What is SECULARISM?

Notes for teachers bringing in non- religious perspectives into education (2 page print out)

The first thing is to differentiate SECULAR from SECULARISM.

SECULAR is anything that is not religious, sport, leisure activities, politics, entertainment, even objective discussion of religion and atheism. Secular is not the same as atheistic or secularist.

SECULARISM is the promotion of :-

a) non-religious perspectives such as atheism and secular humanism

b) the secular state:

The National Secular Society is SECULARIST in both senses of the word. It PROMOTES the Secular state, valuing the freedom from persecution it ensures for both non-believers and minority religions. It is against supernatural belief, superstition and the sectarianism of organised religions that are built upon 'belief' - religions that act in a concerted - political fashion to impose their doctrines.

While most atheists are secularists, and most secularists are atheists, agnostics or secular humanists. It is quite possible for religious believers to be secularists, in the first sense of the word, because they too see the dangers of states or governments that are run by, or heavily influenced by, one particular religion that makes and enforces the law (Theocratic States).

What is THE SECULAR STATE ?

It is a state that constitutionally ensures freedom of religion, freedom from religion, and freedom to oppose either, with the state being neutral on matters of belief - not giving preference, privilege or subsidy, and ensuring that no organisation overrides the others. There are states that are secular but very religious, such as India or the United States. This may be seen as due to other factors such as the insecurity of the population caused by poverty and lack of welfare provision that drives them towards religion.

Atheism, agnosticism, rationalism, humanism, secularism, secular humanism - It is confusing what do they mean?*

One of the problems with discussing non-belief is that the language has not developed to cover the different views of non-believers, and the words there are have often been hijacked by the religions as if they were only religious concepts e.g. 'morality', 'visionary' and 'devotion'. This leads to discussions frequently getting side-tracked into the dead-ends of repetitious semantics, and is often used to deliberately prevent meaningful discussion. Typically the difference between atheist and agnostic.

The secularist promotion of atheism like other forms of dissent has been suppressed throughout the ages. Atheists have been ruthlessly punished throughout history for their views, often cruelly as heretics, infidels and witches - and more often by banishment or exclusion from society, community and even family.

As the prevailing religions fought for supremacy, atheists had their views censored as if they did not exist, and it is still difficult for non-believers to get their opinions heard on radio or television or published because of the still heavy control exercised by the religious organisations and nominal believers who are in the majority and fearful of criticism from the religions.

'Atheist' still has connotations of being immoral, disreputable or evil and many non-believers do not use the word for that reason, a wholly unjustified view that some of us are working hard to reverse.

One result of this slur, has been the idea that atheism and secularism are 'negative' and non-believers are better served by using the softer word, associated with human and humanitarian - 'Humanism'.

But Atheism and secularism are in fact very positive. In the same way that Shelter campaigns against homelessness, and Save the Children Fund, campaigns against child poverty, atheists and secularists campaign against the bad effects of superstition, supernaturalism and sectarianism and divisiveness . (Four more words to add to the lexicon of positive non-belief.)

The advantages of the secular state are easy to recognise, but there are other aspects of secularism for which we should be truly thankful.

The Benefits of Secularism

Only with the rise of atheistic secularism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were the strictures of religion challenged to any great extent. Women were admitted to the hitherto all male universities (women being considered inferior according to religious doctrine). They were thus empowered to enter the professions, administration, public life and government and vote, after centuries of oppression. Education, health and welfare services were taken out of the sphere of church charity and into the 'rights' arena, making people more secure and thus less reliant on the church. Science, public health, pensions and workers rights further improved living conditions. Many reformers were non-believers despite the difficulties that caused for them, and many went unrecognised, while church reformers who had battled against their churches were given accolades as if reform was first thought of by the church itself!

Today there is still work to be done opposing prejudice and discrimination against supposedly inferior groups - women, gays and racial minorities. There are still great problems of sectarian strife and the religious cultivation of divisions in the community that threaten strife at every level, in families, communities and between countries. World poverty, population control and the control of HIV/AIDS are also affected by the refusal of some religions to sanction condom use, and who oppose reproductive health, education and rights programmes.

Secularism is something that should be shouted from the rooftops not something to be kept under wraps for fear of offending the religions.

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Other Sources:-

Teachers notes on Atheism

Teachers notes on Humanism

* What is secular humanism? click here

Link to Campaign for Secular Education on www.c.s.e.freeuk.com

For other issues - www.workshop3.freeuk.com

General directory of secularist/atheist sites - www.secularsites.freeuk.com