mainly ao1 notes

introduction to secularism and religion in britian

• within secularism there are different approaches, thiose who simply believe that religion and state decsions should be seperated and those who believe that the religious backgroud should be entirely removed from anything to do with the state

• many christians support secularism in its milder sense, because christian began as a religion that existed within society not one that controlled society

christian belief play a part in public society

• secularism humanism - humans can live a postive, good lives withiut religion

• humanists have come together to delcare common values

• most believe that christian belief is personal and should not play a part in public life

• 1/3 of uk schools are faith schools

• dawkins - largest oppontent of faith in education and believes it is time for them to replaced

arguments for faith schools

• church attendence might be dropping but more people still consider themselves christian, and they should be allowed to relfect this in their personal education choices

• mission statements + value systems of one sort or another so faith schools are no different from other

• diversty and tolerance are fundemental british values

• only 1/3 of schools so families have a choice

• pupils in faith schools are as diverse as the societies that they exist in

argument agaisnt faith schools

• faith schools might relflect peoples narrow views of what religious people are like

• in RE + science there may be bias leading to a risk of radicalsation

• labelling children from a young age

• children in faith school are not fully aware of the rest of secular society

• should only be taught by parents and religous communties

goverment and state

• ‘the authorties that exist have been established by God’

• uk historically has close ties between christianity and state

• king is supreme governer some bishops have automatic seats in the house of lords with many aruging that this historic link should be seperated as it no longer relfects 21st century

• others believe that this still repressents how the country is made up and repressentied in the house of lords as well

• usa and france have an entirely seperate church and state

• secularisation of state can lead to the censorship of certian approaches in favour of different non religious ideology

• this itself as an ideology can lead to facism and communism

• a more balanced approach to secularism can be celebrated all perspectivrs including religious ones

• religion founded by jc was one where christians spoke from within their secular context and worked together to promote the common good and care for those in need

is christianity a major cause for personal and social problems - yes

• need to reject the indisputable advances of science and holds back society

• any abosolutist appeoach to life is interloerant of other views and can be damaging to society e.g views on euthansia

• radicalise converts like in other religions

• patricharal and opressive of women

• promote beliefs that hold people back from realitly and stop our personal developments

• evangelicals may only preach for money

• ethical stances that do not maintian within modern society

• the bible is outdated

• christanity has suffered from child abuse, scandels and hasnt always reacted properly

• differiing beliefs often divide families

is christianity a major cause for personal and social problems - defense

• some christians argue that there own denomnation of christanity is not the problem, and rather the divided church is. a society where their own demonation has more control would be a more harmounous one

• christians point to all the good that the church has offered the world, educating the poor, supporting civil rights and challenging injustices

• christians are always seeking the ideal way to live but society is made up of humans who fall sort of such expectations

• ‘let anyone without sin cast the first stone’

how could secularism support christanity

• adapt to different ways of thinking and with the speed of change it is important that christianity is to change in the context of science and violence

• extremeism have moved many away from organised religion

• some christian argue that it is now tim for christians to stand up for the truth releaved through christ and the bible and reist the move towards change

• if christianty is sidelined it might lead to the religion being able to affect the lives of far education about christianity

• others worried about the pace of change might focus on the tradtional apsects of christianity espeically on the foucs of spirutal things over material ones

• if we move towards full secularism, some christians would choose to embrace this as an opportuinity to speak wothout fear of being lined as a minorty view

• make christians more likely to be left on one side and the conflicting the ideologies that place science, materalism and capitalism at the centre of life would undermine the purpose of life

• removing the chrisitan influeence from the uk government would be more tolerant towards non christians. the christian elements are ritualistic and not necessarly within governments running

• elected house of lords may be more democratic than the current system

• but others suggest that because of history and traditon it would be wrong to loose this

procedural secularism

• the interests of all citzens religious and non religious should be considered by the state religion should be treated equally to other institutions but with prefernce

programmatic secularism

• in a plural society, the state should be soley secular. this means religous views and practises should be kept apart from public instuitions

secular humanism

• amsterdam declaration of 1952 - humanism is ethical all humans are worth, have dignity and autonomny

• humanism is a rational science and should be used imaginatively and as a basis for solving human difficulties, humanism supports democracy and human rights - which arguably are the best way for us to develop

• humanism insists that personal liberty must be combined with social responsiblitly - dogmatic beliefs conflict with the autonomous person who has a responsiblitly to society and the natural world

• humanism is a repsonse to the widespread demand for an alternative to dogmatic religion, continous observation will build our reliable understanding of the world and reivsion of sciencetific understanding

• humanism values artistic creativity and imagination - enhancing our human experience

• EM Foster → defined the humanist as someone with ‘curiosity, a free mind, belief in good taste and belief in the human race’

• humanism is a life stance aiming at the maximum possible fufilment - creative and ethical living can help us achieve challanges in the pressent

• good for people who already follow such principles in their day to day lives, so they may decided that they do not want to be apart of such organsations

• for morally bad people, since there is no insentive or reason as to why they should conform to such values (such as the threat of hell) they may also not join such groups

are spiritual values just human

• full list of humaist values can be found on 2002 amsterdamn delcaration - e.g human rights, social responsiblitly, fufilment and the importance of creatvity

• at this level spiritual values and human values are very similar. equally the 10c have many ethical demands that are universal - you do not need to be religious as they ultimately are not about God

• some christian values might differ, upholding the dignity of life and personal chouce and loving your enimies are examples of valurs that make christianity distinctive but would not be shared by all humans

• christians might argue that human values tend to be shared on a worthly level but that there is in addition a layer or dimenation to christian spiritual values, one that sees an ultimate purpose or reason a world beyond this one and a creator God who loves and sustians the world and wants peple to worship him

• no such things are human values, it is very difficult to achieve a complete sense of what a list of human values might look like esepcially when considering the vast range of people around the globe

christianity should be a contributor

• britian today would not e the country it is without christianity

• aristic cultures owe alot to christanity

• can contribute without being dominant in the conversation

• christian ethics on a human level are ethics that apply to all not just christians

counter arg

• britian today and tommorow is much more multicultural than 50 yeats ago

• there is a wonderful heritage of non christian artistic cultures

• all religous voices should be moved away in order for us to move forward in society

freud and secularism

• religion belongs to the infantile or early stage of human social development

• science will previal over religion and then only will humans be able to live truely content lives

• his use of psychologists helps to support that religion is a sickness

• neurosis are the result of human instinicts being repressed by tradition and conformity

• religion is deeply tied to the oedipus complex - God is seen as the ultimate father figure

• wish fufilment to restore the childhood sense of secuirty

• divine force is used to replace a feeling of uncertanity with something controllale

• just like how children find comfort in routine, adults find comfort in religious pracrises particuarly those about forgiveness

critiscms of freuds argument

• wants to explain everything in material terms making him a reductionist

• ward argues that this does not explain the spiritual experiences of many

• wrong to dismiss all religion as based on neurotic and obessional behaviour

• for many religion is enabling and gives them strength and hope binding communities together

• marchant → powerful evidence for the postive medical and pyschological benefits for having faith in something bigger

hume

• religion is practised by uneducated people who havent grown up

• we do not need religion

dawkins

• religion is given a disproportionate place in society but not accpeting beliefs is dangerous as it promotes interolences

• sees monothestic christians as irrational and a cause of humanising behaviour

• God delusion book - imangine a world without religion and we should accept atheism

• belief in God is ultimately unnecessary as a reductionist, everything can be explained through science

• all things must be subject to rational enquirty or else one could equallly believe in a celesitial teapot

• religion can be seen as a form of child abuse - ‘hell house’ where parents teach children to be fearful of things in life which can have a long term impact on them

critiscms of dawkins

• stephen gould → supernatural cannot be subject to rational enquirty because it a from a completely different nature

• mcgrath → there is something we believe without having to prove them catagorically

• science and religion are not always in conflict with one another

• jesus taught agaisnt using violence, atheist regimes meanwhile such as communism has caused signficant human suffering

ford

• theology should engage actively with secular culture

• christians should engage within philosophical, sciencetific and political debates

• today, faith is a choice and secularism can encourage authenitc faith but also help us to recognise when there are weak and out of date beliefs

dawson

• secularism is a major threat to both christianity and civilsations because it removes religion from culture meaning and moral life

• all civilsations are rooted in religion so ince it starts declining so does society, leading to a loss of shared meaning and purpose

• here society risks relatvism and moral confusion