Secularism Flashcards
Jose Casanova identifies 3 ways in which people talk about secularisation
1 The decline of belief and practice in modern society some suggest this is a normal universal, human development process
2 The privatization of religion… where religion should be private and should not be seen in public
3 The secular separation of spheres of state, economy, science, which are free from a religious institution
Pragmatic secularism
All religious views should be excluded from public institutions such as government, schools, and public events
Procedural secularism
Should not give preference to religion but treat it equally along with all other institutions
The secularisation thesis
The thesis that religion will progressively decline as democracy and technology advances
The secularisation thesis is controversial because:
1 Difficult to measure and define the ways people are told to become less religious
2 In some countries UK, Italy, Spain- religious institutions have authority and influence over the population
3 It is difficult to measure the level of religious commitment only from church attendance
Freud on religion:
1
2
3
1 Form of neurosis, both obsessive-compulsive disorders, and religious rituals are concerned with: purity, guilt, and repetition
2 Religious rituals and obsessive actions stem from an inner feeling of disorder and anxiety
3 Much of Freud’s research has been deemed unscientific
Freud on religion 4 5 6 7 8
4 Religion is a mass delusion
5 Religion is a product of wish fulfillment
6 Religion represses human desires
7 Religion provides information that is highly craved
8 Religion- infantile fears
Humanism
Is an umbrella term to describe people who believe that humans can live good and noble lives without the need for religion
Charles Taylor and subtraction stories
1
2
3
1 Too much importance to the individual and to his or her private experience. This is negative because it breaks down the communal aspect of society
2 Lack of belief in God is a place in western history. For the majority of the past, all over the world people have seen the divine as an essential part of life
3 Until we steer ourselves out of this secular phase of history, we will never be able to experience the fullness of life
Terry Eagleton
Surrogates for God
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
Secular
Worldly or non-religious
Secularisation
The process of making society more secular by removing the influence of religious institutions
Dawkins thinks that religious belief is problematic for society
It causes war and conflict
It holds back children - it is a form of child abuse because parents label their children before they can think for themselves
what percentage of relgious schools are there in the UK ?
33.3% or 1/3