Secularism Flashcards
1
Q
different definitions of secularism
A
- Religion should not play a role in government or public life
- There should be no dominant religion in a state e.g. GB should not be a Xian country
- Religion should not have any power in a state
2
Q
2 types of secularism
A
procedural
programmatic
3
Q
procedural secularism
A
- There should not be a dominant religion upheld within the state
- Rowan Williams has shown that this type of secularism is preferable as he argued that it allows people to recognise the authority of their own RE beliefs and separately the authority of the state. It should be viewed as a ‘welcome challenge’ as it allows people to examine if they are truly Xian
- France – veering towards programmatic secularism in its banning of religious symbols
4
Q
programmatic secularism
A
- The state should be purely non-religious
- All RE views and ideas should not be found within any form of public life e.g. schools, major holidays, public places etc.
5
Q
secularism in GB general
A
- No longer have a strong Xian faith
- Religion’s duty to look after the poor has been largely replaced by the state
- Society is more economically, politically etc. complex and so less of a natural leaning towards RE for answers
6
Q
secularism in GB stats
A
- Amount of Church marriages has dropped by over a half
- Steve Bruce (sociologist of religion) – GB is religiously a shadow of its former self and he estimates that less than 10% of people will be Xian in the next few years
1. ‘In 1851 about half the population of Britain attended Church regularly. Now it is about 8%’ - 1963 – 80% religious, 2013 – 42%
7
Q
reasons for increasing secularism
A
- Religion is more private; people do not likely actively exploring it in a community
- We are busier; less time for institutionalised religion
- New ideas in science and psychology have challenged traditional beliefs in God
- Rise of other REs; people challenge their own faith a lot more
- RE brings harm to other people e.g. terrorism
- Secularisation thesis: sociologists view secularism as an inevitable feature of the rise of industrial society and the modernisation of culture. Technology has given people greater control (don’t need stability from God anymore). Secularisation is evidence of Max Weber’s ‘rationalisation of society’
- People are more consumerist; people are shopping for ‘spirituality’ that suits them, move away from structure of institutions.
8
Q
jose casonova 3 def of sec
A
- Had difficulty defining it, 3 interps:
1. Decline of religious belief and practice in modern society
2. Privatisation of religion
3. Secular separation of spheres of state, economy and science to be set free from any religious intervention e.g. state funded RCC schools
9
Q
jose casonova on sec
A
- Problem of definition leads people to q whether GB is secular
- How can you measure how religious someone is? E.g. some people don’t pray but don’t view themselves as Xian etc. or vice-versa
- Traditional Churches are perhaps being replaced by more popularist religious movements, popularity of mainstream RE is declining, but that ‘spirituality takes over from established religion’ – Shmuel Eisenstadt
- Less people are going to Church, but in the past people were forced to and perhaps didn’t want to – so are people simply more open about being non-religious now?
10
Q
humanism principles
A
- The view that people can live good lives without religion
- Amsterdam Declaration of 1952 (updated in 2002) stresses the 7 following statements:
1. Humanism is ethical
2. Humanism is rational
3. Humanism promotes democracy and human rights
4. Humanism insists that personal liberty must be linked to social responsibility
5. Humanism is a response to the call for an alternative to religion
6. Humanism appreciates artistic imagination and creativity
7. Humanism can lead to personal fulfilment
11
Q
humanism campaigns
A
schools and education
human rights and equality
secularism
public ethical issues
12
Q
humanism campaigns - schools and human rights
A
- Schools and education – evolution/creationism, RE, faith schools
♣ Aim for the UK to be secular state with no privilege or discrimination on grounds of religion or belief. The continuing religious discrimination in our state school system is therefore a concern
♣ Want humanism to feature on syllabus as non-RE way of life
♣ Education = key - Human rights and equality – rights of freedom of religion/belief/expression
♣ Respect freedom of religion as long as it doesn’t impinge on others’ lives
13
Q
humanism campaigns - secularism
A
- Secularism – need to remove bishops from house of Lords etc.
♣ Constitutional reform, in particular disestablishment of the Church of England and Church of Scotland and the end toBishops sitting as of right in the House of Lords
♣ No privileges for faith communities in their relationship with governmentor in state funding, and no legal recognition of any religious so-called ‘courts’ or ‘tribunals’
♣ An end to discrimination in public services either against employees or service users, including on the basis of religion or belief and sexual orientation
♣ An end to religious privilege in marriage laws, through the legalisation of humanist and same-sex marriage across the UK
♣ All national ceremonies equally inclusive of those of all faiths and none,for instance remembrance ceremonies
♣ An end to the state funding of religious schools, including schools’ ability to discriminate in admissions and employment on the basis of religion
♣ Inclusive assemblies in schools instead of mandatory religious Collective Worship
♣ Education about religions and non-religious worldviews in schools that is impartial, objective, fair, and balanced
♣ Fair and equal treatment of religious and non-religious perspectives in public broadcasting, including, for example, opening upThought for the Dayto humanist perspectives
♣ Theprovision of pastoral support for the non-religious, in particular inprisonsandhospitals
14
Q
humanism campaigns - public ethical issues
A
- Public ethical issues – e.g. abortion, organ donation, FGM
♣ We respect the right not to participate in some procedures of those holding religious beliefs about the sanctity of life and the limits of medical intervention. Equally, we deny them the right to impose their beliefs directly or indirectly on others.
15
Q
education and schools general
A
- Dawkins is a huge critic of faith schools. Also views religious fundamentalism as subverting science
- British humanist society has campaigned against schools with a religious character as they argue that they segregate children into different groups and they promote tolerance
16
Q
arguments for religious schools
A
- Xian churches gave an education to children long before society did. There is thus a deep-rooted link between Xianity and education in the UK (‘heritage argument’)
- Churches built schools for the poor in England, cannot take these schools from the Church
- Many parents want their children to have a religion based education
- Faith schools offer distinctive education based on spiritual and moral values that enhance society
- Faith schools can support social cohesion
Prof Leslie Francis of Warwick Uni has conducted to show that young people educated in Xian schools are no less open than those in secular schools
17
Q
arguments against RE schools
A
- They create isolated communities, will lead to lack of integration
- May not teach science properly
- May lead children into radicalisation
May not teach about other religions
18
Q
government and state
A
- Separation of gov and state seen in USA, Turkey and France (laïcité)
- Debate about religious symbols at the moment
- Church of England is the national Church and the Queen is the Supreme Governor. 26 CofE bishops sit in the House of Lords and all citizens can have Xian funerals etc.
- National Secularist Society has argued that we need to remove religious involvement but others have argued this robs England of its historical background and is anti-democratic
- Procedural secularism seems better, allows for Church and society to debate together
- Prince Charles said he would rather be known as ‘Defender of Faith’ rather than ‘Defender of the Faith’ because he was concerned ‘about the inclusion of other people’s faiths and their freedom to worship in this country’
19
Q
god as illusion - Philip pulman
A
- Philip Pulman
o ‘I think it’s perfectly possible to explain how the universe came about without bringing God into it’
o ‘I don’t profess any religion; I don’t think it’s possible that there is a God’
20
Q
god as illusion - Steven weinberg
A
- Weinberg
o ‘The world needs to wake up from its long nightmare of religious belief’
