Secularism and Post-Secularism: A Comparative Analysis, Exams of Religion

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Post-Secularism

and

Beyond Secularism

SECULAR (ontological category) and SECULARISM (cultural values)

• The secular prioritizes the material upon the spiritual.
• Modern cultural values encourage social alienation and unrestricted pleasure.

SECULAR (rationality) and SECULARISM (political values)

• The secular is a principle of rationality capable to oppress religious passions and control the danger of intolerance and promote united politics, peace and progress.

Secularism as

• Epistemological approach
• Political philosophy
• Social theory
• Personal identity

The elements of the secularization thesis (Jose Casanova):

1. Increasing structual differentiation (including the separation of religion from politics).
2. Privatization of religion
3. Decline of religious belief, commitment and institutions.

Modernity and Secularization

- tautology?

In order for a society to be modern it has to be

secular, and for it to be secular it has to relegate

religion to nonpolitical spaces because that

arrangement is essential to modern society

(Talal Asad, Formations of the Secular , 182)

Israel as a case study

Beyond and Above the

Religious-Secular Dichotomy

Dear commanders and fighters,

It has been our great privilege to command and serve in the Givati Brigade at this time. History has chosen us to be the sharp edge of the bayonet of fighting the terrorist enemy “from Gaza” which curses, defames and abuses the God of Israel’s battles. … I trust you, each and every one of you, to act in that spirit, in the spirit of Israeli fighters who are the pioneers leading the camp. The spirit of Givati. I turn my eyes to the sky and call with you “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord.” God, the Lord of Israel, make our path successful, as we are about to fight for Your People, Israel, against an enemy who defames your name. In the name of the IDF fighters and in particular, the fighters and commanders from the Brigade, make the phrase “For the Lord your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.” come true, and we shall answer: Amen.

Together and only together we will win.

Ofer Winter, Colonel Commander of the Givati Brigade

Beyond the religious-secular dichotomy:

“[P]eople take up a stance of this kind in a field which is polarized by the two extreme perspectives; they definene themselves in relation to the polar opposites, whereas the people in the polar opposition don’t return the favor, but usually deine themselves in relation to each other, ignoring the middle (or abusively assimilating it to the other side). It is in this sense that the two extreme perspectives deine the field.”

(Taylor, A Secular Age , 431)

Tradition as source of authority

vs.

Tradition as source of identity and meaning

Medieval and Modern meanings

of tradition

naql – revealed-sacred knowledge.

‘aql – human acquired knowledge

based on human reason.

Modernity and Secularization

Tradition

Tradition vs. modernity