 Secularity
is the state of being separate from
religion.
 E.g. the government of Canada is secular.
 The lines are sometimes blurred between secular
and religious activities:
 E.g. bathing and eating = secular, however both
can be sacramental in some religions. Prayer is
usually seen as religious (if it comes from a
particular religion), but meditation and
spirituality are not necessarily allied to any
religion.
 Secular
authority:
 Police, legal, military (separate from religion – not true
in all countries)
 Secular
education:
 Schools not run by religions
 Secular states:
 Countries that do not favour one religion
 Secular music:
 Music that is not meant for church use
 Secularism
– the belief
that religious ideas
should not be the basis
of politics; religion has
no place in public life.
 Secularism may be antireligious or may be
ambivalent to it.
 Historically, many
countries had a state
religion.
 Currently
only Christianity, Islam and Buddhism are
accepted as state religions.
 The
emergence of secularism has led to
disillusionment about mainstream religion
(religions that are accepted by society and
accommodate society in return, eg?)
 As mainstream religions are pushed out of public
life…
 Sects – sects are breakaway groups that are in
disagreement with the mainstream religion
society (e.g. FLDS).
 Note: the term sect in Hinduism does not have
these negative connotations – it implies devotion
to a particular god.
 Cults
– religious groups that are even more in
disagreement with society and mainstream
religions.
 The defining features of the cult worldview are:
 submission to leader (money?)
 polarized view
 conforming to the group, total dependence (e.g.
Branch Davidians, Heaven’s Gate)
 Fundamentalism
–movement began in the early
20thc (fundamental=well defined beliefs).
 Scholars
see this as a response to modern life
becoming more complex – cling to tradition and
answers – fundamentalism is linked to fear.
 In
N. America, Christian fundamentalism tends
to accompany conservative politics (re:
abortion, same sex marriage, militarism)
 Fundamentalists
have a literal approach to
scriptures (e.g. creationism) – very influential in
the US (and tends to be Protestant).
 Extremism
– activities (e.g. beliefs, actions)
that are out of the ordinary.
 How do you define “ordinary” objectively?
 extremism is subjective (e.g. pro-social
“freedom fighting” vs anti-social terrorism)
 label is not accepted by groups, it is applied
to them.
 Extremist movements almost always reflect
power imbalances in society
 used both by the dominant power and the
marginalized
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There are many examples of extremists – political and religious
(all religions, sadly)
Sometimes they are the dominant group (e.g. majority religion attacks
minorities) or the smaller group asserting power.
Hindu extremists attacking Muslims, Christians in India
Buddhist extremists attacking Muslims, Christians in
Bangladesh
Hamas in Palestine
Irish Republican Army/Orange Order
Tamil Tigers
Many separatists and nationalists throughout history (related
to politics, culture, religion, language, rights)
Taliban in Afghanistan
Ku Klux Klan
Army of God
Catholic Focus – Salt+Light TV
 Canada
is a secular state – religion is a personal
choice and is not a gov’t responsibility.
 Canadians have the right to choose to participate,
or not to
 This right is entrenched in the Canadian Charter
of Rights and Freedoms (1982)
 Fundamental freedoms:
 Conscience/religion
 Thought, belief, opinion
 Equal protection without discrimination (race,
origin, colour, religion, sex, age, ability)
 Freedom
of religion and separation of church
and state are not absolute in Canada
 The existence of a god is recognized in
important institutions (e.g. national anthem,
constitution)
 Faith groups are often invited to
ceremonially open and close government
events
 Catholic schools are constitutionally
protected in Ontario
 Rights and responsibility (TVO video)
 Religious
institutions have charitable status
 Supreme Court hears cases, upholds the right
of religions to govern themselves using their
own rules (e.g. same sex marriage)
 Laws against hate propaganda
 Sabbath observance
 Religious dress (provided it does not
interfere with safety)
 Refusal of medical care is a limitation, and
sometimes refusal to serve (e.g. printing
services)
 Islamism
is a set of ideologies that state that Islam
is “as much a political ideology as a religion”
 Some Islamists seek to:
Unite all Muslims in a pan-Islamic union
Eliminate non-Muslim influences (often through religious
policing and tight enforcement of Sharia)
 Bring Islam to its former glory, before Western influence –
with combination of religion and gov’t
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Starting in the 1970s, some of these organizations were
supported by the West
 e.g. US supported the Taliban in their conflict with
Russia, Israel supported Hamas because they were
preferable to other organizations.
 Another influence is oil nations (embargos based on US
support for Israel) and Saudi funding of Islamism.
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