Secularisation

Secularisation in Sociology is defined as the transformation of a society from getting influenced by

religion to an independent secular one. Derived from the Latin word, secular means ‘present age or
generation’ it was first defined by Brian Wilson in 1966 as “the process by which religious thinking,
practices, and institutions lose social significance.” Prior to secularisation, human activity including
work, healing, social and jurisdictional procedures was regulated by supernatural preconceptions. The
introduction of secularism made these preconceptions lose their power and economy, justice, health,
morality, education, and family were operated with considerable autonomy

M N Srinivas on secularization:

M. N. Srinivas had famously defined secularization as follows – ‘the term ‘secularization’ implies that
what was previously regarded as religious is ceasing to be such, and it also implies a process of
differentiation which results in the various aspects of society, economic, political, legal and moral,
becoming increasingly discrete in relation to each other’. However, according to him, differentiation
does not mean disconnection

Thus his definition has two aspects –

 Notion of religion itself

 Differentiation of Institutions

He further says, secularization as a process has been subsumed in Westernization which is a much
broader term.

Elements/ Characteristics of secularisation

The elements or characteristics of social change are determined by certain principles.

1. Separation of state from affairs of religion thereby creates a distance between religion and
society.
 2. Related to work matters.

3. Personalising religious affairs.

4. Considering all rituals to be man-made or artificial.

Rational and reasonable

 Man is free to choose what they want. Rationalisation is based on making choices according to
reason rather than following them blindly

 Application of logic, intelligence, and wisdom over emotion and sentiments, thus speeding up
secularisation in the society

Curiosity

 Every secular man has the right to inquire about the causes and effects of the rituals performed

 They have freedom of choice and cannot be influenced to follow rituals blindly

Scientific temper and outlook

 Scientific influence forces man to question religion. This makes him a secular individual and an
anti-fatalist who is not forced to follow doctrines and events that were initially made with the
vision that humans were powerless to change them

 The scientific approach revolts against the religious outlook of man from the past

Modernization

 While secularisation was brought mere 100 years ago, religious practices were conducted long
before

 With people getting smarter and more intelligent every decade, modern society has kept itself
away from the influence of religious faith and symbols while making everyday life decisions

Causes and effects of secularisation

There are seven causes for secularisation in India

Education

 Education, western education to be specific, played an important role in diminishing Indian

culture, and the practice of western culture became more prominent

 Modern education encouraged the generation to seek a scientific attitude in solving problems
and the traditional religious beliefs

 Marriage is now based on a secular attitude rather than a sacred religious ceremony

Transportation and communication

  With modern education came the invention of telephones and railways which gave the
opportunity to mix around with people of different countries. This led to an exchange of ideas
and the growth of liberal thoughts

 Caste system views regarding it changed

Reform movements

 Religious and reform movements by leaders like Keshav Chandra Sen, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, and
Mahatma Gandhi played their roles in bringing about secularisation in the country

Urbanisation

 Developed and semi-developed parts (metro cities) are more secular by the influence of western
culture,

 education, transport and communication, and economic problems

 Rural areas are yet to be totally secularised

Legislation

 Widow Remarriage Act, 1856, Caste Disabilities Removal Act, 1850, Special Marriage Act, 1872
enacted by the British were against the orthodox believers of that time

 Adoption of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, the Hindu Widow
Remarriage Act, 1956, the Maintenance Act has also played their role in a secular country

Western culture

 India has been greatly influenced by western culture which lays importance on materialism,
individualism, sensualism, non-religionism, and licence

 Political parties and leads speak the language of secularism

 Western culture has brought about changes not only in religion but also in literature and art

Indian Constitution

 Articles 27-30 deal with rights to freedom of religion and make India a secular state

 India is declared a secular country according to the amended preamble where every citizen has
equal rights without discrimination of age, sex, caste, and creed

Secular meaning in India

1. India has a multi religious society and even definition of religion is not fixed. Indian secularism
according to Rajiv Bhargava is not strict separation of religion and politics, but explained in
terms of ‘principled distance between religion and politics’. Indian society had been historically
tolerant towards religious affairs and secularism in modern sense arrived only during 19th
century as a part of cultural and religious reform movements. Nationalism, freedom struggle,
growth of western education etc helped its rise.
 2. There is also a plurality of view over its definitional and emergence aspects. A liberal plural view
was taken by modern nationalists before independence. It called for separation of religion and
other institutions and advocated religious pluralism. An ‘orthodox plural view’ was led by like of
Gandhiji, Dayanand Saraswati, Ramakrishna Mission etc who saw Indian society as secular from
beginning due to its marked tolerance. There was Marxist view also which interpreted
secularism as disappearance of religion altogether.

3. Our constitutional and parliamentary democratic framework adopts liberal plural view. The
constitution of India enacted the 42nd amendment, where the Preamble stated that India is a
secular country. As of now, there were pleas made to the supreme court on the 28th of July
2020, to omit the words secular and socialist from the preamble. According to Nehru ‘It does
not mean a society where religion is discouraged, it means freedom of religion and conscience,
including freedom for those who may have no religion’.

4. Our secularism is primarily directed against two evils – first, the religious strife between different
religious communities and its extreme forms like communal violence and riots; and, secondly,
the danger of religious communities overwhelming the state, each with its own view of ‘good
life’ as valid for others too. Both arose as a problem in the second half of the 19th century. The
conceptual construct of secularism is adopted in India by way of a solution to the problems,
posed by fundamentalism and communalism. Thus, Indian secularism is not a result of tussle
between the Church and the State as in case of Europe, but conceptualized as an anti-dote to
twin evils of communalism and fundamentalism. It is more on lines of ‘sarva dharma sambhava’,
rather than on strict ‘dharm nirpekhsta’. Articles of constitution like – Article 25-28 and also
stress on freedom of faith and religion, rather than banishing it.

5. There are other alternate views of the everyday meaning of the word secularism in India. The
most common use of secular in everyday language is as the ‘opposite of communal’. So, a secular
person or state is one that does not favour any particular religion over others. Secularism in this
sense is the opposite of religious chauvinism and it need not necessarily imply hostility to
religion as such. In terms of the state-religion relationship, this sense of secularism implies equal
respect for all religions, rather than separation or distancing. For example, the secular Indian
state declares public holidays to mark the festivals of all religions.

6. Indian version of secularism also poses certain challenges. Supporters of Western notion of
secularism accuse state of indulging into religious sphere as state supports many activities like
Haj Pilgrim, manage shrines like Tirupati, Viashnodevi and so on.

7. Another set of complications is created by the tension between the Indian state’s simultaneous
commitment to secularism as well as the protection of minorities. The protection of minorities
requires that they be given special consideration in a context where the normal working of the
political system places them at a disadvantage vis-à-vis the majority community. But providing
such protection immediately invites the accusation of favoritism or ‘appeasement’ of minorities.

Conclusion
Secularism is practised in all modern states. This has greatly benefited people from all castes and creeds
to get an equal opportunity with no discrimination on grounds of caste, creed, and culture. Indian
culture has now been based on social movements and spiritual traditions.