Difference between revisions of "Secular"
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The term '''secular''' is generally used to mean "worldly, as differentiated from ecclesiastical." The term has changed meaning dramatically over time. Its original definition preserved its Latin meaning - "of an age" - as evinced in the [[Secular Games]], or the [[Carmen Secularae]] ("Song of the Augustan Age") by Horace. | The term '''secular''' is generally used to mean "worldly, as differentiated from ecclesiastical." The term has changed meaning dramatically over time. Its original definition preserved its Latin meaning - "of an age" - as evinced in the [[Secular Games]], or the [[Carmen Secularae]] ("Song of the Augustan Age") by Horace. | ||
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The United States was founded as a secular [[republic]], where religious freedom is affirmed in the Constitution and where no special religion is established. However, 'secular' here is ''not'' a synonym for 'atheistic'. | The United States was founded as a secular [[republic]], where religious freedom is affirmed in the Constitution and where no special religion is established. However, 'secular' here is ''not'' a synonym for 'atheistic'. | ||
Revision as of 04:55, May 12, 2009
The term secular is generally used to mean "worldly, as differentiated from ecclesiastical." The term has changed meaning dramatically over time. Its original definition preserved its Latin meaning - "of an age" - as evinced in the Secular Games, or the Carmen Secularae ("Song of the Augustan Age") by Horace.
The United States was founded as a secular republic, where religious freedom is affirmed in the Constitution and where no special religion is established. However, 'secular' here is not a synonym for 'atheistic'.
Further reading
- Emmet Kennedy, "The Tangled History of Secularism," Modern Age (Winter 2000) Volume 42, Number 1; online edition