Secularism is a religion. Let's treat it as such
by David Klinghoffer
A 2004 survey of religion and politics revealed a religious minority
that constitutes at least 7.5 percent of the American population. It
referred to this informal denomination as "Secular."
Sponsored by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, the poll shows
the fairly uniform political orientation of secularists: Only 21 percent
regard themselves as politically conservative. A large majority, 79 percent,
favor what the survey terms "gay rights" and support legal abortion.
For each element in the Judeo-Christian family of faiths, secularism
has its counterpart: a strict ethical code, albeit focusing on health issues
("Thou shalt not smoke," etc.); the use of shame when individuals disregard
ethical rules (e.g. fat people); a related promise of eternal life through
medical advances; a creation story (Darwinian evolution); and so forth. All
that's missing is a deity, but not every religion has one, as the case of Zen
Buddhism attests.
The secular church is populous and dynamic, with a membership far
exceeding that figure of 7.5 percent. Many individuals who identify nominally
as
Jews or Christians in fact are devout secularists.
All this would be fine-after all, America is a big country with plenty
of room for every spiritual predilection-but for the tendency of
secularists to use aggressive means in advancing their political agenda and
spreading
their faith.
Consider state education, where the secular church has ensured that its
creation account alone be taught. According to the Discovery Institute,
Ohio, Minnesota, and New Mexico are exceptions to this rule, now
requiring students to know about scientific evidence critical of Darwinian
evolution. Everywhere else, evangelism for this secular doctrine is a staple of
10th-grade biology class.
The prejudice on behalf of the secular faith emanating from the media
is likewise hard to ignore. HBO's Bill Maher, raised Catholic but later
converted to a harsh secularism, is among the frankest of news and
entertainment industry figures in his contempt for competing religions,
notably Christianity. The host of Real Time with Bill Maher speaks of
himself as "spreading the anti-gospel."
Americans outside the secular fold need to develop responses to the
encroachments of secularism in the public square. Mutual understanding
is key. Many secularists live in isolated enclaves (Beverly Hills, San
Francisco, certain New York City neighborhoods, etc.) with few members
of other faiths present. Some sort of interfaith dialogue, matching
representatives of secularism with believing Jews, Christians, and
members of other religions, would do some good.
But it's not the entire solution. So that everyone can know where
everyone else stands, it's time to start identifying the secular faithful as
such. The word Secular should be capitalized, indicating a distinctive
philosophical orientation. So, just as Mel Gibson is always referred to
as a Catholic filmmaker, Michael Moore should be identified as a Secular
one.
The influence of Secular institutions on education needs to be
reexamined. Young children are plainly being targeted for conversion to
Secularism,
whether in schools or otherwise. The Anti-Defamation League�a group
that is Jewish only in the sense that bagels are Jewish�has been advocating a
reading list of books for children of kindergarten age through sixth
grade. While the emphasis is ostensibly on "anti-bias education," any child
who takes to heart the message of these books would be adopting, among
other things, a bias in favor of the Secular teaching on homosexuality.
Two of the recommended books, for third-graders and under, are Gloria
Goes to Gay Pride ("A young girl participates in the Gay Pride Day parade,"
as the ad's website summarizes the book) and My Two Uncles ("A young
child's grandfather has trouble accepting the fact that his son is gay"). This
amounts to targeting kids for conversion to the Secular teaching on
homosexuality. Incidentally, "targeting for conversion" is what the ad
charges that Christian missionaries want to do to Jews.
Finally, since raising public awareness is the best way to counter
conversionary efforts, it would be helpful if a nonprofit organization
were established to educate the citizenry about the tendency of the Secular
Church to overstep that precious line that is supposed to keep our
public institutions free of undue church influence. Such an organization would
be dedicated to protecting American civil liberties. You could call it the
American Civil Liberties Union.
Oh wait, no, that's taken.
David Klinghoffer is a columnist for the Jewish Forward. His new book,
Why the Jews Rejected Jesus: The Turning Point in Western History
(Doubleday), will be published in March.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/001/17.62.html
Christianity Today, January 2005
That Other Church
Let's face it: Secularism is a religion. Let's treat it as such.
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