secularism Flashcards
faith schools AGAINST
- National Foundation for Educational Research found that there is no evidence that increasing the number of faith schools will improve achievement.
- minority religions get a small handful of schools
- culture and beliefs can be transmitted at home, not the job of schools to instil religious belief
faith stats
7.4% of adults go to church on a sunday.
no religion increasing by 25% to 37%
46% of pop are christian identifying.
muslims are 6.5%
dawkins
- The God Delusion
- concerned that teaching children “from their earliest years, that unquestioning faith is a virtue”
- religion is dangerous eg 9/11
BUT patriotism can be too (kamikaze etc) - “i am against religion as it teaches us to be satisfied with not understanding the world” - links to Auguste Comte
- faith and science are opposed, faith = suspension of critical facilities, science = investigation, logic, evidence
- religion uses an “archaic dialect”, imposing outdated ideas (comte)
- highlights “biblical ignorance” where 2/3 of people didnt know who preached the Sermon on the Mt
- claims there is “not the smallest evidence” that atheism systematically influences people to do bad things.
- god is “petty, unjust, unforgiving control freak”
“capriciously malevolent bully” - teaching children religion is a “vile child abuse” as they do not know political beliefs so how are they supposed to know their place in the cosmos
- hell houses
charles taylor
The Politics of Recognition
- there should be a recognition that societies are increasingly multicultural and each person should be recognised for this, rather than living in a way that leads to a loss of distinctiveness
religion present in the uk
- 26 bishops in the HOL
- 9/14 voted against the Marriage (same-sex couples) Act in 2013 in the HOL
- the monarch is the Head of CofE and Defender of the Faith (Fidei Defensor)
- Chief Rabbi in HOL
- tony blair said ‘we don’t do religion’ to ensure questioning stayed away
- however, King Charles said that he would like to become ‘Defender of Faith
religion present in france
- laicite, no overt religious symbols in public spaces
- good considering France’s history of religious domination
+ maintains neutrality and equality in public spaces
+ prevents unrepresentative influence in politics
- however can be seen to limit individual expression
- exclusionary and marginalises = can be seen to be disproportionately affect muslims
religion present in the usa
- The Establishment Clause in the First Amendment = separated church and state
Rowan Williams
- former Archbishop of Canterbury
- distinguishes between programmatic and procedural secularism
- BOOK Secularism, Faith and Freedom
- thinks ‘neutrality’ is false as it silences certain voices in favour of a particular ideology which claims to be neutral
- argues for procedural as it ensures a “crowded and argumentative” public square where people can manage real differences
Freud
- illusion
not a delusion. is ultimately incompatible with reality - wish-fulfilment
there is no evidence yet sensible people believe. - infantile neurosis
“infant’s helplessness and longing for the father” - rituals are obsessive
critique of programmatic
- losing belief in god does not necessarily result in good behaviour. eg many communist regimes have been atheist (BUT COUNTER atheism is still theocracy)
- Freud admits in ‘The Future of Illusions’ that religion is not simply a “security blanket” but has been a vehicle for social change
critique of dawkins
- faith is not necessarily unreasonable - many intelligent philosophers and mathmeticians are theists. also rational arguments eg cosmological, teleological, ontological arguments.
- Plantinga - evolution alone cannot explain everything eg why we are able to find out that water is H2o or that black holes might exist
- religion is not uniquely dangerous eg kamikaze fighters and stalin’s russia
- science is not all good, has created WMDs and been a tool for war, persecution and genecide.
Secular Humanism
- all those who believe humans can live good and noble lives according to reason, without the need for religion.
- 1952 Amsterdam Declaration outlines the inherent dignity, autonomy and equality of all humans
Andrew Copson
freedom comes form secularism, to protect individuals.
creates peace and prevents sectarianism
John Rawls
‘veil of ignorance’ - if we had no knowledge of our own characteristics or beliefs, we would form an egalitarian government.
= rawls illustrates that an ideal society would uphold inclusivity and equality.
- rawls was not keen on religion but was neutral
Auguste Comte
- society should advance to modern secular systems and leave behind theism that has only provided foundations.
supports programmatic
Terry Eagleton
- religion is meaningful as it addresses deep spiritual questions that humans hold.
- religion can provide ethical guidance, purpose and community which sustains cultural and moral cohesion
- rigid implementation of secularism is “largely doomed” as it cannot replace what religion captures
critiques programmatic
Habermas
- christian ethics have played a foundational role in shaping human rights and democracy which underpin modern secular societies.
- christianity advocates for equality, inclusion and peace.
- attacks programmatic perspectives as one-dimensions as they miss the principles of christianity entirely (particularly dawkins)
Bonhoeffer
- there is no seperation of private life and public life, christians should involve themselves in the public arena
- three step approach a) question the state, b) bandage wounds, c) drive a spoke in the wheel itself
- however his end goal was to implement “christ in the reality of the world” = this may not be the most inclusive system
politicians
- JFK promised to keep his catholic faith out of presidential decisions
- Obama admitted it would influence his decisions
- Blair commented that he does “not do religion”
- May said her faith helped her in decision making
John Hull
faith schools are positive as they prevent identities and cultures from disappearing
McGrath
- acknowledges Dawkins is right to expose religious violence (McGrath grew up in Northern Ireland)
Richard Layard
“religion has enormous value as a way of promoting values of gratitude, acceptance etc”
