secularism

American  

[sek-yuh-luh-riz-uhm] / ˈsɛk yə ləˌrɪz əm /

noun

1. secular spirit or tendency, especially a system of political or social philosophy that rejects all forms of religious faith and worship.

2. the view that public education and other matters of civil policy should be conducted without the introduction of a religious element.

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secularism British  

/ ˈsɛkjʊləˌrɪzəm /

noun

1. philosophy a doctrine that rejects religion, esp in ethics

2. the attitude that religion should have no place in civil affairs

3. the state of being secular

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Other Word Forms

• secularist noun
• secularistic adjective

Etymology

Origin of secularism

First recorded in 1850–55; secular + -ism

Example Sentences

Pope John XXIII’s goal was to promote evangelism, not to accept secularism.

From The Wall Street Journal

Jean-François Roberge, the minister responsible for secularism, said in French at a news conference on Thursday that the bill was "part of an approach that respected individual as well as collective rights".

From BBC

The court said the judgement "was not about secularism in the education system" and made clear that "no one is suggesting that RE should not be provided in schools in Northern Ireland".

From BBC

Moral panics around secularism and job discrimination "are at the heart of this silent flight", Olivier Esteves, one of the authors of the report France, You Love It But You Leave It, tells the BBC.

From BBC

The proliferation of at-home DNA tests has ushered in a tidal wave of skeletons shaken from closets, while generational shifts — and rising secularism — have made things that were once life-ruiningly shameful exponentially less taboo.

From Salon

Related Words

• blasphemy
• fallacy