What is “secularism”?
From Wikipedia:
العِلمانية (بالإنجليزية: Secularism) تعني اصطلاحاً فصل الدين والمعتقدات الدينية عن السياسة والحياة العامة، وعدم إجبار الكل على اعتناق وتبني معتقد أو دين أو تقليد معين لأسباب ذاتية غير موضوعية
A secular state also claims to treat all its citizens equally regardless of religion, and claims to avoid preferential treatment for a citizen from a particular religion/nonreligion over other religions/nonreligion.
Among the first to delineate the nature of a secular society, D. L. Munby characterizes a secular society as one which:
- Refuses to commit itself as a whole to any one view of the nature of the universe and the role of man in it.
- Is not homogenous, but is pluralistic.
- Is tolerant. It widens the sphere of private decision-making.
- While every society must have some common aims, which implies there must be agreed on methods of problem-solving, and a common framework of law; in a secular society these are as limited as possible.
- Problem solving is approached rationally, through examination of the facts. While the secular society does not set any overall aim, it helps its members realize their aims.
- Is a society without any official images. Nor is there a common ideal type of behavior with universal application.
Meshx86
February 8, 2011 @ 2:41 pm
but what if there is a ________that actually is a very good manual or “how to” guide to handle politics, economics and every day life issues, plus, it doesn’t force others to believe in it, unless of course they are persuaded.
fill in the blank;
if it was created by human (who are well known to commit mistakes) and regardless was it chaotically random or structurally organized or something in between; then it will be accepted
but if it was made by the creator of all creatures and the founder of the universe, then people are touchy about that..
wa 3ajabi..
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Haitham
February 8, 2011 @ 5:13 pm
But for the records Roba, this is a very limited definition of secularism :) it is more like political secularism. You can use this term to refer to the separation between religion and any other human activity.
Btw, most of the characteristics mentioned by this guy are based on a conventional and limited perspective on the society.
Don Cox
February 8, 2011 @ 6:13 pm
“but what if there is a ________that actually is a very good manual or “how to” guide to handle politics, economics and every day life issues,”
There is no such book, nor could there be.
Take economics. Economists differ greatly among themselves, and the subject is constantly evolving. Nobody knows exactly or for certain what is the best way to increase prosperity and reduce unemployment. There is no simple “how to” book in which a country’s Finance Minister can find the answers.
Devil's Mind
February 8, 2011 @ 9:07 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2Kh-xzerjE&NR=1
Check above link, for Obama speaking about secularism (in a limited sense).
Meshx86
February 9, 2011 @ 7:32 am
@Don Cox
not finding one doesn’t necessarily conclude it does not exist, it might be just there, but people are not seeking it..
khalid jarrar
February 9, 2011 @ 12:51 pm
Roba,
Truth is, secularism is a religion just as much as any other religion is a religion, and people who are very enthusiastic about it, are as extreme as extreme religous people, as oppressive to religious people and their rights of practise their faith as secularists portray themselves oppressed in countries that are enthiusiastic about realigion.
Honestly, i myself suffer from the dictatorism of secularism.
Sometime i would like to discuss this with you thoroughly!
Roba
February 9, 2011 @ 1:05 pm
Khalid, I am sure you aware that I am not talking about lack of religion when I speak about secularism. I am talking about separation of church and state. You could be a secular person yet religious. It is a personal choice, in the end. The idea of secularism is that you treat everyone equally, regardless of what religion (or lackthereof) they believe in.
The whole point of it is to protect religious minorities. We don’t have that issue in Jordan, because we are very tolerant when it comes to religion, but look at Lebanon for example. It’s a disaster there with this.
Would be happy to discuss it with you.
khalid jarrar
February 9, 2011 @ 3:01 pm
oh Roba, more added points to the length of our discussion to be :)
But see, i have one comment here:
” I am talking about separation of church and state. You could be a secular person yet religious”
only, only, in the sense that can be religious and tba9bi9 3ala kol il banat fishari3, and you can be religious and still smoke, and you can be religious and deal with riba, etc… these are “cans” that come as a matter of reality of people today, but not in the sense of its being possible or correct in anyways religion wise.
you can not, in any islamically-true way, be religious and seculor.
Says three different Ayat:
و من لم يحكم بما انزل الله فؤلئك هم الكافرون
ومن لم يحكم بما أنزل الله فأولئك هم الظالمون
ومن لم يحكم بما أنزل الله فؤلئك هم الفاسقون
Roba
February 10, 2011 @ 11:04 am
Thank you for the clarification Khalid.
Devil's Mind
February 10, 2011 @ 9:28 pm
” I am talking about separation of church and state. You could be a secular person yet religious” – The idea of a secular person and ‘secularism’ in its political sense are different.
You cannot be a ‘secular person’ yet religious, this doesn’t make sense. You can be religious yet support political secularism, or just secularism for short. However, my personal understanding (I am not a Muslim, nor am I knowledgeable about Islam) is that Islam is incompatible with secularism, because of the quotes from the Qur’an that Khalid provided above, and similar verses.
Islam (AFAIK) unlike any other religion that I know of, does present itself as a political system among other things.
However, it is non-sense to call secularism a religion. Atheism might be called a religion (depending on which definition you take for the concept of religion), but there is no definition of religion in which secularism is a religion.
Meshx86
February 11, 2011 @ 12:09 am
Java is a religion is not a programming language lol
Faris
February 12, 2011 @ 12:33 am
Secularism is just a solution to let superstitious ppl live together peacefully.
Secularism is Not a religion i dont know how come you say that!!!
The problem is “Religion” itself , specially which demands to be in command. Which, obviously, raises BIG problems among divers communities which usually resort to killing, chopping heads, bombing, burning alive ..etc
Non-believers humanist came out with secularism with respect to Paine’s right as a peaceful humanist solution for the sake of non-humanist ppl.
Personally, im a humanist and think that secularism is good solution for religious ppl!
cheerz : )