Secularism is a term that describes a certain worldview that believes in the separation of church and state. The European Enlightenment gave birth to this secularism and the spread of secularism has had a variety of repercussions across the globe (Lavenda & Schultz, N.d.). As a result of a secularist perspective many nations have transformed their religious and political institutions to accommodate a more liberal viewpoint. Secularism has also been promoted as a way to protect both religious believers as well as non-religious believers (National Secular Society, N.d.). The idea is that if the country's instructions are secular in nature then this allows for an infinite number of different beliefs and provides an atmosphere of religious freedom. No religious or political affiliations give advantages or disadvantages and all citizens have equally protected freedoms.
Some people believe that this translates into a public sphere that is devoid of all religious symbols, practices, rituals, or anything else that a group with an opposing view might take offense to. This has acted to limited many religious practices to private environments. Furthermore, this trend has also spread through globalization as countries have begun to accept something of a global culture in business and other aspects to society (Taylor, N.d.). Many people believed that the spread of secularism would drive religion farther and farther out of societies across the global. However, this has not been the case. Religion has been a more prominent force in global relations in recent years and has made a resurgence since the initial spread of secularism and many refer to this trend as a post-secular period (Ferrara, 2012).
Works Cited
Ferrara, P. (2012). Globalization and Post-Secularism. Journal of Dialogue and Culture, 61-70.
Lavenda, R., & Schultz, E. (N.d.). Religion and Secularism. Retrieved from Oxford University Press: http://www.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780195189766/student_resources/Supp_chap_mats/Chap11/Religion_and_Secularism/
National Secular Society. (N.d.). What is Secularism? Retrieved from National Secular Society: http://www.secularism.org.uk/what-is-secularism.html
Taylor, C. (N.d.). Focus II Religion and Secularism. Retrieved from IWM: http://www.iwm.at/research/focus-ii/
