Is secularism a Western invention? (Post by Khaled Diab) A good and timely read by Karen Armstrong. I agree with the thrust of her argument, that religion does not own a monopoly on violence, and she refers to many fascinating historical examples to back up her thesis. However, I have certain issues with some of the specifics: * Secularism is not Western: While the specific model of secularism developed in Europe is uniquely Western, saying that secularism is a Western invention is rather eurocentric. How about societies, like China or Japan, that never really had a centralised religious institution. I also believe that the early centuries of Islam were highly secularised, even the Caliph was a largely secular leader who used a sheen of divine selection to justify and legitimise his rule. This is not unusual in secular contexts. After all, Queen Victoria was the head of the Church of England and it was widely believed she had a divine right to rule over her subject, as did the British Empire possess a divine right to rule over subject peoples - yet few would contend that 19th century Britain was a theocracy. * Different varieties of separation: The separation of church and state is not the same as the separation of religion and politics. Early forms of European secularism sought to reduce the power and privilege of the Catholic Church, not to remove religion from politics. In fact, even after the Enlightenment, religion played a central role in politics, as (reformed) Christian morality and sensibilities continued to dictate politics and legislation. Religion only began to be significantly separated from politics when religion itself began to wither and die in Europe, though in places like the United States, Russia and Greece, it continues to play a huge role. * Fundamentalism has always existed. Modernisation, technological progress and the ascendancy of science (not to mention neo-liberal economics) have perhaps alienated more people than ever before, but this tension between the rational and the religious has been around for centuries, from the Christian mob murdering Hypatia in Alexandria to Ibn Taymiyyah, who lived during another bloody period of Middle Eastern history (the Mongol invasions), and is regarded as the spiritual father of modern Jihadism and Wahhabism. * While secularism can be as deadily or more so than religion, to my mind, it is not a question of secular v theocratic but tolerant v intolerant, and the acceptance or rejection of difference. Dogma (whether it is the elevation of the state or its official ideology) is the problem, not religion per se. * That said, one challenge facing religion that does not generally confront secularism is the notion of inviolability. While a worldly idea, once discredited, withers away, religious notions can live on despite enormous evidence to the contrary, owing to their perceived divine nature. This can seriously hold up reform. goo.gl/0qMynb
Posted on: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 06:07:14 +0000
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