Secularism

Religion and Social Policy

In this course, Dr Thomas Sealy (University of Bristol) explores religion and social change. In the first lecture, we think about what secularism is in the context of Western Europe and the United States. In the second lecture, we think about secularism in Western Europe specifically, looking at the role of religious organisations and moderate secularism. In the third lecture, we think about the ‘multicultural question’, which is concerned with the inclusion of multiple cultures and religions in a country. Next, we think about religious governance in India, Indonesia and Malaysia, to contrast with the discussions about Europe. In the fifth and final lecture, we summarise this course by looking at the governance of religious diversity around the world.

Secularism

In this lecture, we think about secularism, focusing in particular on: (i) the historical closeness of state and church in global Western states, which began to separate in the eighteenth century; (ii) political secularism being the pulling apart of political and religious spheres within a state; (iii) the contribution of capitalism and science in the removal of religion from aspects of political and social life in Western Europe; (iv) the first amendment of the United States constitution, adopted in 1791, which reads that congress will make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting its free exercise; (v) the first article in the 1905 French law on the separation of churches and state, which guarantees free exercise of religion; (vi) the second article in the 1905 French law on the separation of churches and state, which states that the republic does not recognise, pay or subsidise any religious sect; (vii) a contrast between the United States’ and the French implementations of religious freedom being akin to ‘of’ and ‘from’ respectively; (viii) understanding religious secularism to mean that religion is both separate and subordinate to state and political authority.