Challenge of secularism Flashcards
Freud ideas of God as illusion
religion is a product of wish fulfillment
religion represses human desires such as sexual violence
religion is fundamentally unhealthy
Dawkin’s critique of religion
human life is meaningful without without reference to religious ideas
religion is responsible for division and war
Christianity and public life
In France government is separate from the Church
Other countries such as the USA and Turkey also have constitutions that separate religion from the State
Education and schools
Many schools in the UK have Christian foundations
Church schools usually have state funding
British Humanist Association campaign against ‘faith schools’ for reasons like school should be for lessons not worship or prayer and separating children by faith encourages division
Arguments in favour of faith schools
parents have right to decide
no evidence to suggest students from faith schools are less tolerant or open minded than others
Religion, government and State
ruling British monarch is also Head of the Church of England
UK largely has a culture of ‘inclusive secularity’. Where peoples religious views are respected up to a point
When political leaders have firm religious beliefs in can cause controversy, for example it may effect decision about abortion
Rowan Williams
Two types of secularism
programmatic
Procedural
Secularisation as a theory
assumed that there would be a decline in religion until simply disappeared
secularisation theory has since been disregarded
Ford rejects idea that religious mentality belongs to an unscientific age
