Position that religion should not influence civic and state affairs
Not to be confused with Laicism, Laicity, or Laicization.
Not to be confused with Irreligion, Secularity, or Secularization.
Freedom of religion
Concepts
Laicism
Religious discrimination
Religious censorship
Religious liberty
Religious pluralism
Secularism
Separation of church and state
Anti-clericalism
School prayer
Catholic priests in public office
Confessionalism
Theocracy
State religion
Secular state
Confessional state
Atheist state
Status by country
Africa
Algeria
Angola
Benin
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
Comoros
DR Congo
Egypt
Mauritania
Morocco
South Africa
Sudan
Tanzania
North and South America
Brazil
Canada
Colombia
Ecuador
Guyana
Panama
Paraguay
United States
Asia
Afghanistan
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Bangladesh
Bhutan
Brunei
Cambodia
China
Cyprus
Northern Cyprus
Georgia
India
Indonesia
Japan
Kazakhstan
Laos
Malaysia
Maldives
Mongolia
Myanmar
Nepal
North Korea
Pakistan
Philippines
Russia
Singapore
South Korea
Sri Lanka
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Thailand
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan
Vietnam
Europe
Albania
Andorra
Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Belgium
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Northern Cyprus
France
Georgia
Germany
Hungary
Italy
Montenegro
North Macedonia
Norway
Romania
Russia
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Turkey
Ukraine
United Kingdom
Middle East
Bahrain
Egypt
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Oman
Palestinian territories
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Syria
UAE
Yemen
Oceania
Australia
Topical
Apostasy in Islam by country
Blasphemy laws by country
Female genital mutilation laws by country
Legal aspects of ritual slaughter
Religious male circumcision
Religious persecution
Traditional African religions
Atheism
Baháʼí Faith
Buddhism
Christianity
Christophobia
post–Cold War era
Catholicism
Catholic Church
Mormonism
Jehovah's Witness
Eastern Orthodox Christianity
Oriental Orthodox Christianity
Protestantism
Falun Gong
Hinduism (Hinduphobia)
Islam
Sunni
Shi'a
Ahmadiyya
Alevism
Sufis
Islamophobia
Judaism
Antisemitism
Anti-Judaism
Religious antisemitism
New religious movements
Christian countercult movement
Neopaganism
Rastafari
Zoroastrianism
Religion portal
v
t
e
Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on naturalistic considerations, uninvolved with religion.
Secularism is most commonly thought of as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state and may be broadened to a similar position seeking to remove or to minimize the role of religion in any public sphere.[1] The term "secularism" has a broad range of meanings, and in the most schematic, may encapsulate any stance that promotes the secular in any given context.[2][3] It may connote anti-clericalism, atheism, naturalism, non-sectarianism, neutrality on topics of religion, or the complete removal of religious symbols from public institutions.[4]
Secularism can be also defined as treating every religion equally and providing equal facility.
As a philosophy, secularism seeks to interpret life based on principles derived solely from the material world, without recourse to religion. It shifts the focus from religion towards "temporal" and material concerns.[5]
There are distinct traditions of secularism in the West, like the French, Benelux-German, Turkish, and American models, and beyond, as in India,[4] where the emphasis is more on equality before law and state neutrality and equidistance from all religions rather than a complete blanket separation. The latter in the case of India, is termed as interventionist secularism, wherein the state intervenes to abolish practices of religion which it considers against constitutional principles.[6] The purposes and arguments in support of secularism vary widely, ranging from assertions that it is a crucial element of modernization, or that religion and traditional values are backward and divisive, to the claim that it is the only guarantor of free religious exercise.
^Luke W. Galen. The Nonreligious: Understanding Secular People and Societies. Oxford University Press, 2016. p. 22-23
^Bullivant, Stephen; Lee, Lois, eds. (2016). "Secularism". A Dictionary of Atheism. Oxford University Press.
^John R. Shook, The Oxford Handbook of Secularism. Oxford University Press, 2017. p. 10
^ abHashemi, Nader (2009). "Secularism". In Esposito, John L. (ed.). The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195305135.
^Roznai, Yaniv (June 7, 2017). "Negotiating the Eternal: The Paradox of Entrenching Secularism in Constitutions". Michigan State Law Review. 253. Social Science Research Network: 324. SSRN 2982275. Archived from the original on August 22, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2022., citing Domenic Marbaniang
^Madra, Aysel (2015). "Interventionist Secularism: A Comparative Analysis of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (1923–1928) and the Indian Constituent Assembly (1946–1949) Debates". Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. 54 (2): 222–241. doi:10.1111/jssr.12192.
Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on naturalistic considerations, uninvolved with religion. Secularism is most commonly...
Jewish secularism refers to secularism in a Jewish context, denoting the definition of Jewish identity with little or no attention given to its religious...
promotion of any religion. Officially, secularism has always inspired modern India. However, India's secularism does not completely separate religion and...
Laïcité ([la.i.si.te]; 'secularism') is the constitutional principle of secularism in France. Article 1 of the French Constitution is commonly interpreted...
Secularism—that is, the separation of religion from civic affairs and the state—has been a controversial concept in Islamic political thought, owing in...
In Turkey, secularism or laicism (see laïcité) was first introduced with the 1928 amendment of the Constitution of 1924, which removed the provision declaring...
Bangladesh, secularism is mentioned in the preamble as one of the fundamental principles of Bangladeshi law. Article 8 enshrines secularism as one of the...
Secularism in Iran was established as state policy shortly after Rezā Shāh was crowned Shah in 1925. He made any public display or expression of religious...
of Medina. But at the same time, the Constitution of Bangladesh calls secularism one of the four fundamental principles of the original Constitution of...
Secularism in Nigeria is a legal and constitutional principle that states that the government of Nigeria and its states shall not adopt any religion as...
Secularism in Israel shows how matters of religion and how matters of state are related within Israel. Secularism is defined as an indifference to, rejection...
which Pakistan was founded, was largely based on Muslim nationalism. Secularism in Pakistan went from being a matter of practice in law by the Government...
society; and any concept or ideology promoting the secular may be termed secularism, a term generally applied to the ideology dictating no religious influence...
Tajikistan is secular by law. The Constitution states, "religious associations shall be separate from the state and shall not interfere in state affairs...
J. (1896). The Origin and Nature of Secularism. London: Watts & Co., p. 50. "Secularism 101: Defining Secularism: Origins with George Jacob Holyoake"...
church and state in the United States have defined modern concepts of secularism, the United States of America being the first explicitly secular government...
Secularism in Tunisia is an ideological and political movement aiming at defining the relationship between religion and state and the place of religion...
a growing number of Lebanese citizens, advocates for a shift towards secularism within the national government. In April 2010, Laïque Pride, a secular...
a wide diversity of groups and beliefs. Nepal is a secular nation and secularism in Nepal under the Interim constitution (Part 1, Article 4) is defined...
modernisation has increased, it has brought along with it an increase in secularism. In urban areas, the switch to more western dress such as miniskirts and...
strengthen the parliament at the cost of the presidency, and realize secularism by abolishing Islamic jurisprudence as a source of legislation. In the...
Secularism in the Philippines concerns the relationship of the Philippine government with religion. Officially the Philippines is a secular state, but...
Protestant areas of the former states of Prussia were much more affected by secularism than predominantly Catholic areas. The predominantly secularised states...
Egypt's first experience of secularism started with the British Occupation (1882–1922), the atmosphere which allowed the protection of debate. In this...
position. Kurdistan has been referred to as "the last safe haven for secularism" in a region rife with religious extremism. In 2012, the semi-autonomous...
perspectives, including atheism, agnosticism, skepticism, rationalism, and secularism. These perspectives can vary, with individuals who identify as irreligious...
Religion in Italy has been historically characterised by the dominance of the Catholic Church since the East–West Schism, but, over the years, due to immigration...
fastest-growing 'religion' in England and Wales". The Conversation. "Secularism". Humanists UK. Retrieved 29 September 2020. Martyn Percy, "With the Church...
Global Information