Militant Secularism and Fairy Tale Faith
Posted: February 19, 2012 | Author: Geek_living_in_the_grey | | Tags: Atheism, Enlightenment, Faith, human rights, Humanism, jewish, Jewish History, Judaism, Philosophy, Science, Secular, Secularism |1 Comment »
by David Brown
In the past few weeks there have been a number of stories which raise questions about the role of religion in public life in the UK. Last week the National Secular Society and an atheist councilor won a case that resulted in the ruling that the “saying of prayers as part of the formal meeting of a council is not lawful under section 111 of the Local Government Act 1972″. The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science published a study they commissioned MORI to conduct on the attitudes of those who identified (or would have identified) as Christian on the 2011 census – it seems only 10% of Christians seek moral guidance from their religion. On her historic visit with the Pope, Baroness Warsi argued ”that to create a more just society, people need to feel stronger in their religious identities and more confident in their creeds” and that “faith has a vital and important role to play in modern society”.
Others, including Cartoon Kippah’s recent addition Adam Wagner, can comment better than I on the detail of these stories. I just wanted to offer some broader thoughts on the challenges a seemingly polarized debate between “secular” and “religious” may pose to Jews and Judaism in the UK.
My basic understanding of recent European history is that the enlightenment marked the moving away from a society based on religious teaching – so often resulting in wars fought partly based on religion – towards a society based on reason, scientific exploration, individual rights and democratically elected authorities. It’s very easy to point out that the most ‘enlightened’ society at a certain point in that history resulted in the Shoah, but this does a disservice to the wider discussion about the degree to which our society should be God-centric or human centric. I’ve spent time on here before responding to the Chief Rabbi’s possibly simplistic approach to atheists, and whilst my recent read of the far more complex ‘The Great Partnership: God, Science and the Search for Meaning‘ was enjoyable and challenged some preconceptions I had about some orthodox rejection of Science, at times the reference to the grave crimes of the ‘secular’ Hitler and Stalin aggravated me as does talk of ‘militant secularism’ or ‘fundamentalist atheists’. As a side point one factor allowing the willing complicity of most of Europe in the slaughter of millions of Jews was historical Jew hatred based on Christian and Catholic doctrine. Gassing of mentally disabled stopped due to Christian protest – no such protest was forthcoming over the industrial murder of Jews.
Ignoring then a simplistic rejection of the enlightenment as not always creating enlightened societies, the move away from Christian dominated societies, and a reduction in the influence of religion in public life throughout Europe, was on the whole a positive step for Jews, at the time Europe’s main minority. Indeed it was the first time they were granted citizenship and laid the way for Jews and now minorities of many more backgrounds to integrate and take up public office. The changes of the enlightenment led to freedom of religion, obviously a good thing for Jews (and Catholics in Britain) but it was also about freedom from religion in public life.
It may not be perfect but society built on response to the freely voiced will of the people, and social policy designed from experience and informed by research is a whole lot better than structuring our lives around service to a hypothetical being – or more often the laws and decrees of his ‘representatives on earth’.
Building on the enlightenment and move towards reason, science and democracy, slightly more recently there has been the emergence of a Human Rights based society across Europe and here in the UK.
Human Rights are taking a bit of a battering at the moment, and I have some sympathy with the need to balance the protection of the rights of individuals with securing the safety of a collective. Nevertheless, as a Jew I am keenly aware of the Shoah’s role as a catalyst towards creating the current context for Human Rights legislation. Indeed Rene Cassin and the organisation that bears his name are testament to the Jewish historical experience, and an enlightened reading of our scriptures and values, that partly inspired the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Religion can be a constructive and inspiring social force with a public role. Whilst I am agnostic I take some general guidance and specific instruction from many parts of my Jewish tradition and teaching; seeking to use the earth’s resources responsibly, protecting the marginalized and disadvantaged and living with a sense of awe for that which came before me and is outside of my realm of consciousness are just some examples. The sense of belonging and community, support structures associated with this and high levels of volunteering and charity are probably the most common elements among all faiths that demonstrate the social good religion can offer. So clearly only a ‘militant secularist’ would argue that there is no role for religion or a religious voice in public life.
It is when that religious voice comes up against modern ideas of social justice and equality (the rights of women, social policy based on evidence rather than morality and the rights of LGBT people) and when religious leaders defend malpractice because of faith, that it seems apparent society needs to opt for cautious limitations on the power and influence of religion on our daily lives.
Jews may sometimes have to separate their private religion from their public life, but on the whole the reduced deference to religion by politicians, judges and society at large is good for Jews, minorities and the pursuit of the more just society Baroness Warsi claims the various religious ’creeds’ seek to achieve.
Personally I’d prefer a society based on secular enlightenment ideals than the fairy tale beliefs of religious leaders and institutions who reject reason, science and liberal democracy.
For those in need of some light relief yet still on message, the wise words of a devout Catholic public servant on the role of religion in public life