Secularism

1. SECULARISM

2. What Does It Mean? Secularism  is the concept that government or other entities should exist separately from  religion   and / or religious beliefs

3. Secularism , also called  Secularity  or (adjectives:  Secular  or  non religious ) is the idea of something being not religious or not connected to a religious authority

4. This means that anyone can choose to practice or not practice any religion they want , and the government cannot make them be a part of a religion if they do not want to

5. It Also Means They Can Choose NOT To Be A Part Of Any Religion

6. ROOTS Secularism draws its intellectual roots from Greek and Roman philosophers   Medieval Muslim polymaths (people of great or varied learning) Enlightenment thinkers Modern   freethinkers (people who have rejected authority and dogma, especially in religious thinking, in favor of rational inquiry and speculation) Agnostics Atheists

7. WHY SECULARISM? It has been argued that secularism is a movement toward  modernization , and away from traditional religious values 

8. In political terms, secularism is a movement towards the separation of religion and government (often termed the  separation of Church and State). This can refer to: Reducing ties between a government and a  state religion R eplacing laws based on scripture (such as Torah and   Sharia  law) with civil laws E liminating discrimination on the basis of religion This is said to add to democracy Protect the rights of religious minorities

9. Secularism is often associated with the  Age of Enlightenment  in Europe and plays a major role in  Western Society. Secular states also existed in the Islamic world during the  Middle Ages  

10. Due in part to the belief in the separation of church and state, secularists tend to prefer that politicians make decisions for secular rather than religious reasons

11. Some of the well known states that are often considered “constitutionally secular " are: India   France Mexico South Korea Turkey But none of these nations have identical forms of governance

12. Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secularism http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secularism

13. THANK YOU Saurabh Deshpande