Secularity and Pluralism in Europe A Distinctive Case

Three elements to consider Secularity – in general and in Europe taking care with definitions identifying patterns Pluralism in context once again, the need for care in using terms complicated ‘equations’ Europe as a distinctive case exceptionalism/ exceptional to what? distinctive is a better word

Is Europe secular? What do we mean by secular? Secular, secularity, secularism, secularization each of these ‘labels’ has a particular connotation Huge variations across Europe – in terms of confessional groups, historical experience, the presence (or not) of communism, national trajectories, and so on... Can we generalize?

The factors to take into account There are six (at least): cultural heritage vicarious religion a shift from obligation to consumption new arrivals secular alternatives the ‘distinctiveness’ of Europe

Questions/ tensions to keep in mind Think about: growth or decline/ more or less? obligation and/or choice public and private the religious and the secular; mutually constituted or diametrically opposed? long-term trajectories/ recent change

A possible summary A continuing/remorseless process of secularization (a worrying loss of religious literacy), offset by growth in some areas The increasing salience of religion in public as well as private debate, a tendency encouraged by the ever more obvious presence of religion both in Europe itself and in the modern world order A challenging combination

Understanding pluralism Two rather different meanings: Different faith communities that co-exist in a single space represented by articulate and well-informed spokespersons (inter-faith dialogue) The fragmentation of many different belief systems and world views the elements of which are then re-appropriated/ re- combined by a wide variety of individuals and communities

Descriptive or normative From Beckford (2003) – an advocate of ‘constructivism’ Plurality versus pluralism a descriptive or a normative term the moral or political values associated with religious diversity Accommodating diversity constitutional differences what is/ is not acceptable? the default positions and how these emerge

Pluralism in context There are three elements to consider (at least): the existence of religious diversity the reasons for this the nature/ receptiveness of the host community to such diversity These are necessarily complicated equations Bearing this in mind: the commonalities across Europe – but, at the same time, many variations

The commonalities The historical presence of a state church (or equivalent) in every part of Europe – indisputable The ‘territorial’ nature of these churches at national, regional (diocesan) and local (parish) level The assumptions of dominance, if not monopoly, are deeply embedded in the consciousness of Europeans The implications of this situation for both secularity/ secularism and pluralism

Church and state in England

Exeter cathedral

A country parish

The distinctiveness of the European case Increasing pluralism (in every sense of the term) takes place over a distinctive background – the historic presence of a state church This is quite different from the situation in the United States, for example, where there is no dominant church (the significance of the First Amendment) Latin America – a hybrid case Other examples

Variations within Europe France versus Britain principle versus pragmatism democracy versus tolerance Dutch (il)liberalism Danish cartoons; Swiss minarets Shari’ah law the Archbishop of Canterbury and a Swedish doctoral thesis

Secular pluralism Differentiating between type and degree ‘Types’ of pluralism French laïcité – the alter ego of French Catholicism Norwegian humanists – the alter ego of the Lutheran Church Degrees of pluralism – a continuum of belief mild agnosticism the fundamentalists – Richard Dawkins

Recapitulation Returning to the six factors: cultural heritage – time and place vicarious religion a shift from obligation to consumption new arrivals secular alternatives/ secular pluralism Europe as a distinctive case in terms of both secularity and pluralism

The questions/ tensions to keep in mind Recalling: growth or decline/ more or less? obligation and/or choice public and private the religious and the secular; mutually constituted or diametrically opposed? long-term trajectories/ recent change