Understanding Secularism (Practice) Chapter Notes - Class 8 PDF Download

Understanding Secularism

➢ What is Secularism?

• Secularism refers to separation of religion.
• The Indian Constitution allows individuals the freedom to live by their religious beliefs and practices.
• Indian adopted a strategy of separating the power of religion and the power of the state.

➢ Why is it Important to Separate Religion from the State?  

• It prohibits the domination of one religion over another.  
• To protect the freedom of individuals to exit from their religion, embrace another religion or have the freedom to interpret religious teachings differently.  

➢ What is Indian Secularism?  

• The Indian Constitution mandates that the Indian state be secular state.  
• One religious community does not dominate another in a secular state.  
• In a secular state, some members do not dominate other members of the same religious community.  
• The state does not enforce any particular religion nor take away the religious freedom of individuals.  
• The government schools cannot promote any one religion.
• In order to respect the sentiments of all religions and not interfere with religious practices, the state makes certain exceptions for particular religious communities.
• The Indian secularism works to prevent domination.  
• In order to prevent this religion-based exclusion and discrimination of lower castes, the Indian Constitution bans untouchability.  
• To ensure that laws relating to equal inheritance rights are respected, the state may have to intervene in the religion-based ‘personal laws’ of communities.
• The intervention of the state can be in the form of support.
• The first amendment of the US constitution prohibits the legislature from making laws “respecting an establishment of religion”, or that prohibits the free exercise of religion. 
• The Indian state is secular and works in various ways to prevent religious domination.