Secularism Flashcards
What is secularism?
The idea that religious beliefs and institutions should not affect how the state is run; all belief systems are equal in the eyes of the law
What does ‘secular’ mean?
Worldly or non religious
What does ‘secularisation’ mean?
The process of making a society more secular by removing the influence of religious institutions
What did Dawkins and Freud argue?
-They argued that the Idea of God is an illusion and the result of wish fulfilment; Christianity is infantile, repressive and causes conflict. Both thinkers would advocate secularisation and the development of society towards the removal of religion and the promotion of reason through scientific methods
Who was Sigmund Freud?
Freud was an atheist psychoanalyst who believed that religion is the cause of neuroses and that at some point in the future, science will be able to answer all key questions because psychoanalysis I’ll ‘cure’ people or Religious belief
What were Freud’s beliefs?
-Religion is wish fulfilment because it is a reflection of our subconscious projecting into our conscious minds- just like a daydream
-It is an infantile result of the Oedipus complex (the last stage of a young child’s psychological development) because at this stage a boy learns he cannot sexually possess his mother and feels jealousy towards his father; this resentment is repressed into the subconscious mind and projected onto the idea of God, the ultimate father figure (Freud’s analysis of girls was underdeveloped)
-This was expressed in primitive cultures through the totem pole- the phallic symbol of maleness in societies where one went to seek forgiveness; in modern society, this is the make God that we seek comfort from through religious ritual
-The repetition of this worship is obsessional and found in all parts of society: Freud’s famous phrase is that religion is a ‘universal obsessional neurosis’
-Religion is unhealthy and this leads to negativity within society- religion has been the cause of many of society’s conflicts
Who was Richard Dawkins?
-Dawkins is an evolutionary biologist known for his rejection of a need for a creator God, given the evidence for evolution and the increased understanding of scientific principles.
-This argument has also been offered when discussing the existence of the soul- scientific progress has removed the need to speak of a divine spark or soul in people and unanswered questions should not be filled with an unsubstantiated belief in God, but should be filled with trust that science is on the way to finding answers
What does Dawkins also believe about religious belief?
He also believes it is problematic for society:
-It causes war and conflict
-If holds back children- it is a form of child abuse because parents label their children before they can think for themselves
Problematic are those Christian’s who believe that evolution and the Big Bang did not happen and that the world was created literally as in the account of the book of Genesis: 6000 years ago, in 6 days and with species in their current form. There is so much evidence against this that for Dawkins it demonstrates their ignorance
What is the view that Christian belief should play no part in public life?
-Secular humanism is a term used for those who think that humans can live positive, good lives without religion. While not necessarily an organised group, humanists have come together to declare common values; those who are humanist hold the full range of views about secularism and secularisation
-Ultimately, however, most believe that Christian belief is personal and should play no part in public life
What are the arguments for faith schools?
-Only 1/3 of schools are faith schools, so families still have a choice
-Church attendance might be dropping but many more people still consider themselves Christian and should be allowed to reflect this in their educational choices
-All schools have mission statements and value systems of one sort or another so faith schools are no different from other schools
-It reflects diversity and tolerance- fundamental British values
-Pupils in faith schools are as diverse as the societies they exist in; they are not necessarily made up only of their faith background
What are the arguments against faith schools?
-It is labelling children from a young age
-The teaching of some areas, such as RE and science, might be subject to bias, especially in fundamentalist schools, possibly even leading to a risk of radicalisation
-Children in faith schools are not fully aware of the rest of secular society
-Faith schools might reflect some people’s narrow views of what religious people are like
-Faith should be something only taught by parents and religious communities
What are the arguments for and against the separation of government and state from religion?
-The UK historically has close ties between Christianity and the state. The Church of England is a national church and the King is it’s supreme governor
-Some bishop have automatic seats in the House of Lords. Some argue that these historic links should be separated because it would reflect the reality of twenty first century Britain
-Others believe that this is still representative of how the country is made up, and representatives from faith traditions outside the Church of England are now represented in the House of Lords as well
-The US and France are entirely separate church and state
-It has been argued that secularisation of state can lead to the censorship of certain approaches in favour of a different, non religious ideology, which is still itself an ideology: it could be argued that this led to fascism and communism
-A more balanced approach to secularism can celebrate all perspectives, including religious ones
-Some Christian’s would argue that the religion that Jesus founded was one where Christian’s spoke from within their secular context and worked together to promote the common good and to care for those in need
What are some accusations for whether Christianity is a more cause of personal and social problems?
-Christianity has been the cause of warfare when it has tried to gain supremacy over other traditions, such as in the crusades
-Christianity rejects the indisputable advances of science and holds society back- for example, in it’s beliefs about the soul
-Some ethical stances of Christian’s do not match with modern society, such as views about homosexuality
-Any absolutist approach to life is intolerant of the views of others and damaging to society; for example, in Christian views on euthanasia, which do not allow people the freedom to make their own choices about their own lives
-Christian’s can radicalise converts as much as any other religion
-Christianity is patriarchal and oppresses women
-Christianity promotes beliefs in things that hold people back from reality and stop personal development- for example, in beliefs about life after death
-Christianity (along with other institutions) has suffered from the child abuse scandal and has not reacted appropriately to accusations, suggesting that it thinks it is untouchable in some way
-Christian’s place their trust in a Bible that is outdated and which seems to condone practices like slavery
-Differing beliefs can divide families, perhaps when one member converts to Christianity
-Some Christian evangelists do so to earn money, not preach a faith
What does infantile mean?
Childish; for Freud, this referred to the earliest stage of a person’s development
What does neurosis mean?
A mental illness with symptoms of stress, such as anxiety and obsessive behaviour
