Secularism: concepts, history, and contemporary applications

Secularism is the separation of government from religion (Cliteur, 2010). It can work in two different ways. It can be used to keep religion out of the decisions the government makes, but it can also be used to keep government officials from making laws that harm religious organizations (Cliteur, 2010). Both of these are important, and many people prefer having a government that is secular. That allows more religious freedom for the country. It also keeps the government from stopping people who want to practice their religion. The International Bill of Human Rights implies that governments should promote and practice secularism (Cliteur, 2010). This does not mean that religion cannot matter to the people of a country, or that government officials cannot practice a religion. It simply means that the government - in making laws for the country - cannot use any religion to influence those decisions (Cliteur, 2010). Everyone should have the right to practice the religion they believe in, and not be afraid that they are breaking the law or getting into trouble because their beliefs might not be the same as the beliefs of another person.

One of the most important people in international law was Louis Henkin. He focused on this kind of law because he wanted to make sure that everyone was being treated fairly and that people were not being persecuted by government for their religious beliefs (Grimes, 2010). International law must be diplomatic, and diplomacy has to be logical. Religion is not considered to be logical, since much of religion is based on faith and emotion. There is nothing wrong with religion - but it does not have a place in international human rights. The creators of the IBHR believed that, as did Henkin. Of course, like religion, the information stated in the IBHR is open to interpretation. Unless something states directly that secularism must be used at all times and in all negotiations, an argument can be made that being secular is not required under the IBHR (Cliteur, 2010). However, a person has to look at the overall language of the document and the spirit in which the document was created in order to have clarity.

In short, the IBHR implies that governments all across the world should promote secularism in order to keep peace and understanding when negotiations take place between countries (Cliteur, 2010). However, nowhere does the IBHR insist that country's governments have to be secular in nature. That would intrude too strongly on the countries and whether they are allowed to govern themselves. While the IBHR is important, it is not a document designed to tell each country how it has to govern its people. Instead, the IBHR is about the rights of the people in those countries and how the governments work with one another when issues are handled that go across cultures and across borders (Cliteur, 2010). Henkin understood this, and worked tirelessly throughout the majority of his lifetime for human rights. Foreign policy and international law were the two biggest areas he focused on, because he saw how a lack of human rights laws was affecting countries and the people in them (Grimes, 2010).