The weak 21st century separation of churchs and state: Are secularism no longer an “element of neutrality”?
The classical justification of the separation of church and state doctrine, the protection of the religious freedom, is not so strong as it was in the past, it is due to the fact that many churches understand that the de jure official secularism not as a neutral point of view, but as an independent religious and moral point of view radically opposed to the tradition and faith of common people. Some Christian leaders even use the term “secularism” as a synonyms of “atheism”.
Just read this quote of then Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict:
Secularism is no longer that element of neutrality which opens up areas of freedom for everyone. It is beginning to turn into an ideology that imposes itself through politics and leaves no public space for the Catholic and Christian vision, which thus risks becoming something purely private and essentially mutilated. We must defend religious freedom against the imposition of an ideology that presents itself as the only voice of rationality.
I share the worry about the decline of the doctrine. But this comment is not another “look how disrespectful of the diversity this religious people are”. I prefer to examine if there is something thru within this attack of secularism.
- Does the Pope Benedict is correct when say that “secularism is no longer that element of neutrality” or it’s just a excuse to penetrate to the state power and return to the old time of official religious views?
- And…
- …if he is correct, can we reconstruct the classical “element of neutrality” in a way that satisfy a great percent of the population?
- …or if it’s just a excuse to penetrate to the state power and return to the old time of official religious views, how does the civil and human rights activists should confront this efforts without seems to confirm the accusations of being an opposed belief to their spiritual faith?
Many questions and few answer for the time being.
Kategorie: Uncategorized, Aktualisiert am January 10, 2010 von abeyno | Log in