Author: Dr. Fazl Ahmad Ahmadi
An inquiry into Secularism (Part Three)
2. The Emergence of Secularism
Secularism can be considered a radical social reaction in the 16th century against the authority of the church and the distorted teachings of Christianity. Although the church began its work with sincerity and was initially promoted as a moral, disciplinary, familial, scientific, and international system, it entered a period of political decline and severe moral corruption in the early 14th century. This decline set the stage for a significant social revolt against it. Many believe that this decline had two main causes: one was the inability of Christian teachings to address the needs and issues of the time, and the other was the desire for power, fame, and accumulation of wealth among monks and priests.
In other words, secularism, which is a type of political ideology, is rooted in natural ethics and is not based on revelation and supernatural matters. This political and philosophical system was first officially introduced by George H. J. Holyoke and entered political literature in England around 1846. Since then, it has been regarded as one of the ideas with many followers.
At the same time, the term “secularism” in Western countries is associated with the Protestant religion, while in countries with a Catholic background, it is interpreted as “Laicism.” These two terms— the first familiar to French speakers and the second to English speakers— are distinct from each other. Secular thinking considers religion to be worldly and corrupt, and secular logic is based on the separation of religion from politics.
Today, a secular individual or entity has no connection to or interest in spiritual and religious matters, deriving all its needs from empirical sciences, the material world, and reason based on self-evidence.
Regarding secularism, it can be said that it is a trend promoting the elimination, neglect, or marginalization of the role of religion in various areas of human life. In this sense, secularism is one of the civilizational characteristics of modernity and forms a significant component of Western thought. Proponents of secularism consciously and willfully seek to reject all forms of belief in supernatural affairs, advocating for non-religious and even anti-religious principles as the basis for personal ethics and social organization. According to some secularists, a person cannot only plan his worldly affairs independently of religion, but he should avoid doing so based on philosophical considerations.
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