SECULARISM
(This notes are for M.Ed. students. B.Ed. students don't need this topic in the depth covered as in this.
However B.Ed. students can go through it and understand!!)
Prepared by
SABARISH-P
M.Sc., M.Ed., JRF & NET
Assistant Professor in Physical Science, Arafa Institute for Teacher Education
Attur, Thrissur.
INTRODUCTION
The word ‘Secular’ was inserted into the Preamble by
the Forty second amendment [ 1976 ] It
implies equality of all religions and religious tolerance and respect. India,
therefore does not have an official state religion. Every person has the right to preach, practise and propagate
any religion they choose.The government must not favour or discriminate against
any religion. It must treat all religions with equal respect.All citizens,
irrespective of their religious beliefs are
equal infront of law. No religious instruction is imparted in Government
or Government Aided Schools. Neverthless, general information about all
established world religions is imparted as part of the course in Socialogy,
without giving any importance to any one religion or the others, The content
presents the basic fundamental information with regards to the fundamental
beliefs, social values and main practices and festivals of each established
world religions.
ORIGIN OF SECULARISM
Secularism originated in Europe during the first half
of 19th century as a result of Renaissance and Reformation and also
the rise of science and industrial revolution. It was George Jacob Holyoake [
1817-1906 ] who for the first time, coined the word “ Secularism “ & also
propounded the basic principles. He derived it from the Latin word ‘ Secculum ‘
meaning ‘ this present age ‘. He used it in the context of social values &
ethical values or system. The following principles were evolved by Holyoake to
mark this system
[ i ] Primary emphasis on the material &
cultural improvement of human beings.
[ ii ] Respect for & search for all truth,
whatever be it source, which can be tested in experience leading to
human betterment..
[
iii ] Concern for this age or world & its improvement.
[
iv ] An independent rational morality, which does not base itself on faith in
divine commandment.
Another great protagonist of Secularism was Charles
Bradlaugh who observed that secularism was hostile to religion & maintained
that either secularism or religion should survive.
WESTERN SECULARISM
Chambers Dictionary defines ‘Secularism’
as ‘the belief that the state, morals, education etc.’ should be independent of
religion.
According to the Shorter Oxford Dictionary Secularism means
1. The doctrine that morality should be based solely on
regard to the well-being of mankind in the present life, to the exclusion of
all considerations drawn from the belief
in God or in a future state and
2. The
view that national education should be purely secular.
INDIAN CONCEPT OF SECULARISM
Indian conception of secularism
required that there shall be no state religion and the state shall treat all
religions equally. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “My veneration for other
faiths is the same as for my own faith”.
MEANING AND NATURE OF SECULARISM
Religion constitutes an important
element in Indian culture. It exercise a very significant influence in Indian
civilization. By becoming secular, India has not been anti-religious or
irreligious. Rather she wants to be independent in her attitude towards all
religions, her age-old tradition of tolerance, magnanimity, free thinking and
universal brotherhood has been amply reinforced by constitutional
provisions.
Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the first
President of India, has made this position very clear by saying, “There are
some who think that because we are a secular state, we do not believe in
religion or spiritual values. Far from being so, it really means that in this
country all are free to profess or preach the faith of their liking and that we
wish well of all religions and want them to develop in their own way without
let or hindrance.” India being a land of multi religions, secularism is the
best agreement ever made by any democratic country.
B.R.Ambedkar explaining the
concept of “secular state” has remarked, “All that a secular state means is
that this parliament shall not be competent to impose any particular religion
upon the rest of the people.” Freedom of religion is fundamental to a secular
state. That is,everybody can profess any religion or no religion. No religions
community will be favoured or discriminated against and no instruction in
religious dogma will be given in any public school. This is to promote
religious tolerance and active reverence for all religions.
In a multi religious society like
India,it is desirable to make a distinction between ‘religious education’ &
‘ education about religions’. The former means only the teaching of the
principles & doctrines of a particular religion, where as the latter is
pertaining to a study of religions from a broad point of view. The Kothari
Commission has aptly said the latter as the ‘Eternal quest of the spirit’. It
is necessary for a multi religious democratic state to promote a tolerant study
of all religions, so that its citizens can understand each other better &
live amicably together.
The Kothari Commission have suggested
a syllabus giving well chosen information about each of the major religion
should be included as a part of general education to be introduced in schools
& colleges upto the first degree. All religions may be highlighted &
their inherent spiritual & moral values will be made clear.
It has been rightly felt essential to
develop a more secular outlook amongst those who profess various religions. It
would be possible according to some thinkers by an adequate study of science
with its stress on open mindedness, tolerance & objectivity.
Spiritual matters have secular roots
& secular matters have spiritual roots. Both science & spirit should go
hand in hand, the scientific & spiritual values in harmony will have the
way for eventual emergence of a society which would promote the development of
the whole well-integrated man, not the fragmented & unbalanced personality.
SECULARISM & EDUCATION
Children as future citizens must get
that education, which should aim at their development irrespective of religious
affliation or social status. They are to be taken as citizens not as members of
one particular religious group. As has been said earlier, secularism does not
mean that religions should be banished from the educational seen & rather
both should be well-integrated in a process which is dynamic & conducive to
change & progress.
Secular education should be taken as
quest for knowledge & spirit in an objective & tolerant manner, not as
a conquest of faith & religious ideas embedded in our culture. True Secular
education must be based on morality, justice, free thinking & service.
As far as religious instruction is
concerned, the entire educational system may be divided in three categories.
1. Government
2. Aided
3. Purely private or special.
Government
institutions as solely maintained out of public funds & as per the
constitutional provisions under Article 28(1) in The Constitution Of India 1949
No religion instruction shall be provided in
any educational institution wholly maintained out of State funds.
The aided institutions are taken as semi-government &
as such the management may make arrangements for religious instruction without
affecting anybody’s sentiment. Government
can neither favour nor dis favour such religious education in educational
institutions.
The purely private organisations are set-up by religious or other
endowments. These institutions do not receive any assistance from Government
& are free to impart any religious instructions without any interference
from Government.
CHARACTERISTICS OF SECULAR EDUCATION
1.
Moral Outlook
: Secular education results in developing of moral outlook. It is the
foundation for the development of character & moral development.
2.
Development of wider vision : Secular education makes a man dynamic & enlightened.
It develops in him a wider vision towards life and he takes interest in social
service by sacrificing his selfish motives.
3.
Pluralistic Outlook : Secular education leads to the emergence of a healthy pluralistic
outlook which fosters the growth of science,art,philosophy & even religion.
4.
Democratic values : Secular education helps man in developing democratic values like
liberty, equality, fraternity & co-operative living.
5.
Cultural development : Secular education helps in fostering scientific spirit. It releases the
individual from the bonds of blind faith. Secular education promotes scientific
values of rationality ,objectivity & open-mindedness.
6.
Synthesis of spiritual & material : Secular education glorifies material needs &
promotes reverence for earthy life, without rejecting spiritual values. Secularism
is based on fundamental human values. It helps to strike a healthy balance
between the spiritual & the material.
7.
Humanitarianism
: Secularism stands for peace, good will & understanding. Secular education
helps in fostering the brotherhood of man & the unity of the world.
How to promote Secularism
through school programmes ?
·
Celebrate important events
·
Youth festivals
·
Celebrate festivals like onam ,christmas,id etc.
·
Conduct integration camps
·
Arrange seminars,talks about world peace,communal harmony
·
Discourses on religious values by religious leaders
·
Include informations related to secularism
·
Teach lessons about great saints who sacrificed their
lives for the cause of national or
social
well being
CONCLUSION
Finally, we may now consider the
question concerning the place of Secularism in our social & cultural life.
In our society religion pervades all important aspects of an individual’s life
from birth to death. To whatever religion the individual may belong, he is
always in a firm grip of his religion & this grip is so firm. In our
country today denominational schools are allowed to function with a lot of
freedom. In such institutions, the children of the respective communities or
castes are admitted on preferential basis & also teachers of the same
communities are preferred. Religion creeps into education process in different
ways stealthily & unassumingly. It comes through morning prayers, staging
mythological plays & so on. Therefore, utmost attempts should be made to
plug these loops so that there cannot be any infiltration of religious bigotry
or denominational ideas.
The good elements
of all religions should be taught to the students & great savant as well as
saints of different religions who sacrificed their lives for the cause of the
national or social well being should be made known to all. Religious neutrality
or Secularism is a matter of attitude which can be developed in students by
living & learning, by experiencing & realizing the truths of the
religions.
Teachers should
work as living models or ideals whose objective, attitude & unbiased
activity can be emulated by their students. This is more necessary when the
society is threatened by narrow bigotry, religious fanaticism & blind
superstitions.
REFERENCES :
1.
Philosophical
reflection – essays on socio-ethical philosophy & philosophy of
religion. : Dr.Ved Prakash Varma
2.
Modern
trends in Indian education : Jagannath Mohanty.
3.
Social
aspects of education : Muniruddin Qureshi.
