On 8/9/11 6:24 AM August 9, 2011, Kiran K Karthikeyan wrote:
Basically, there is no way to merge the two i.e. for secularism to be implemented to its true meaning requires the majority of society to relegate religion to their "personal" space. Obviously some religions make this easier than others, some are outright impossible.
I don't think that there is any requirement in a secular society for religious people to restrict their activities to the private spheres. As an example, members of my faith were at the forefront of the abolition movement and their basic argument was religious. Religious people often work to ensure legal recognition of basic human rights, and social services. Religious people are also active in peace work and the restriction of the use of certain armaments (nuclear weapons, land mines, chemical and biological warfare, etc). Religious people have worked for the humane treatment of prisoners and the mentally ill.
Religious arguments can be an integral part of the democratic process. When Martin Luther King argued that we were all God's children and therefore deserved to be treated equally, he was making a religious argument that also resonated with a lot of people who weren't religious. The fact that his political actions were largely motivated by his faith did not in any way pollute the Civil Rights Movement; it strengthened it.
I don't think that true secularism denies religion at all. Secularism needs to make a place at the table for religion, but it needs to be its proper place, and balanced by basic human rights and the rights of minorities. Where religious views work to enforce human rights and the rights of minorities, religion and secularism are natural allies and can work together harmoniously.
It's a different matter where religious views seek to seriously limit the rights of individuals or require specific religious observances on the parts of individuals. In those cases, religion and secularism are opponents.
-- Heather Madrone ([email protected]) http://www.sunsplinter.blogspot.com Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt and dance like no one is watching. - Randall G Leighton
