SECULAR, what is it? And is it bad? WhyWhynot?

[Neighbor]

The idea of "secular" activity and it being being bad or unproductive must have some cultural basis, and require a definition of what is secular  too; shouldn't it? 

 

[Jayne]

57 minutes ago, Neighbor said:

The idea of "secular" activity and it being being bad or unproductive must have some cultural basis, and require a definition of what is secular  too; shouldn't it? 

 

One would think, wouldn't one.

[NConly]

secular (adj.)

c. 1300, seculer, in reference to clergy, "living in the world, not belonging to a religious order," also generally, "belonging to the state" (as opposed to the Church),

I always thought the last four words in the above  was the definition of secular

[Jayne]

45 minutes ago, NConly said:

secular (adj.)

c. 1300, seculer, in reference to clergy, "living in the world, not belonging to a religious order," also generally, "belonging to the state" (as opposed to the Church),

I always thought the last four words in the above  was the definition of secular

Let me understand you.  You believe the word secular to mean "opposed to the church".  "Opposed" as in fighting against or "opposed" as in not religious.

[missmuffet]

Got questions has a good answer and from reading it I agree.

What is secularism

Answer

Essentially, secularism says that man does not need God. It can be defined as “a system of doctrines and practices that disregards or rejects any form of religious faith and worship. Its primary objective is the total elimination of all religious elements from society.” Secularism, also known as secular humanism, teaches that there are no objective or absolute truths defining right and wrong. In essence, to secularize something is to make it worldly and unspiritual. Its intent is to deprive something of its religious character, its spiritual influence and significance.

Secularism permeates all facets of our society: education, government, the criminal justice system, the news media, the entertainment industry, etc. Secularists believe that man is the measure of all things, that morals are man-centered, not God-centered. Therefore, no one is entitled to determine right from wrong, and morality is best determined by what is good for today’s culture. Secularists do not believe that mankind can have a set of permanent values such as are taught in the Bible. Secularism pays lip service to tolerance and diversity, yet many times secularists are intolerant of those who look to the Bible as God’s standard for morality.

When the things of God are removed from schools, courtrooms, and congressional hallways, it naturally leads to a deterioration of personal morality. The acceptance of situational ethics does away with moral absolutes and dictates that there are no limits, no values, no real standards.

The more our nation embraces secularism, the more it becomes like ancient Israel, where “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6; 21:25). When the mindset is “if it feels good, do it!” wickedness, perversion, and sin become the norm. In a completely secularized society, marriage is disparaged, morality is mocked, and human life is devalued.

The truth is that, left to his own devices, man always descends to a lower level. Following the Bible’s precepts lifts us to a higher moral plane (Deuteronomy 4:7-8; 10:12-13; Proverbs 14:34). However, man has hardened his heart against God (John 12:40; Romans 1:18-22). We have sown to the wind and are in danger of reaping the whirlwind (Hosea 8:7).

Even the church is being impacted by secularism. Many churches are dealing less and less with the moral conduct of its membership for fear of offending them. After all, accommodating a wayward member is much easier than correcting him. However, the church cannot allow itself to become secularized. Jesus taught that, though we are in the world, we’re not of the world (Romans 2:2; James 4:4; 1 John 2:15).

Secularism promotes the idea that religion is nothing but a relic of the past. But the truth is, God exists, and we do need Him. Despite the claims of secular humanism, the Bible is God’s truth (John 17:17). As believers living in a secular society, we must “become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15, NKJV).

 

https://www.gotquestions.org/what-is-secularism.html

 

Edited September 22, 2024 by missmuffet

[Neighbor]

And yet: 

secular /sĕk′yə-lər/

adjective

1. Worldly rather than spiritual. 
   "the secular affairs of the parish."
2. Not relating to religion or to a religious body; nonreligious. 
   "secular music."
3. Not bound by the full monastic rule of a religious order. Used of clergy. 

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition 

 

To me secular does NOT mean anti anything. That which is secular is what is without reference to religions, their rules, their traditions; but need not be anti religions at all. There are secular activities within daily life of most everyone regardless of their religious habit(s).

Example: I might enjoy a nice even meditative time of looking over a stamp collection, seeing some history and nature represented in their artful design all without being anti-faithing. I would consider that activity to be secular in nature.

 

I do wonder how much of the world can relate to the idea of secular as being   anti God  or anti Godliness. 

[NConly]

3 hours ago, Jayne said:

Let me understand you.  You believe the word secular to mean "opposed to the church".  "Opposed" as in fighting against or "opposed" as in not religious.

opposed as in not religious. Not interested in God at all

[AnOrangeCat]

I'm going to go with the dictionary on this one and say that in and of itself it's neutral. Romans 14 is a good chapter for this kind of thing, telling us not to get into it over disputable matters. He specifically mentioned days regarded as holy and foods, but I feel like it applies to a lot of territory not explicitly covered in the Bible. Paul's take seems to be that these things that fall under the heading of disputable aren't inherently unclean. We should go with our convictions, receive it with thanksgiving, and be mindful that in our freedom we don't cause others to stumble.

Hiking is certainly a secular activity. There's nothing innately spiritual about it, but it can certainly turn our thoughts toward God. This is true of a good many activities. When in doubt Philippians 4:8 gives us a good measuring stick: "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

[Tristen]

Secularism is an ideological paradigm that disregards any influence or recognition of religious belief. A secularist considers all religious beliefs to hold the same validity - which is to say, religious beliefs are typically considered to be equally invalid. A position is "secular" if it is formulated within the paradigm of secularism - in accordance with the presuppositions of secularism.

Secularism operates under the self-superior guise of being intellectually unbiased (in its equal disregard for all religious ideas). However, in actuality, secularism demonstrates a preference for (and therefore promotes) non-religious faith perspectives such as atheism (naturalism/materialism/universalism etc.) and agnosticism.

A "secular" position is not necessarily anti-god nor anti-religion - however, the conflicting presuppositions used to underpin each respective ideology often generates contrary (or antagonistic) conclusions. Even though secularists merely represent one set of faiths among many, they tend (by confirmation bias) to view themselves to hold the intellectual default position.

 

[Neighbor]

9 hours ago, missmuffet said:

The acceptance of situational ethics does away with moral absolutes and dictates that there are no limits, no values, no real standards.

Hi,

Hmm,... has not God engaged in situational ethics? Has God not taken that which is absolute, laws of holiness of perfection, and turned it on it's head through His everlasting mercy? Seems to me He has. Praise God , His mercy upon me.