Is there a difference between the two? If so, what context does each belong within?
2007-10-29 11:25:19 · 15 answers · asked by hayaa_bi_taqwa 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I understand secular as in a type of government, but is it the same when a person declares themselves secular?
2007-10-29 11:30:10 · update #1
atheism is a metaphysical position, it is concerned with convictions about what exists and what does not, in particular it means the denial of the existence of God or gods.
secularism is a sociopolitical ideology. It has to do with the role of religion in public life, or possibly in private life as well in its more extreme variants. Secularists want to limit or eradicate the influence of religious organizations or religious beliefs (the latter is quite tricky obviously) in public life. The seperation of church and state is essential for secularists.
Most atheists are probably secularists, but not all secularists are atheists. Some religious people are secularists because they want to ensure everybody's religious freedom by limiting religion to the private domain.
2007-10-29 11:32:32 · answer #1 · answered by Ray Patterson - The dude abides 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The term "atheism" or "atheist" tends to be used in the context of personal or group religious beliefs.
"Secularism" and "secular" are more often applied to institutions....governments, businesses, schools, etc.
Also, "secular" does not necessarily mean complete absence of, or opposition to,religious belief. A church, for example, may affiliate itself with a local food bank, homeless shelter or volunteer corps that is not specifically involved in actual ministry. These could be described as secular arms of an otherwise religion-based organization.
2007-10-29 18:44:07 · answer #2 · answered by a_man_could_stand 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Secularism just means no official status for religion - any. It doesn't have anything to do with atheism. It means if you want to say send your kids to a private school for a religious upbringing,that's fine,but you can't have religious instruction in a public school. A jew wouldn't want their kid being taught christianity,nor would a muslim,or yes an atheist. And that's their right. Religious people can get their religion in a non-pulic supported context.
2007-10-29 18:36:59 · answer #3 · answered by Chris 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, and it's a significant difference. The US has a secular government (see the first amendment). Albania had an atheist government from the sixties to the eighties (Atheism was the official stance toward religion by the government).
2007-10-29 18:28:55 · answer #4 · answered by Doc Occam 7 · 5⤊ 0⤋
If you are an atheist it means that you do not believe in god in general. ex. John is an atheist.
Secular by definition means worldly or of this world. It is used to imply that in a particular matter, religion should not be brought in, even if you do personally believe that there is a god. ex. I believe in god, but i think that the church and state should be separate, therefore i am a secularist.
Normally secular is used for institutions, or regarding ideas about institutions; and atheist is used in refrence to somebodys own personal opinion.
hope that helps!
2007-10-29 18:33:53 · answer #5 · answered by Radical 88 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The definition of atheism is disbelief in or denial of the existence of God or gods while a secularist is a person who advocates the strict separation of Church and State.Not all secularists are atheists but it leads us to atheism . So secularism is a gateway of atheism.Nonbelievers in the United States are almost always secularists. So I think both are related. Atheists believe in no God or gods while secularists believe in weak or powerless god or gods that is politically , economically, socially illiterate God or gods
2007-10-30 18:38:11 · answer #6 · answered by k r 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Difference. Atheism is lacking belief in god/s.
Secularism is a society where there is religious plurarity and religion and government are kept separate. People of faith serve in government but not in a religious sense. At least, that's the idea.
2007-10-29 18:31:15 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
secular is a shared existence in which no religious (or even specifically anti-religious) group holds sway. It tends to include people of various paths, or at the minimum seperates state/society from any religion's perview.
atheists do not believe in religion.
2007-10-29 18:32:05 · answer #8 · answered by kent_shakespear 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Secular means "of the world"... you know, not supernatural or spiritual.
Atheism means "lacking belief in the existence of gods".
Not the same thing, but they coexist very nicely.
2007-10-29 18:28:59 · answer #9 · answered by PHX 3 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Secular: wordly, or of the world (bible related)
Also it means separate from the church.
Public school systems are secular. Or are intended to be.
Atheist: Godless
Related but not the same.
2007-10-29 18:27:57 · answer #10 · answered by Unafraid 6 · 3⤊ 2⤋