Advantages Of Secularism

Secular State: Advantages and Difficulties in Manifested

What is the first thinking you have when you heard the world secularism? What is the first impression you get? As many people stand unable to answer, many others directly think about atheism. This is because they know little fact about secularism, which is that it has something to do “against” religions, so they tend not to distinguish it from the known concept that faces religions in their mind, atheism. This popular kind of thinking cannot be more wrong. Secularism and atheism are different concepts and sometimes even opposites. However, this misconception comes from the wrong use of secularism which is indeed, based on a misunderstanding. A broad definition of secularism could be that

The model of secularism presented by the western states makes us really looking only at the benefits of the secularism, since everyone can notice how much these countries have developed during the past two centuries and how much they are advanced comparing to the non-western states, which are not usually secular like Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. However, once we analyse the situation carefully, we can easily know that secularism faces some serious difficulties in these countries. In fact, facing religions and religious people with the decision of putting them away from political power, is always a challenging task. The history of secularism in western countries presented some serious conflicts between the church, which was the dominant religious power in Europe that time, and the state seeking to become secular. Going back to the tenth century, the Holy Roman Empire, which was the greatest force back then, faces the first real dispute with the secular powers. Nowadays, even though the church has become more accepting to the concept of secularism, the case is not the same for Muslims. Muslims number in secular western countries was increasing rapidly in the past years. Coming from Islamic religious states, Muslims and other religions that were not spread in Europe in the past face some difficulties with the secular state. One example on that was presented by Tariq Modood, “[I]n

The most important manifestation of secularism appears in the stability in terms of political situations. Political power in this case can rule the country and take care of its population without having any obstacle. In fact, these government will not be affected by any change in people religions, by religions conflicts between each other, or even between believers and no-believers. Limiting any personal or collective belief in the personal circle, and making no intersection between this circle and the political one, keep this last circle unaffected by the other which is more susceptible to continuous change. Tariq Modood points this out when he acknowledges,” Whether the decline of traditional religion is being replaced by no religion or by new ways of being religious or spiritual, neither mode is inspiring an attempt to connect with or reform political institutions and government policies. There is no challenge to political secularism there.”(161) Another huge advantage of secularism is equal opportunities. Under such an impartial political system, chances are that everyone could have an opportunity to express himself, and thus be able to develop as a human no matter to what religion s/he belongs. Therefore, secularism can benefit everyone even those who are religious. Mary Draycott notes on UK secular society, “The UK is a diverse society; a secular