the separation of religion from power do not believe in God. Many advocates of secularism believe that a rigid demarcation of these concepts will take away the administrative resource from the church and return it to the spiritual realm. After all, the religious community should deal with it.
Secularism about the place of the church in society
Many Christian theologians of our time often say that secularism is a disguised godlessness. However, this is too simplistic thesis. Secularism does not justify any side in the struggle between atheism and religion. Yes, his followers believe that politics should be independent of faith. But they are not characterized by equating religion with poison or the plague, which is famous for radical atheism. This is evident even from the fact that secularists believe that the church should occupy a certain place in society. The main thing is that she does not have the power to indicate what to do.
Religious Leadership for Secularism
In most cases, representatives of Christian churches are very suspicious and even negatively inclined towards this phenomenon. They believe that secularism is a concept that seeks to supplant religion from social life. Often they motivate this by the fact that in some European countries it is forbidden to publicly demonstrate their belonging to a particular religious system. Religiosity takes on a more personal and family character. Thus, secularity becomes the norm, and faith becomes the personal attitude of the individual. Is it good or bad? Just note that everything here depends on the specific case. For example, in France there are many excesses regarding the prohibitions on wearing Muslim clothes for women (hijab, Burkini bathing suit), which often causes outrage from human rights activists.
Religion and Secularism in the Islamic World
Not only Christian, but also Muslim religious figures are negatively inclined towards secular values and the principle of a clear separation of the community of believers and society. Most modern leaders of the Islamic world believe that since secularism is the idea of building relationships between people without the intervention of God and the sacred, it contradicts the Quran and the message of the Prophet. They are especially opposed by the idea of building the laws of society not on the basis of Sharia, but on the foundation of secular values. Nevertheless, in the modern Islamic world, the idea of replacing theocracy with a secular state also has many supporters. These countries include, for example, Turkey. Its first president, Kemal Atatürk, even stated that his homeland should not be the land of sheikhs and religious sects. Some Arab states also follow this path. Although the confrontation between modernists and Islamists, especially in recent years, virtually split all Islamic societies.
Secularism in Europe today
Supporters of secularism do not have a single ideological position or model. For example, French secularism in our time is called the specific word "laisite". Such a model of relations between religious communities and the state is characteristic only for this country. It is associated with the historical hostility of society to the Roman Catholic Church. The latter at one time had too much power and set the people against itself. In addition, this religious community too clearly opposed the law on the separation of the church from the state, because it was deprived of the influence to which it was accustomed. In Germany or Great Britain, the French model did not take root. But in any case, in European countries, secularism is not an anti-religious philosophy, but practical measures taken by the state so that the influence of communities of believers does not exceed the limits beyond which conflicts and persecution begin.
Secular values
The worldview axiology has become derived from this philosophical and political current. These are the so-called secular values or, as is now customary to say, secular humanism. The latter also does not constitute a single ideology. Sometimes secular humanists in their statements are indistinguishable from atheists. They say that the human right to happiness is opposed to belief in higher powers, and that both of these theses are incompatible. Other representatives of this movement prioritize human rights over religious values. They are primarily opposed to censorship and religious prohibitions in scientific research, for the independence of ethics and morality from faith, rationalism as the main criterion in establishing truth. Proponents of secular humanism are generally skeptical of claims by religious revelations to reality. They also oppose education in this area in childhood, since they believe that an idea is imposed on this, which requires only meaningful consent. But in this regard, secular humanists also disagree, because some of them believe that the complete ignorance of young people in the religious field deprives them of their right to cultural heritage.
Secular fundamentalism
Unfortunately, the ideology of secularism has given rise to such a phenomenon. It exists along with religious fundamentalism and seems to oppose it, but in fact has common roots and values with it. Its adherents are not only skeptical of religion, but they want to oust it from society and even destroy it, believing any manifestation of religious thought dangerous to human freedom. Moreover, they are ready to limit and trample the rights of believers. We can say that religious and secular fundamentalism are two versions of the same phenomenon, the reason for which is a misunderstanding of human nature and a desire to solve complex problems with simple methods, regardless of the possible consequences and sacrifices.