Secularism

Secularism does not mean the same as atheism, or non-religious, or anti-religious. It is a political position on how we should organise society given a plurality of worldviews. Secularists believe…

1. There should be a separation between religious institutions and state institutions
2. Individuals should have freedom of religion or belief, and be free to reject or change their beliefs
3. There should be equal treatment and no privilege or discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief

Secularism is supported by humanists but also by many religious people. It is an approach to living well together.

Our What is secularism? animation, pitched at secondary school students, provides an introduction to the core features of secularism and why secularists support it. Our additional resources are designed to extend students’ learning and explore secularism more deeply.

Resources

Teachers notes (includes animation script and questions for discussion)

Presentation slides

Secularism information handout

Activities

• Is this secularism?
• What might secularists think about…?
• Religious beliefs and political beliefs

Short video interviews with Andrew Copson, author of Secularism: A Very Short Introduction. Including…

• What is secularism?
• The case for secularism
• The state of secularism
• Ten things to know about secularism

Update: new data on public support for secularism.

Digging deeper

Humanists UK’s campaigning page on secularism

Humanist Heritage on the history of campaigning for secularism

Articles

• What is secularism and why does it matter?
• What is secularism? by Richy Thompson, Director of Human Rights and Advocacy at Humanists UK
• The case for secularism, by philosopher Richard Norman (12 pages)
• What do secularists mean by secularism? by Jeremy Rodell

Faith schools

• Humanist perspective on faith schools
• Video interviews with humanist campaigners on faith schools

Dialogue

• Interview with Humanists UK dialogue officer Jeremy Rodell
• Interview with Dialogue Network volunteer Hannah McKerchar

The veil of ignorance

• A fair society information handout
• Veil of ignorance activity
• BBC radio 4 animation

Humanists International’s Freedom of Thought report

For further information on Secularism, we recommend Secularism: Politics, Religion, and Freedom (OUP) by Andrew Copson