The original definition referred to Church and State issues from the late 18th century Enlightenment period. At its root was faith vs. rationalism, or the Church vs. [[secularism]]. The so-called "right", defined as "traditional interests" refered to the Church & monarchy who ruled by the [[Divine right of kings]], and the so-called "left" constituted secular elements challenging the Church's longheld influence over civil government. These definitions have always been problematic when attempting to assign Western notions of "left and right" to societies which traditionally have no conception of separation of chuch and states, such as in Islam of Czarist Russia. | The original definition referred to Church and State issues from the late 18th century Enlightenment period. At its root was faith vs. rationalism, or the Church vs. [[secularism]]. The so-called "right", defined as "traditional interests" refered to the Church & monarchy who ruled by the [[Divine right of kings]], and the so-called "left" constituted secular elements challenging the Church's longheld influence over civil government. These definitions have always been problematic when attempting to assign Western notions of "left and right" to societies which traditionally have no conception of separation of chuch and states, such as in Islam of Czarist Russia. |