Is This Dangerous...Secularism

Secularism. 

This is a word that strikes fear.  From what I have experienced, this word seems to invoke fears of a society where religion is harassed/shammed out of existence, and where everyone is forced to conform to a certain set of values that will plunge the society into a dysytopian nightmare. 

When I think of this word, this is the kind of society I see...

I see a nation where there is no established state religion.  No religious institution gets government money or has its leaders appointed to various government posts.  The Constitution of that state, along with that nation's pledge of allegiance, and oaths of office, don't mention a divine being period.  The politicians of that state either don't evoke a deity's name at all in office, or there isn't a whole lot of pressure one way or another.....maybe some politicians don't, some do say "God protect you all", and maybe politicians from different religions are culturally allowed to invoke the protection of their deities.  For instance, lets say a person who did believe in a pantheon of gods was elected to a political office and would sometimes say "May the gods protect the United States".  In a secular society as I see it, no one would care one way or another.

In terms of schools, I would see science classes that taught evolution alone, where teachers simply
said "Speculating on what the concept of evolution means for religion or whether it denies a deity creating the universe is not our department. We are just  here to teach you what the scientific community agrees is the best explanation".  History classes would simply teach the facts of the history of various religions.  Some people may complain of schools teaching students religion, and specifically Christianity is evil.  Even if this is true in some circumstances, and I'm NOT saying it is, but just arguing hypotheticals,  I would say it would be all right to complain, but simply from a historical point of view.  Arguing that certain important facts are being left out of history classes is not inherently the same as demanding that Christianity should be held as the best religion ever.  A secular society would be committed to teaching the truths of history, the good and the bad, with no regard to ideology one way or another.  Finally, in terms of school prayer, having a five minute quiet time at the beginning of the day where students can silently pray/meditate/think about nothing is the most I would consider acceptable.

Is this society dangerous?  What if every member of every religion in that society was free to pray to whoever they believed in, be open about what they prayed to, assemble in groups, their religious institutions were allowed to govern themselves, writing their own rules for their members with the freedom to determine their own rules regarding excommunicating their members?  And within the confines of religious institutions walls, those people should remain free to  say "We think such and such policy is bad and should not be adopted by our members.  What if all the people in that faith did not have to fear being arrested or killed, and there was no danger of losing their jobs?  I emphasize those last two points.....AS LONG AS THE PRACTITIONERS OF ALL FAITHS DID NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT LOSING  THEIR LIVES, JOBS, HOUSING, OR FREEDOMS TO WORSHIP AND ASSEMBLE TO WORSHIP AND PREACH ABOUT WHAT THEY BE LIVED....is such a secular society dangerous?

My point is that secularism doesnt seem to be inherently dangerous.  Lets say the society even experimented with the types of groups/living arrangements it was willing to lend financial support to in the effort to promote more environments that made the difficult task of raising the next generation easier?  As long as the religious groups were free to choose whether to be in such arrangements, I don't see oppression and moral ruin.  Speaking of moral ruin, I am willing to bet money that most people, whether they belong to an old school interpretation of religion or not, believe fundamentally in "do unto others as you would have done unto yourself" and that sometimes its better to cooperate and work in a group than go it alone.  A group of people who rallied largely just around those two principles and formed an agreement not to kill each other and have a government body that resolves disputes between them would, I bet, still be able to form a decent society that functioned well and was not some sort of hellish nightmare of evil.

So is secularism dangerous?  I don't think so.  I don't think its a word to run away from.  You want to talk about particular arrangements to ensure religious liberty in more complex societies?  Fine, and that is a legitimate discussion to have.  But as long as no one is threatening to shut down religions that feel the manner in which they received divine relation doesn't allow for debate on particular issues, I think secularism has NOT gone to far.

Intro

Dear Internet...

Hello.  My name is Rob.  This is my blog, where I intend to post various thoughts about life, politics, and particularly religious politics.  I am also a "Liberal" Catholic.  What is a "Liberal" Catholic?  Well, you know that massive portion of U.S. Catholics who voted for President Obama this year?  The Catholics some people say aren't "real" Catholics and should just get out of the Church?  I am one of them.  And I am NOT leaving!  There is much that fulfills me about this faith, and I believe it has great potential.  I want to do what I can to help this Church, and I believe I can do that by staying and trying to make things better.  I will from time to time post on other topics, but cultural/religious commentary will be a big part of this blog.

Also......trolling will NOT be tolerated!  I invite debate on this wall, but attacking other people is obviously off limits.  No calling others names.  If you don't like what a person says, say stuff like "I disagree/I think your wrong".  I shouldn't have to say this, but its the Internet. 

The final point isn't an order but a suggestion.  Look, I have grown sick of generalized statements.  As in "Gay Marriage will Destroy America" or "The fact that you ask questions about this topic shows you are either uneducated about being a real Catholic, or a stubborn brat".  I want specifics on this wall.  For instance, if you believe that it is impossible for the Church to change its views on particular topics, I want you to cite the councils, statements, and history that proves your point.  If I/someone in the comments bring up a historical fact that would seem to contradict your point, respond to that point with history.  Or, specifically point out from A to B what specific social policies will lead to (in your opinion).  This is only a suggestion, but  I WILL be looking to challenge general statements. 

(Salutes) General Statement.  hehe

Well, time for my first of a series of posts.  In these posts, I will attempt to look at buzzwords in popular culture that strike fear, and looking deeper at these words.  While these posts don't involve citing statistics as much, I count these as "from A to B" statements.  This series will be called....."Is This Dangerous?"