Is There a Crisis of Secularism in Western Europe? ? Religion and ...

From Tariq Modood, The Immanent Flame

Even quite sober academics speak of ?a contemporary crisis of secularism,? claiming that ?today, political secularisms are in crisis in almost every corner of the globe.? Olivier Roy, in an analysis focused on France, writes of ?The Crisis of the Secular State,? and Rajeev Bhargava of the ?crisis of secular states in Europe.? Yet this is quite a misleading view of what is happening in Western Europe.

Each country in Western Europe is a secular state and while each has its own distinctive take on what this means, there are, nevertheless, two main historical strands of secularism, a main and a lesser strand. The latter is principally manifested in French la?cit?, which seeks to create a public space in which religion is virtually banished in the name of reason and emancipation, and religious organizations are monitored by the state through consultative national mechanisms. The main Western European approach, which I call moderate secularism, however, sees organized religion as a potential public good or national resource (not just a private benefit), which the state can in some circumstances advance?even through an ?established? church. Its public benefits can be direct, such as a contribution to education and social care through autonomous church-based organizations funded by the taxpayer; or indirect, such as the production of attitudes that create economic hope or family stability, or that contribute to conceptions of national identity, cultural heritage, ethical voice, and national ceremonies.

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Source: http://religioninsociety.com/2011/09/09/is-there-a-crisis-of-secularism-in-western-europe/

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