secularity
Noun (uncountable): 1. The quality or state of being secular: "secularity" refers to the condition of being separate from religious or spiritual concerns, especially in public, political, or cultural life. It emphasizes a focus on worldly, temporal matters rather than sacred or divine ones.
- Indifference to or rejection of religion: "secularity" can also denote a stance or attitude that is non-religious, or a society where religion does not dominate governance, education, or social norms.
The rise of secularity in modern democracies has led to the separation of church and state. (The principle that government should not be influenced by religious institutions.)
Secularity is not the same as atheism; it simply means that public institutions operate without religious bias. (A neutral stance where religion is not privileged or excluded.)
Many philosophers argue that secularity allows for greater tolerance among diverse religious groups. (A condition that promotes coexistence by keeping religion private.)
"Secularity vs. Secularism": "secularity" describes a factual state or condition, while "secularism" often refers to an ideological movement advocating for that state.
- The secularity of the school system means it does not teach religious doctrine. (The factual condition of being non-religious in public education.)
"Post-secularity": a term used in sociology to describe societies where religion re-emerges in public life after a period of decline in secularity.
- Scholars debate whether post-secularity signals a return to faith or a new form of religious pluralism. (A contemporary trend challenging traditional secularity.)
Secular (adj): relating to worldly rather than spiritual matters; not religious.
- The secular calendar is based on the solar year, not religious festivals. (A calendar without religious roots.)
Secularism (n): the principle of separation of government from religious institutions; a belief system that promotes secularity.
- Secularism is a key feature of many Western constitutions. (An ideology advocating for secularity.)
Secularize (v): to make something secular; to remove religious influence or character.
- The government moved to secularize the education system by removing prayers from schools. (To convert to a non-religious state.)
- Worldliness: a focus on earthly, material, or temporal matters rather than spiritual ones.
- Temporality: the quality of being concerned with the present life or world, as opposed to eternity.
- Layness: the state of being non-clerical or non-religious (less common).
"The secular arm": a historical term referring to the civil or governmental authority, as opposed to ecclesiastical authority.
- The church handed the heretic over to the secular arm for punishment. (Civil authorities acting separately from religious judgment.)
"Secular trend": in statistics or economics, a long-term, non-cyclical pattern or direction.
- The secular trend in global population growth shows a steady increase over centuries. (A long-term, not religious, pattern.)