What is Secularism?

In a world of religious privelege and divinely-warranted prejudice, Secularism is the uphill struggle of those who recognise its benefits to the equality and welfare of society.

The fight for secularism is often misconceived as an attack on religion, and many see it as the atheists' attempt to cut down religious freedom and rights. However, it is actually an attack on inequality, promoting both the freedom of religion and the freedom from religion.

So, what does all of this mean?

It means that governments should not endorse any particular religion or belief system, and this is called the 'separation of church and state'. In a secular society, government prioritises human rights, freedom of speech and equality. The government does not encroach on anybody's religious beliefs, so long as those beliefs do not encroach on the rights of others.

A trip to the supermarket is a secular experience. If religious passages were printed on the receipts and staff wished you blessings from God, it would not be secular. It would also not be secular if the receipts were printed with "there is no God" and members of staff promoted atheism. Secularity is religious neutrality which means it is neither against or for religion.

Take the example of a Christian prayer scheduled into a state-held event. Some Christians may argue that this does not infringe on anybody's rights, however if the same event held a Muslim prayer or Atheist speech, there would likely be an uproar. Secularism says that no prayers should be scheduled in a state-held event, because otherwise it is an endorsement of one particular religion and therefore exclusion of everybody else. If no favouritism is given, everyone is still free to believe as they wish, and nobody is excluded.

Chief Executive of the British Humanist Society Andrew Copson can be seen in this video debating the issue of council-held prayers:

So, why is this so important?

Religious favouritism can cause damage to societies, especially when government begins introducing religious teaching into legislation. For example, many Islamic countries integrate teachings from the Qu'ran into their legislation, such as punishment for apostasy, nationalised gender inequality, and many laws which without a supposed divine warrant would seem barbaric. If such governments were instead based on the kind of secularity we're fighting for, laws would not be based on scrolls or ancient teachings, and would likely support a more equal and accepting society based on human rights. Muslims would be free to believe as they wish, so long as their beliefs didn't affect the rights of others. Women would no longer be punished for not covering their skin, religious beliefs could be freely expressed without institutionalised persecution, and more humane and rational laws would be formulated.

In the UK, Christianity currently stands in the way of a secular society, as government gives it special priveleges. For example, religious leaders, mainly Christian, are seated in the House of Lords, which is a policy-shaping power in the UK government. Christian website churchofengland.org states:

      "26 bishops of the Church of England sit in the House of Lords. Known as the Lords Spiritual, they read prayers at the start of each daily meeting and play a full and active role in the life and work of the Upper House."

In the spirit of equality, if there are 26 bishops seated in the House of Lords, there should also be 26 Rabbis, 26 Imams, 26 Hindu leaders etc. etc. etc. - even 26 atheists, 26 agnostics, 26 deists and on and on and on! This is only fair, however if there were this many religious figures in the House, there would barely be room for anyone else. The secular view is that nobody should be chosen for the House of Lords only for their religious affiliation and status, especially when only one religion is represented!


Other issues faced by UK secularists are:

• Faith schools - the brainwashing of children, as paid for and encouraged by government!
• Discrimination of and by religious people in workplaces and public service 
• LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) rights - many religious beliefs are opposed to homosexual, bisexual and transexual lifestyles, but secularism believes in equal rights for all.
• Freedom of expression - criticism of religion is often labelled as racism or prejudice, however religions are all based on beliefs and ideologies and are therefore open to criticism and analysis as much as political beliefs and ideologies. Criticism of people is wrong, but criticism of an idea is not.
• Inhumane animal slaughter - religious views on the way in which to kill animals before eating them can oppose the accepted, humane technique of stunning.
• Global issues such as theocratic dictatorships, child abuse, persecution of women and many more.

These issues are subject to rigorous campaign from such societies as the NSS. Their aims can be found on secularism.org.uk, which states:


      "The National Secular Society campaigns for the separation of religion and state and promotes secularism as the best means to create a society in which people of all religions or none can live together fairly and cohesively. The NSS sees secularism - the position that the state should be separate from religion - as an essential element in promoting equality between all citizens."

Join the National Secular Society (as I recently have), and become part of the movement!
http://www.secularism.org.uk/join-and-renew.html



Thanks for reading