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christianity > secularisim > Flashcards

secularisim Flashcards

1
Q

4 points to argue that Britain isn’t secular

A
  • power of Catholic Church over abortion
  • marriages still religious
  • Dawkin’s cultural / Christianity even atheists sing carols and celebrate Christmas etc
  • 26 bishops in House of Lords
  • queen = head of church and state
  • 10 commandments still influence war
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2
Q

6 points to argue that Britain is secular

A
  • fewer people getting married
  • church attendance has halved since 1960s
  • people seem to be going against teachings. e.g. abortion and homosexuality. Laws have changed
  • people may identify as ‘Muslim’ or ‘Christian’ in census but not really religious
  • young people are increasingly less religious
  • laws aren’t influence by bible, just common sense
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3
Q

what do secularists argue ?

A
  • that the church and state should be seller age

- faith is a private matter and shouldn’t interfere with public matters of state which are decided by law and reason

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4
Q

why might Bentham be considered a secularist ?

A

because he argued that the law shouldn’t be based on tradition or the bible

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5
Q

to what extent is America a secular nation ?

A

they got rid of the idea that the King was chosen by God. democracy instead

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6
Q

what is a theocracy ?

A
  • the belief that religion should play a role on government

- God comes up with the laws

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7
Q

what vestiges of theocracy still exist in Britain today

A
  • queen is head of state and church
  • citizens are entitled to use their local parish church for baptism, marriage etc
  • we should get rid of bishops in the house of laws
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8
Q

what is programmatic secularism ?

A
  • where all religious views / practices should be excluded from public institutions
  • e.g. no church schools
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9
Q

what is procedural secularism ?

A
  • where religion isn’t given priority or preference, but it is treated as equal with all other institutions
  • there would be bishops in house of laws but not many
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10
Q

according to Hume, what kind of societies practice religion?

A
  • those that are uneducated

- tribes/ cavemen were very very religious but very unintelligent also

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11
Q

explain Freud’s argument in favour of programmatic secularism

A
  • people believe I’m religion during the early stage of infantile human development because they haven’t developed the power of reason
  • when we are children our fathers discipline us and are morals and we want this comfort to continue in our adult lives so we take up a belief in God
  • neuroses were the result of instincts being repressed by conformity to religion. We are unable to express sexual users because we see God as father figure and have mixed feelings towards him as we do with own fathers who have repressed our sexuality. Guilt
  • we must rid ourselves of religion as it will lead to a happier society where people are content with themselves
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12
Q

explain Dawkin’s argument in favour of programmatic secularism

A
  • a reductionist is someone who will only believe in something if there is scientific evidence for it
  • an belief in God is unnecessary for experiencing beauty or morality as it is explained by evolution
  • NOMA is non overlapping magisterium. Science and religion have to be separate
  • belief in NOMA is naive because if there is two truths, religion and science then you might as well belief in a celestial teapot
  • thinks religion is child abuse because ‘hell houses’ in America teach children what Hell is like so they will be good, parents baptise and Christen children before they even know what these words mean, schools reject teachings of evolution in favour of creatisim
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13
Q

explain Terry Eagleton’s argument against secularism

A

-religion has has an important contribution to human culture through art, literature etc. Only religion can capture the highest spiritual aspects of human experiences

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14
Q

Explain McGrath’s argument against secularism

A
  • the fact that the universe is intelligible and can be describe scientifically may point to a greater intelligence, God. Science and religion aren’t in conflict. Complementarity
  • there are some things we can’t believe it categorically e.g. justice, beauty. This is the same with religion
  • wrote ‘the Dawkin’s delusion’ against Dawkin’s ideas.
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15
Q

explain Taylor’s argument against secularism

A
  • questions why we find it easy in modern western society not to believe in God when it has been the norm throughout history
  • a failure of secular humanism is that it gives too much importance to the individual and their private experiences but this is undersubscribed as it breaks down the communal aspects of society
  • secular humanism is just a phrase
  • come to accept ‘subtraction stories’ These are dominant narratives that tell us that the removal of religion is the obvious thing to do ; we have overcome religion and will lead happier lives without the need of God. Rejects this.
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16
Q

explain the four different ways of understanding science and religion

A
  • Conflict = science and religion are at war with each other. One will over power the other in the end.
  • separation = science and religion ask different questions about the world so they should always be separate.
  • fusion = blurs the distinction between science and religion. Use the content of science to determine the content of religion and vice versa
  • complementarity = science and religion provide completely insights by addressing the same reality from different perspectives. Different ways of looking at the same thing
17
Q

What are children taught in faith schools

A
  • creationism instead of evolution ( science )
  • questioning faith is wrong
  • acceptance of religion
18
Q

What is the British Humanist Association

A
  • campaigns against faith schools

- because it segregates children into different religions groups, increasing tolerance to particular religions .

19
Q

What do supporters of faith schools argue ? 4 points

A
  • a pluralist society should tolerate a diverse range of religions
  • parents have the right to want their children to be educated in a way that reflects the family’s morality and beliefs
  • there is no evidence to suggest that children educated at faith schools are less tolerant or open minded
  • replacing faith schools with secular schools can be seen as indoctrinating children into atheism
20
Q

What does Taylor argue about faith schools

A
  • against them

- everyone should find their own way and be individual

21
Q

Argument in support of faith schools

A
  • don’t just teach you things so you can go to uni and contribute to the capitalist system but instead they teach you value
22
Q

7 points to argue that religion does cause unhappiness

A
  • Dawkins says parents are ‘hi-jacking’ children’s mind by calling them Christian before they know what this means
  • Dawkins schools that reject evolution are a scandal.
  • shown that people with faith were more likely to survive concentration camps - believed situation had purpose
  • Dawkins religion is a form of child abuse
  • faith schools lead to intolerance. Counter with studies by Lesley Francis who found that children attending faith schools are taught tolerance
  • Freud . Religion belongs in the infantile stage of human development . Used to repress sexual urges leading to mental illnesses
  • Weinberg ‘ for good people to do evil, that takes religion’
23
Q

5 points to argue that religion doesn’t cause unhappiness

A
  • religion had contributed to art, music, literature
  • Taylor. Without religion there is too much pressure on the individual. Religion brings communities together giving them shared values
  • Christianity preaches non violence and peaceful protests
  • faith schools teach spirituality. James Conroy
  • faith schools have a large proportion of migrants from Eastern Europe
24
Q

2 Strengths of Freud’s views on God

A
  • he could be right that religion has a particular appeal for vulnerable and lonely people
  • there is evidence to support Freud’s idea that people depict God as a kind of super human. e.g. feminists argue that men have given God male characteristics
25
Q

3 points on Dawkin’s critique of religion

A
  • religious dress code is an example of the repression of women
  • religious beliefs discourage scientific enquiry by allowing a lazy mindset that says ‘it’s a divine mystery’ rather than looking for answers
  • religion is responsible for division, war and conflict in society
26
Q

3 strengths of Dawkin’s critique of religion

A
  • some Christians do see science and religion as opposites and oppose the teaching of evolution in schools,mank has could lend support to Dawkin’s views
  • he is right to say that some acts of war and terrorism have been the result of disagreements over religious beliefs give e.g.
  • there is evidence to support his view that religion can be repressive for some groups. Many feminists would agree with the claim that religion can be repressive for women
27
Q

3 weaknesses of Dawkin’s critique of religion

A
  • he glosses over the many positive contributions religion had made to societies, such as the funding of schools, campaigning for civil rights, the work for the poor and the pressure for social change
  • he doesn’t take account of the many scientist who have also held religious beliefs and have been motivated by the faith to continue their scientific exploration
  • it could be argued that keeping children away from learning truths about God is abusive
28
Q

explain Jo Marchant’s contrasting view to Freud and Dawkin’s

A
  • she argued that religious beliefs can be psychologically helpful rather than damaging
  • uses interviews and date to question the view that religion is psychologically harmful
  • suggest that there is evidence that religious practices, such as meditation, social gatherings and belief in a loving God, bring about benefits for religious believers
  • belief in God and hope for life after death can help people overcome loneliness and dears, allowing people to live happier lives
29
Q

give a real life example of where there is a separation between the church and state

A
  • France became secular after the French Revolution abolished the monarchy and took power away from the church
  • there are no state funded religious schools
  • people are not allowed to wear religious symbols in public
  • marriages take place in civil institutions
30
Q

what are the three ways the term ‘secularism’ can be understood

A
  • a decline in religious belief in modern society
  • religion becoming something that should be done in private rather than public
  • the separation of church and state, where the country is governed without reference to religious authorities and teachings

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