Secular State| Class 11 Polity Notes

Secular State: This standardizing worldview aims to create a secular society devoid of both intra- and interreligious dominance. It creates equality and freedom both inside and across religions. A state that upholds the principles of secularism must continue to enforce certain laws about religion and religious groups.

Secular State 11 Polity Notes

Inter-religious domination

• Every Indian citizen has the right to live freely and honorably in any area of the nation, according to the Indian Constitution.
  Many restrictions and forms of prejudice still exist today. For instance, during the 1984 riots, around 2,700 Sikhs were slaughtered.
• Many members of a particular community pray on account of their religious recognition. Some incidents are instances of religious oppression.
• The main ideology that runs against all of these manifestations of interreligious sovereignty is secularism.  

Intra-religious domination

• An inherent part of the human experience is the sense of loss and isolation.
• Philosophy, art, and religion are reactions to certain pains. It is not anti-religious to be secular.
• When religion is rationalised, its more orthodox adherents frequently seize control of it.
• In several US states, religious fanaticism has become a major issue.
  Numerous religions fragment, which occasionally results in sectarian bloodshed and the mistreatment of those who disagree.
• Many religions break up into small pieces, leading to periodic sectarian violence and maltreatment of dissenting minorities.
• Inter-religious supremacy is not the only indicator of religious dominance. It requires another important structure, most notably the subjugation of people within the same religion. Secularism challenges both intra- and interreligious dominance because it rejects all forms of institutionalized religious power.

Need of Secular state

1. Preventing Religious Discrimination:

•   Collaborating for mutual enlightenment, utilizing education to alter mindsets.
•   Highlighting individual instances of sharing and mutual aid to reduce prejudice and suspicion among communities.

2. Role of States in Preventing Religious Conflict:

•   Acknowledging the significant influence of states in public affairs.
•   Emphasizing the critical role of state functioning in mitigating inter-community conflict and religious discrimination.

3. Preventing Domination by Religious Groups:

•   Stressing the importance of states not being governed by leaders of specific religions.
•  Noting the negative characteristics of theocratic states, which lack separation between religious and political institutions, often leading to oppression and hierarchy.

4. Separation of State and Religion:

•   Recognizing that merely separating state and religion is insufficient for a truly secular state.
•  Providing historical examples such as England and Pakistan to illustrate how non-theocratic states may still have close alliances with specific religions.

5. Requirements for a Truly Secular State:

•   Insisting that a secular state must reject theocratic governance and avoid legal alliances with any religion.
•   Asserting the necessity of committing to principles derived from non-religious sources, including peace, religious freedom, and equality.

6. Separation of Religion and State:

•   Affirming that separation of religion and state is necessary but not solely adequate for achieving secularism.
•   Arguing that the state must distance itself from organized religion and its institutions to uphold values such as religious freedom and equality.

7. Different Conceptions of Secularism:

•   Comparing the mainstream Western conception, epitomized by the American state, with an alternative conception demonstrated by the Indian state.

8. To be Truly Secular

• A state must have no legal or formal alliance with any religion. 
• A secular state shall be carried out by the goals and principles, which are in part taken from non-religious sources.
• These ends must comprise religious freedom, peace, and freedom from religiously grounded persecution, exclusion and discrimination.
• To encourage these arrangements, the state must be isolated from the arrangement of religion and its institutions for some of these values’ sake.
• The nature and extent of separation may take different forms, depending upon the specific values and the way in which these values are spelt out.

Conclusion 

In order to be really secular, a state must reject theocracy and sever all official, binding links to religion. Conversely, a secular state must have both religion and state separation, but they are not sufficient. A secular state has to be dedicated to secular ideals and objectives.

 Related Links

1. CBSE Sample Papers for Class 11 Political Science Set 2 with Solutions
2. Right to Freedom of Religion in India (Articles 25-28)
3. CBSE Sample Papers for Class 11 Political Science (2023-24) Set 1 with Solutions

Secular State 11 Polity Notes- FAQs

What is a secular state?

A secular state is one that does not consider anyone’s religion as an official religion. A secular state also treats all its citizens equally, regardless of religion.

Which country is known as secular state?

Some of the most well-known examples for states considered “constitutionally secular” are the United States, France, Turkey, India, Mexico, and South Korea, though none of these nations have identical forms of governance with respect to religion.

What is the importance of secular state?

A secular state claims to treat all its citizens equally regardless of religion, and claims to avoid preferential treatment for a citizen based on their religious beliefs, affiliation or lack of over those with other profiles.

What are the three features of secular state?

Features of Indian secularism are:

·Equal respect and recognition for all religions by the state. 

·No discrimination by the state on the basis of religion. 

·Non-interference in the functioning of any religion by the state.

What is the basic principle of secular state?

The state should be separated from religious institutions. The state should not be providing any aid to religious institutions. The state cannot enforce any particular religion on anyone. The state cannot take away the religious freedom of individuals.