Secularism: What’s the Rub?

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Religious leaders often complain about secularism, which may leave younger people scratching their heads. That’s because secularism, probably imperceptible to people under 50, appears to older people to have advanced at an incredible pace in the last 20-30 years. The dictionary defines it as “indifference to or rejection or exclusion of religion and religious considerations.”

It was on my mind during the recent celebration of Easter. It seems to be all about bunnies and eggs. What they have to do with the meaning of Easter is beyond me, but that’s what seems to matter to many people. Christmas is similar. In the U.S., at least, it’s mostly about merchandizing. For religious people, it’s annoying because it ignores the meaning of religious holidays. (If I were head of the Worldwide Religious Council, which as far as I know is non-existent, I would pick another date for the celebration of Jesus’ birthday and leave Dec. 25 to the Macy’s and Walmarts.)

I think secularism got a big boost from John Lennon’s famous song, Imagine, released in 1975. It is said to be among the 100 most-performed songs in the 20^th century. It asks listeners to imagine, among changes that would make the world better, an end to religion. In interviews, however, Lennon said he was not promoting an end to religion itself but to denominations and the strife among them.

I believe secularism is a symptom, not a cause. In the case of holidays, it reflects the perception that many Americans have lost their connection with religious events and beliefs. Merchandizers take advantage of that loss, apparently believing that many people today know little about religions, their customs and beliefs, and care less.

As a former journalist, I often see the effects of secularism in the daily newspaper. Writers used to be careful about explaining which religion believed what, titles of their ministers and descriptions of their services. The Associated Press Stylebook was specific about all that. Today, journalists seem to believe that if you’ve seen one religion, you’ve seen them all.

As for coverage of religion, look at the index of major news magazines or major online news organizations. You’ll see categories for practically every human activity but religion. The New York Times has approximately 22 categories of news and features, including technology, theater, science, dining/wine, home/garden, fashion and style and automobiles, but no religion section. Time Magazine has nearly as many categories; but no religion. True, these publications cover “religious” events, such as the election of a new pope or such things as clergy abuse, the killing or jailing of an imam or a lawsuit because of a conflict with a religious belief.

Occasionally, they provide substantial coverage of a religion’s, or religious figure’s, beliefs and practices, as Time Magazine did recently when it named Pope Frances its Man of the Year.

But most news organizations generally ignore religion, which is odd when you consider the polls. According to a 2012 Gallup survey, 69 percent of Americans – nearly three out of four – describe themselves as “very” or “moderately” religious. In other words, they would presumably be interested in news and commentary about religion. Are as nearly as many as 70 percent of Americans interested in technology or theater or fashion or books? I doubt it.

As a former journalist, I’m bothered by all this because it doesn’t accurately reflect readers’ and viewers’ interests. But as a believer, albeit one with doubts, it doesn’t bother me. It’s one thing to say, as the survey respondents do, that you’re very or moderately religious; it’s another to be committed to a faith and to have that faith reflected in how you live. Are Americans really religious or is their faith more a matter of culture? And if it’s simply a matter of culture, doesn’t secularism accurately reflect reality?

A bumper sticker I saw in Arizona sums up the “religious” convictions of many Americans: “Guns, guts and God.” I believe many Americans identify Christianity, if not other religions, with American “culture,” clinging to such notions as “God is on our side,” and “My country, right or wrong.” If the U.S. were truly a Christian country, it would engage in immigration reform, put an end to capital punishment, find an alternative to abortion, protect the environment and commit to making the lives of everyone, especially the poor, better.

Many people observing the contrast between what Christianity teaches and what Christians do, or fail to do, have opted out of religion, and often out of faith. They have turned their interest to sports, cooking, travel, pets, physical grooming, exercise and technology – the topics covered by the media.

This blog focuses on faith, which many associate with an intellectual assent to the existence of God and various dogmas. But belief itself is no sure sign that a person is spiritual, let alone religious. Jesus pointed this out when he rebuked the religious leaders of his time who were relying on their status as Jews. “…Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father;’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children of Abraham.”

Lots of Christians lead exemplary lives and give themselves unselfishly to others, but there doesn’t seem to be enough of them to get the public’s attention.

The Letter of James, which you’ll find toward the back of your Bible, has an interesting take. “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: “to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” To me this says that real religion reflects a relationship with God that is evident by the way the believer lives his/her life. “You will know them by their fruits,” Jesus said. What you see is what you get.

So secularization itself is not bad, at least if it represents neutrality regarding religion. It’s up to us who are religious to show that religion is a vibrant, joyful response to life and deserves the public’s interest.