The question: What is secularism? What is the relationship between secularism, the state policy; and secularisation, the social process? Most conversations tend to confuse the two, moving from one to ...

Last week the Irish taoiseach, Enda Kenny, openly criticised the Vatican for what he said were attempts to frustrate the Cloyne inquiry into child abuse, thereby launching a row between Ireland and ...

Twenty years ago, during the throes of liturgical reform in the Anglican Church, a caustic (Anglican) critic noted: "Nothing is sacred - nothing in church at least". The liturgical reformers were, of ...

New research measuring the importance of religion in 109 countries spanning the entire 20th century has reignited an age-old debate around the link between secularization and economic growth. The ...

The argument is concerned with the contribution of fiction to the secularisation of religion and, in particular, with the development in fiction of a secular religious discourse. The literary ...

We have known for decades that secular countries tend to be richer than religious ones. Finding out why involves unpicking a complex knot of cognitive and social factors – an imposing task. So my ...

In his 2007 book A Secular Age, Canadian philosopher Charles Tylor writes that three categories of secularism have evolved since the proper emergence of the idea —mainly from the 18th century onwards.

It has become very frequent for some people, particularly committed Catholics, to express an earnest fear of secularisation. The word seems to conjure in their mind a myriad of hideous evils: impiety, ...

In view of the Constitution of 1973 and the many authoritative pronouncements of our judiciary regarding Pakistan’s status as an Islamic state, it is logical to question whether secularisation of ...

Experts have long debated the link between religion and wealth, and a new study goes some way to answering these questions (AFP/Getty Images) A shift away from religion may make countries more ...