The Challenge of Secularism Flashcards
Secularism
a term that is used in different ways
1. it may mean a belief that religion should not be involved in the gov. or public life
2. or it may mean that no one religion should have a superior position in the state
Secularisation
a theory developed in the 50s&60s that argues that religious belief would progressively decline as democracy and technology advanced
Secular
not connected or associated with religious or spiritual matters. historically the term was used to distinguish priests who worked in the world (secular priests) from those who belonged to religious communities such as monastries
What is wish fulfilment and who came up with it?
Freud
this is the satifcation of a desire through a dream or other exercise of the imagination
How has the role of religion in Britain changed in recent years?
Christianity used to pervade British culture
start of the 20thC 80% of UK marragies were saemnised in a church, by the end of the 20thC it was 40%
How does Bruce descibe Christianity in Britain?
describes Christianity in Britain as a pale shadow of its former self
within a few years, he thinks that the total Christian memebership will have dropped below 10% of the total pop.
What does Cassanova say the three ways people talk about secularisation are?
- decline of religious belief and practice in modern society
- the privatisation of religion
- the secular separation of spheres of state, economy, science, which are set free from religious institutions
What are the different understandings of what it means for Britain to be ‘secular’?
- if it refers to a decline in religious belief then it is secular- 2014 British Social Attitudes survey- more people claim to be non-religious than Christian
- if it refers to keeping religion out of public life and culture then it may not be secular because major national events involve religions and religious organisations that are permitted to support public services
What three thinkers believed that religion is the creation of the human mind?
- Marx
- Freud
- Dawkins
Why is it too simplistic to argue that the world is secularising?
- vast amjority of the world pop. still claim adherence to a religion
- there has been an upsurge in religious adherence in former soviet countries due to the decline of communisim
- UK- immigration has brought new religious populations
- religion is now more prominent in the media than in recent decades
Taylor
in our secular age, the presumption that a gov. will be Christian, and so will the state and people within it, has been replaced with a plural religious situation
Einstadt
- describes the present time as one that percieves ‘multiple modernities’ where there is a diversity of social patterns with many secularities
- the assumption that countries would follow the Western Europe model of modernisation is mistaken
According to Freud, how does religion repress human desires?
through the commandments as they emphasise that we should not kill, steal, commit adultery and so on
According to Freud, what are the problems with claims made in the name of religion?
“the proofs they have left us are set down in writings which themselves bear every mark of untrast worthlessness. they are full of contradictions, revisions and falsifications”-Freud
What is Dawkins view of religion and why?
he thinks that life should be meaningful without reference to religion. he believes that religion is repressive and dims our view of the world while also causing conflict
According to Dawkins what is the difference between religion and science?
while religion narrows our perception, science widens it
What evidence does Dawkins provide that religion is harmful for children?
he argues that bringing up a child as a Catholic is a form of long term psychological abuse
What is Merchant’s view on religion?
- there is compelling evidence for positive medical and psychological benefits arising from beliefs
- ‘feeling part of something bigger may help us not only deal with life’s daily hasseld but to defuse our deepest source of angst: knowledge of our own morality’
How do Merchant’s views differ from Freud’s?
Freud sees religion as unhealthy as it is just a source that helps people give their life meaning
Whereas, Merchant sees religion as benefiting people medically and psychologically
What does secularism in France look like?
- the absence of church (or religion) in government and state
- it resulted in the removal of state-funded Christian schools
- it has also led to the French gov. banning people from wearning religious symbols and clothing in public spaces
How does the Netherlands form of secularisation differ from the French?
- Netherlands adopted a policy of pillarisation
- society was divided vertically into different Christian denominations- each denomination had its own newspapers, political parties, trade unions, schools, unis, etc
- whereas France has not religon connected to the state
What is the Ewida vs UK case?
- Ewida was a Christian who worked at BA and was asked to cover her cross necklace as it went against the dress code
- she refused and was put on unpaid leave
- in the end BA decided they would allow empoyees to wear a symbol of faith on a lapel pin or chain
What is the Lee vs McAurthur & others case?
- Lee was a gay activist who ordered a cake from Ashers decorated with the words ‘support gay marriage’
- the owners of the buiness refused to make the cake as they were Christian
- Lee sued them under equality legeslation
- the McAuthurs lost the case and had to pay Lee £500
Why does the British Humanist Association dissagree with faith schools?
- they’re not inclusive
- the state should not give schools permission to recruit pupils on the basis of religion
- they argue that segregating chrildren into different religious groups, created a sense that people of different religions live parallel lives
What is Dawkins view on faith schools?
doesn’t agree with them because he suggests that religious fundamentalism subverts science, replacing an evidence based approach to understanding the world with superstition
Collins
at uni he described himself as an athiest but after exploring the arguments for and against God in cosmology he re-examined his beliefs and became a Christian
Taylor
- every person should be recognised for their particular identity rather than living in a way that leads to a loss of distinctiveness
- no culture, including an athiest one, should impose itself on others
Conroy
religious schools perform a ‘liminal function’ that serves to test the perspective of human flourishing that is offered by the liberal democratic state in state run schools
