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George Holyoake: Prepared By: Mark Jason Gotas Stefaan Stoelen

The document discusses the rise of secularism and humanism during the Renaissance period. It traces the origins and key ideas of secularism, noting that secularism emerged as a quest for liberation from religious dogma and promotion of freedom, rationality, and scientific progress. Secularism seeks to separate religion and state so that neither dominates the other and ensures freedom of belief and equality for all. The document also defines humanism as promoting human well-being and advancement through reason rather than religious doctrine, and notes that secularism is not the same as atheism or humanism but provides a framework for a democratic society where people of all beliefs can coexist.

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71 views

George Holyoake: Prepared By: Mark Jason Gotas Stefaan Stoelen

The document discusses the rise of secularism and humanism during the Renaissance period. It traces the origins and key ideas of secularism, noting that secularism emerged as a quest for liberation from religious dogma and promotion of freedom, rationality, and scientific progress. Secularism seeks to separate religion and state so that neither dominates the other and ensures freedom of belief and equality for all. The document also defines humanism as promoting human well-being and advancement through reason rather than religious doctrine, and notes that secularism is not the same as atheism or humanism but provides a framework for a democratic society where people of all beliefs can coexist.

Uploaded by

Mark Jason Gotas
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Prepared by: Mark Jason Gotas

Stefaan Stoelen

The renaissance period remains, in the annals of history, the wake of a


significant paradigmatic shift from the tenets of supernaturalism to naturalism, theism
to humanism and fancies of the sacral to secularism.
Being a quest for liberation from the shackles of religious dogma and
superstitions, secularism sought to place humanity on the path of freedom, rational and
scientific progress. The wake of secularism saw the birth of secular state with
inherence of freedom of sorts, human rights and equality. For the purposes of clarity
and enlightenment, a more detailed exposition of secularism is apt.

George Holyoake
George Holyoake introduced the term in 1846, defining it as “best indicating that
province of human duty which belongs to this life.”
Given the increasing influence in public life of religions other than the
established Churches (of England and Scotland), a more accurate definition of
secularism today might be that it promotes the separation of religion and the state.

Secularism
In one sense, seclarism may assert the right to be free from religious rule and
teachings, and freedom from the government imposition of religion upon the people,
within a state that is neutral on matters of belief, and gives no state privileges or
subsidies to religions.
In another sense, it refers to the view that human activities and decisions,
especially political ones, should be based on evidence and fact unbiased by religious
influence.
In its essential sense, secularism denotes a set of notions and values whose
aim is to ensure that the state is neither engaged in promoting specific religious beliefs
and values, nor uses its powers and offices to persecute religion
The emerging concern of secular or scientific humanism was the shaping of
human life and society, according to reason instead of the discovery of God’s will. In
other words, it is:
The attempt to replace the traditional belief that the concept of
human person makes sense only within the context of talk about created
soul, a transcendental, divine order and faith, with the conviction that the
idea of persons is correctly to be understood within the context of reason,
freedom for self-creation and fundamental skepticism. (Routledge
Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 1998:529).
Prepared by: Mark Jason Gotas
Stefaan Stoelen

The Rise of Humanism


The 15th century Italian Renaissance of which trend of thought was mainly
homocentric, featured prominently the alliance of the papacy and the humanists. The
progress in arts and sciences glorified the natural and accentuated the human, thus
engendering decline of social responsibility and pioneering the failure of the Conciliar
movement for ecclesiastical reform and less allegiance to the papacy. The emergence
of secularism engendered and valorized the humanist consciousness. According to
Daniel Baril (2003):
Secularism is in fact an expression of humanism. Humanism, by
definition, promotes the wellbeing and advancement of human beings,
motivated solely by considerations of justice and equality, without reference
to any hypothetical divinity.

Secularism can be characterized as a political philosophy that addresses the


relationship between religions and the state. It holds that broadly:
- There should be separation of religion and the state;
- Everyone should be free to practice their faith, change it or not have one,
according to their conscience; and
- Any person’s religious beliefs or lack of them should not in itself put them at an
advantage or a disadvantage.

Central Ideas
Principles of secularism:
1. Separation of religious institutions from state institutions and a public sphere where
religion may participate, but not dominate.

2. Freedom to practice one's faith or belief without harming others, or to change it or


not have one, according to one's own conscience.

3. Equality so that our religious beliefs or lack of them doesn't put any of us at an
advantage or a disadvantage.
Prepared by: Mark Jason Gotas
Stefaan Stoelen

Key beliefs and practices:


 Separation of religion from state
It ensures religious groups don't interfere in affairs of state, and the state doesn't
interfere in religious affairs.

 Secularism protects both believers and non-believers


To ensure and protect freedom of religious belief and practice for all citizens.

 Religious Freedom
Ensures that the right of individuals to freedom of religion is always balanced by
the right to be free from religion.

 Secularism is about democracy and fairness


No religious or political affiliation gives advantages or disadvantages and
religious believers are citizens with the same rights and obligations as anyone
else.

 Equal access to public services


It is essential that these public services are secular at the point of use, so no-
one is disadvantaged or denied access on grounds of religious belief (or non-
belief).

 Secularism is not atheism


Atheism is a lack of belief in gods. Secularism simply provides a framework for a
democratic society.

 Secularism protects free speech and expression


Religious people have the right to express their beliefs publicly but so do those
who oppose or question those beliefs.
Prepared by: Mark Jason Gotas
Stefaan Stoelen

What Secularism is not


Secularism is not atheism:
Atheism is the belief that there is no God or gods. Secularist only need subscribe to the
view that religion should be separate from the state. You can be a secularist and hold
religious beliefs or you can be a secularist and be and atheist.

Secularism is not humanism:


Humanism is an ethical philosophy that addresses how to live “the good life” without
religion. You can be a humanist, an atheist and a secularist at the same time if you
choose, but they are not the same things

Secularism is the best chance we have to create a society in which people of all
religions or none can live together fairly and peacefully.
Prepared by: Mark Jason Gotas
Stefaan Stoelen

Notes:
On SECULARISM
1. Origin of the idea of the “secular”
-The popular idea is that the idea of the ‘secular’ emerged due to the emphasis on human reason and
creativity and freedom, a departure from the ‘religious’ conception of the world that supposedly bound
civilizations in ignorance and superstition.
-That the seeds of this began in the Renaissance (roughly 1350-1600), and on to the Enlightenment
(roughly 1600-1800).
-The Reformation (roughly 1517-1648) also contributed to this.
-That the lights of human reason and knowledge in the Renaissance and the Enlightenment chased
the dark ages of religious superstition.
-And so the idea of the secular, science, humanistic values, equality, rights, justice are said to be the
product of the renewed appreciation of the classical Greco-Roman world and upgraded by modernity.

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