Secularism is generally the assertion that certain practices or institutions should exist separately from religion or religious belief. A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos Alternatively, it is a principle of promoting secular ideas or values in either public or private settings over religious ways of thought. Secularity ( adjective form secular) is the state of being separate from Religion.

In one sense, secularism may assert the right to be free from religious rule and teachings, and freedom from the government imposition of religion upon the people, within a state that is neutral on matters of belief, and gives no state privileges or subsidies to religions. (See also Separation of church and state and Laïcité. Separation of church and state is a Political and Legal Doctrine that Government and religious institutions are to be kept separate Laïcité (laisiˈte is the French concept of a Secular society, connoting the absence of religious involvement in government affairs ) In another sense, it refers to a belief that human activities and decisions, especially political ones, should be based on evidence and fact rather than religious influence. Politics Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions ^[1] (See also public reason. Public reason is the phrase used by American philosopher John Rawls to refer to the common reason of all citizens in a pluralist Society. )

The purposes and arguments in support of secularism vary widely. In European laicism, it has been argued that secularism is a movement toward modernization, and away from traditional religious values. Laïcité (laisiˈte is the French concept of a Secular society, connoting the absence of religious involvement in government affairs The idea of modernization comes from a view of societies as having a standard Evolutionary pattern as described in the Social evolutionism theories This type of secularism, on a social or philosophical level, has often occurred while maintaining an official state church or other state support of religion. A state religion (also called an official religion, established church or state church) is a religious body or Creed officially In the United States, some argue that state secularism has served to a greater extent to protect religion from governmental interference, while secularism on a social level is less prevalent. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the ^[2][3] Within countries as well, differing political movements support secularism for varying reasons. ^[4]

Contents 1 Definition 2 State secularism 3 Secular society 4 Secular ethics 5 Arguments for and against secularism 6 Secularist organizations 7 See also 8 References 9 Bibliography 9.1 The secular ethic 9.2 The secular society 9.3 The secular state 10 External links

Definition

The term "secularism" was first used by the British writer George Holyoake in 1846. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located George Jacob Holyoake ( 13 April 1817 - 22 January 1906) English secularist and co-operator, was born in ^[5] Although the term was new, the general notions of freethought on which it was based had existed throughout history. Freethought is a philosophical viewpoint that holds that Beliefs should be formed on the basis of Science and Logic and should not be influenced History is the study of the past particularly the written record Those who study history as a Profession are called Historians Etymology In particular, early secular ideas involving the separation of philosophy and religion can be traced back to Ibn Rushd (Averroes) and the Averroism school of philosophy. Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos Abū 'l-Walīd Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Rushd (Arabicأبو الوليد محمد بن احمد بن رشد better known just as Ibn Rushd (ابن رشد and in European Averroism is the term applied to either of two philosophical trends among scholastics in the late 13th century, the first of which was based on the ^[6][7] Holyoake invented the term "secularism" to describe his views of promoting a social order separate from religion, without actively dismissing or criticizing religious belief. An agnostic himself, Holyoake argued that "Secularism is not an argument against Christianity, it is one independent of it. Agnosticism ( Greek: α- a-, without + γνώσις gnōsis, knowledge after Gnosticism) is the philosophical view that the It does not question the pretensions of Christianity; it advances others. Secularism does not say there is no light or guidance elsewhere, but maintains that there is light and guidance in secular truth, whose conditions and sanctions exist independently, and act forever. Secular knowledge is manifestly that kind of knowledge which is founded in this life, which relates to the conduct of this life, conduces to the welfare of this life, and is capable of being tested by the experience of this life. "^[8]

Barry Kosmin of the Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society and Culture breaks modern secularism into two types: hard and soft secularism. According to Kosmin, "the hard secularist considers religious propositions to be epistemologically illegitimate, warranted by neither religion nor experience. Epistemology (from Greek επιστήμη - episteme, "knowledge" + λόγος, " Logos " or theory of knowledge " However, in the view of soft secularism, "the attainment of absolute truth was impossible and therefore skepticism and tolerance should be the principle and overriding values in the discussion of science and religion. "^[9]

State secularism

See also: Secular state

In political terms, secularism is a movement towards the separation of religion and government (often termed the separation of church and state). Separation of church and state is a Political and Legal Doctrine that Government and religious institutions are to be kept separate This can refer to reducing ties between a government and a state religion, replacing laws based on scripture (such as the Ten Commandments and Sharia law) with civil laws, and eliminating discrimination on the basis of religion. A state religion (also called an official religion, established church or state church) is a religious body or Creed officially The Ten Commandments, or Decalogue, are a list of religious and moral imperatives that according to Judeo-Christian tradition were authored by God and given Sharia ( Arabic: ar شريعة) is the body of Islamic Religious law. This is said to add to democracy by protecting the rights of religious minorities. ^[10]

Secularism is often associated with the Age of Enlightenment in Europe, and plays a major role in Western society. The Age of Enlightenment or The Enlightenment is a term used to describe a phase in Western philosophy and cultural life centered upon the eighteenth century Western culture (sometimes equated with Western Civilization) are terms which are used to refer to Cultures of European origin The principles, but not necessarily practices, of Separation of church and state in the United States and Laïcité in France draw heavily on secularism. The Separation of church and state is a legal and political principle derived from the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which reads "Congress Laïcité (laisiˈte is the French concept of a Secular society, connoting the absence of religious involvement in government affairs This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. As in the West, the idea of separation of religion and government has also existed in India since ancient times. This article is about the history of South Asia prior to the Partition of British India in 1947 An attempt was made (at least on paper and laws) to build the modern Indian society on these values and to a certain extent, this attempt has been successful as well. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Secular states also existed in the Islamic world during the later Middle Ages. ^[11]

Due in part to the belief in the separation of church and state, secularists tend to prefer that politicians make decisions for secular rather than religious reasons. ^[12] In this respect, policy decisions pertaining to topics like abortion, embryonic stem cell research, same-sex marriage, and sex education are prominently focused upon by American secularist organizations like, the Center for Inquiry. An Embryonic stem cells (ES cells are Stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of an early stage Embryo known as a Blastocyst. Same-sex marriage (also referred to as gay marriage) is a term for a legally or Socially recognized Marriage between two people of the same Sex education is a broad term used to describe Education about human sexual anatomy, Sexual reproduction, Sexual intercourse, Reproductive The Center for Inquiry (CFI is a non-profit educational organization with headquarters in the United States whose primary mission is to encourage evidence-based inquiry ^[13][14]

Most major religions accept the primacy of the rules of secular, democratic society but may still seek to influence political decisions or achieve specific privileges or influence through church-state agreements such as a concordat. A concordat usually refers to an agreement between the Apostolic See and a Government of a certain country on religious matters although it is also used Many Christians support a secular state, and may acknowledge that the idea has support in biblical teachings, particularly Jesus' statement, "Then give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's. "^[15] (See article). " Render unto Caesar… " is the beginning of a phrase attributed to Jesus in the Synoptic gospels which reads in full “Render unto Caesar the things However, some Christian fundamentalists (notably in the United States) oppose secularism, often claiming that there is a "radical secularism" ideology being adopted in current days and see secularism as a threat to "Christian rights"^[16] and national security. Fundamentalist Christianity, also known as Christian Fundamentalism or Fundamentalist Evangelicalism, is a movement that arose mainly within British and ^[17] The most significant forces of religious fundamentalism in the contemporary world are Fundamentalist Christianity and fundamentalist Islam. Fundamentalist Christianity, also known as Christian Fundamentalism or Fundamentalist Evangelicalism, is a movement that arose mainly within British and Islamic fundamentalism Arabic: usul (from usul the "fundamentals"] is a term used to describe religious ideologies seen as advocating a return to the At the same time, one significant stream of secularism has come from religious minorities who see governmental and political secularism as integral to preserving equal rights. ^[18]

Some of the well-known constitutionally secular states are India, France, the United States, Turkey and South Korea, although none of these nations have identical forms of governance. A constitution is a system for government often Codified as a written document that establishes the rules and principles of an autonomous political entity India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː

Secular society

In studies of religion, modern Western societies are generally recognized as secular. Western culture (sometimes equated with Western Civilization) are terms which are used to refer to Cultures of European origin This is due to the near-complete freedom of religion (one may believe in one religion, many religions or none at all, with little legal or social sanction), as well as the general belief that religion does not ultimately dictate political decisions. Freedom of religion is the freedom of an individual or community in public or private to manifest religion or belief in teaching practice worship and observance Nevertheless, the moral views originating in religious traditions remain politically important in many of these countries, such as Canada, France, Turkey, United States and others (see Laïcité). Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Laïcité (laisiˈte is the French concept of a Secular society, connoting the absence of religious involvement in government affairs In some, religious references are considered out-of-place in mainstream politics.

Modern sociology, born of a crisis of legitimation resulting from challenges to traditional Western religious authority, has since Durkheim often been preoccupied with the problem of authority in secularized societies and with secularization as a sociological or historical process. Sociology (from Latin: socius "companion" and the suffix -ology "the study of" from Greek λόγος lógos "knowledge" Legitimation is the act of providing Legitimacy. Legitimation in the Social sciences refers to the Process whereby an act process or Ideology Émile Durkheim ( April 15, 1858 – November 15, 1917) was a French Sociologist whose contributions were instrumental In Politics, authority ( Latin Auctoritas, used in Roman law as opposed to Potestas and Imperium Secularization or secularisation generally refers to the process of transformation by which a Society migrates from close identification with religious institutions Twentieth-century scholars whose work has contributed to the understanding of these matters include Max Weber, Carl L. Becker, Karl Löwith, Hans Blumenberg, M.H. Abrams, Peter L. Berger, and Paul Bénichou, among others. Maximilian Carl Emil Weber (maks 'veːbɐ (21 April 1864 &ndash 14 June 1920 was a German political economist and sociologist who was considered Carl Lotus Becker (1873–1945 was an American historian He was born in Waterloo, Black Hawk County Iowa. Karl Löwith ( January 9, 1897 in Munich – May 26, 1973 in Heidelberg) was a German - Jewish Philosopher Hans Blumenberg was born on July 13, 1920 in Lübeck, Germany. Meyer (Mike Howard Abrams (born July 23[[ 912]] is an American Literary critic, known for works on Romanticism Peter Ludwig Berger (born March 17, 1929) is an American sociologist and Lutheran theologian well known for his work The Paul Bénichou French writer intellectual critic and literary historian (born September 19, 1908, in Tlemcen French Algeria; died May 14

Secularism can also be the social ideology in which religion and supernatural beliefs are not seen as the key to understanding the world and are instead segregated from matters of governance and reasoning. A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos The term supernatural or supranatural ( Latin: super, supra "above" + natura "nature" pertains to entities events In this sense, secularism can be involved in the promotion of science, reason, and naturalistic thinking. Science (from the Latin scientia, meaning " Knowledge " or "knowing" is the effort to discover, and increase human understanding Reason involves the ability to think understand and draw Conclusions in an Abstract way as in Human thinking Philosophical naturalism has been described in various ways In its broadest and strongest sense naturalism is the metaphysical position that "nature is all there is

Secularism can also mean the practice of working to promote any of those three forms of secularism. As such, an advocate of secularism in one sense may not be a secularist in any other sense. Secularism does not necessarily equate to atheism; many secularists are religious, while atheists often accept the influence of religion on government or society. Atheism Secularism is an essential component of a secular humanist social and political ideology. Secular humanism is a humanist philosophy that upholds Reason, Ethics and Justice, and specifically rejects the Supernatural

Some societies become increasingly secular as the result of social processes, rather than through the actions of a dedicated secular movement; this process is known as secularization. Secularization or secularisation generally refers to the process of transformation by which a Society migrates from close identification with religious institutions

Secular ethics

Main article: Secular ethics

George Holyoake's 1896 publication English Secularism defines secularism as:

Secularism is a code of duty pertaining to this life, founded on considerations purely human, and intended mainly for those who find theology indefinite or inadequate, unreliable or unbelievable. Secular ethics is a branch of Moral philosophy in which Ethics is based solely on human faculties such as logic reason or moral intuition and not derived from purported George Jacob Holyoake ( 13 April 1817 - 22 January 1906) English secularist and co-operator, was born in Its essential principles are three: (1) The improvement of this life by material means. (2) That science is the available Providence of man. (3) That it is good to do good. Whether there be other good or not, the good of the present life is good, and it is good to seek that good. ^[19]

Holyoake held that secularism and secular ethics should take no interest at all in religious questions (as they were irrelevant), and was thus to be distinguished from strong freethought and atheism. Secular ethics is a branch of Moral philosophy in which Ethics is based solely on human faculties such as logic reason or moral intuition and not derived from purported Freethought is a philosophical viewpoint that holds that Beliefs should be formed on the basis of Science and Logic and should not be influenced In this he disagreed with Charles Bradlaugh, and the disagreement split the secularist movement between those who argued that anti-religious movements and activism was not necessary or desirable and those who argued that it was. Charles Bradlaugh ( 26 September 1833 – 30 January 1891) was a political activist and one of the most famous English atheists

Arguments for and against secularism

Proponents of secularism have long argued that the general rise of secularism in all the senses enumerated above, and corresponding general decline of religion in secular states, is the inevitable result of the Age of Enlightenment, as people turn towards science and rationalism and away from religion and superstition. A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos A secular state is a State or Country that is officially neutral in matters of Religion, neither supporting nor opposing any particular religious beliefs The Age of Enlightenment or The Enlightenment is a term used to describe a phase in Western philosophy and cultural life centered upon the eighteenth century Science (from the Latin scientia, meaning " Knowledge " or "knowing" is the effort to discover, and increase human understanding In Epistemology and in its broadest sense rationalism is "any view appealing to Reason as a source of knowledge or justification" (Lacey 286 Superstition ( Latin superstitio, literally "standing over" derived perhaps from standing in awe used in Latin as a unreasonable or excessive belief ^[20]

Opponents argue that secular government creates more problems than it solves, and that a government with a religious (or at least not a secular) ethos is better. Some Christian opponents contend that a Christian state can give more freedom of religion than a secular one. For evidence, they cite Norway, Iceland, Finland and Denmark, all with constitutional links between church and state and yet also recognized as more progressive and liberal than some countries without such a link. Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland ( Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe For example, Iceland was among the first countries to legalise abortion, and the Finnish government provides funding for the construction of Mosques. Some cite the counterexample of the Netherlands and, more recently, Sweden, it being both a secular state and socio-politically progressive although having disestablished its state church in 2000. Disestablishmentarianism refers to the withdrawal of state support of an established church that was formerly part of the state establishment

Proponents of secularism also note that the Scandinavian countries are socially among the most secular in the world, with particularly low percentages of individuals who hold religious beliefs. Terminology and usage As a cultural term "Scandinavia" has no official definition and is subject to usage by those who identify with the culture in question as well ^[21] Recently this argument has been debated publicly in Norway where movements sought to disestablish the state's Lutheran church. Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the teachings of the sixteenth-century German reformer Martin Luther ^[22]

Some modern commentators have criticized secularism by conflating it with anti-religious, atheistic, or even satanic belief systems. Atheism The word secularism itself is commonly used as a pejorative by religious conservatives in the United States. Words and phrases are pejorative if they imply disapproval or contempt The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Pope Benedict XVI has declared ongoing secularization to be a fundamental problem of modern society, and has made it the goal of his papacy to counteract secularism and moral relativism. Pope Benedict XVI ( Latin: Benedictus PP XVI; Italian: Benedetto XVI; German: Benedikt XVI; born Joseph Alois Ratzinger Pope Benedict XVI ( Latin: Benedictus PP XVI; Italian: Benedetto XVI; German: Benedikt XVI; born Joseph Alois Ratzinger Though the goal of a secularist state is to be religiously neutral, some argue that it is repressive of some aspects of religion. Ostensibly, it is equally repressive toward all religions in order to equally protect all from interference by others.

Some political philosophies, such as Marxism, generally hold that any religious influence in a state or society is negative. Marxism is the political philosophy and practice derived from the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. In nations that have officially embraced such beliefs, such as the former Eastern European Communist Bloc countries, the religious institution was made subject to the secular state, in the public interest. Eastern Europe is a general term that refers to the Geopolitical region encompassing the easternmost part of the European continent. During the Cold War, the term Communist Bloc (or Soviet Bloc) was used to refer to the Soviet Union and countries it either controlled or that were Freedom to worship was subject to licensure and other restrictions, and the doctrine of the church was monitored to assure conformity to secular law, or even the official public philosophy. In the Western democracies, it is generally agreed that these policies contravened full freedom of religion. The term Western world, the West or the Occident ( Latin: occidens -sunset -west as distinct from the Orient) can have multiple meanings Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system

Some secularists believe that the state should be kept entirely separate from religion, and that religious institutions should be entirely free from governmental interference. Churches that exercise their authority completely apart from government endorsement, whose foundations are not in the state, are conventionally called "Free" churches. In Politics, authority ( Latin Auctoritas, used in Roman law as opposed to Potestas and Imperium The free church movement was one created to do away with the system of pew rents wherein persons or families rented or bought the title to a particular church pew

Some secularists would allow the state to encourage religion (such as by providing exemptions from taxation, or providing funds for education and charities, including those that are "faith based"), but insist the state should not establish one religion as the state religion, require religious observance, or legislate dogma. A state religion (also called an official religion, established church or state church) is a religious body or Creed officially Dogma (the plural is either dogmata or dogmas, Greek, plural) is the established Belief or Classical liberals would assert that the state cannot rightfully 'exempt' a religious organization from taxation since it has no authority to tax or regulate it in the first place. Classical liberalism (also known as traditional liberalism, Laissez-faire liberalism, Market liberalism or in much of the world This reflects the view that temporal authority and spiritual authority operate in complimentary spheres and where they overlap such as in moral values or property rights, neither should take authority over the other but should offer a framework in which society can work these issues out without subjugating a religion to the state or vice versa. Property is any physical or virtual entity that is owned by an individual

Secularist organizations

Main article: List of secularist organizations

Groups such as the National Secular Society (United Kingdom) and Americans United campaign for secularism and are often supported by Humanists. Secularist organizations promote the view that moral standards should be based solely on concern for the good of humanity in the present life without reference to Supernatural The National Secular Society is a British campaigning organisation which promotes Secularism, the separation of Church and State to make society fair for everyone Americans United for Separation of Church and State ( Americans United or AU for short is an advocacy group for religious freedom in the United States. See also philosophical Humanism For the Renaissance liberal arts movement see Renaissance humanism Humanism is In 2005, the National Secular Society held the inaugural "Secularist of the Year" awards ceremony. Its first winner was Maryam Namazie, of the Worker-Communist Party of Iran. Maryam Namazie is a communist political activist of Iranian descent. The Worker-Communist Party of Iran (حزب کمونیست کارگری ایران is a political party that seeks the revolutionary overthrow of the Islamic Republic of Iran

Another secularist organization is the Secular Coalition for America. The Secular Coalition for America is an advocacy group representing Atheists, Humanists, and Freethinkers in American politics While it is linked to many secular humanistic organizations and many secular humanists support it, as with the Secular Society, some non-humanists support it.

Local organizations such as Freethought Association of West Michigan work to raise the profile of secularism in their communities and tend to include secularists, freethinkers, atheists, agnostics, and humanists under their organizational umbrella.

Student Organizations, such as the Toronto Secular Alliance, try to popularize nontheism and secularism on campus. The Toronto Secular Alliance (TSA was a citywide secularist organization which began as a Student organization based at the University of Toronto. The Secular Student Alliance is an educational nonprofit that organizes and aids such high school and college secular student groups. The Secular Student Alliance (SSA founded in May 2000, is the only independent democratically structured organization in the U

In Turkey, most prominent and active secularist organization is Atatürk's Thought Association (ADD), which is credited for organizing demonstrations in four largest cities in Turkey in 2007, where over 2 million people, mostly women, defended their concern in and support of secularist principles introduced by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (19 May 1881 &ndash 10 November 1938 was an army officer revolutionary Statesman

Leicester Secular Society founded in 1851 is the world's oldest secular society. Leicester Secular Society is the world's oldest Secular Society

See also

References

Bibliography

The secular ethic

• Jacoby, Susan (2004). Freethinkers: a history of American secularism. New York: Metropolitan Books. ISBN 0-8050-7442-2
• Boyer, Pascal (2002). "Religion Explained: The Evolutionary Origins of Religious Thought" ISBN 0-465-00696-5
• Nash, David (1992). Secularism, Art and Freedom. London: Continuum International. ISBN 0-7185-1417-3 (paperback published by Continuum, 1994: ISBN 0-7185-2084-X)
• Royle, Edward (1974). Victorian Infidels: the origins of the British Secularist Movement, 1791-1866. Manchester: Manchester University Press. ISBN 0-7190-0557-4 Online version
• Royle, Edward (1980). Radicals, Secularists and Republicans: popular freethought in Britain, 1866-1915. Manchester: Manchester University Press. ISBN 0-7190-0783-6
• Taylor, Charles (2007). "A Secular Age". Cambridge: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-02676-6

The secular society

See also the references list in the article on secularization

• Berger, Peter L. Secularization or secularisation generally refers to the process of transformation by which a Society migrates from close identification with religious institutions (1967) The Sacred Canopy: Elements of a Sociological Theory of Religion. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.
• Chadwick, Owen (1975). The Secularization of the European mind in the nineteenth century. Cambridge University Press.
• Cox, Harvey (1996). The Secular City: Secularization and Urbanization in Theological Perspective. NY: Macmillan.
• Kosmin, Barry A. and Ariela Keysar (2007). Secularism and Secularity: Contemporary International Perspectives. Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society and Culture. ISBN-13: 978-0-9794816-0-4; ISBN-10: 0-9794816-0-0
• Martin, David (1978). A General Theory of Secularization. Oxford: Blackwell. ISBN 0-631-18960-2
• Martin, David (2005). On Secularization: Towards a Revised General Theory. Aldershot: Ashgate. ISBN 0-7546-5322-6
• McLeod, Hugh (2000). Secularisation in Western Europe, 1848-1914. Basingstoke: Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-59748-6
• Wilson, Bryan (1969). Religion in Secular Society. London: Penguin.
• King, Mike (2007). Secularism. The HIdden Origins of Disbelief. Cambridge: James Clarke & Co. ISBN 9780227172452

The secular state

• Adıvar, Halide Edip (1928). "The Turkish Ordeal". The Century Club. ISBN 0-830-50057-X

• Cinar, Alev (2006). "Modernity, Islam, and Secularism in Turkey: Bodies, Places, and Time". University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 0-816-64411-X

• Juergensmeyer, Mark (1994). The New cold war?: religious nationalism confronts the secular state. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-08651-1

External links

• Secularism 101: Religion, Society, and Politics
• SecularSites
• Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society and Culture
• The Secular Student Alliance
• SSRC Blog on Secularism, Religion, and the Public Sphere

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