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 SECULARIZATION

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SECULARIZATION

though at present it may be perfectly true that all men who are Secularists are not Atheists, I put it that in my opinion the logical consequence of the accept- ance of Secularism must be that the man gets to Atheism if he has brains enough to comprehend. . . . You cannot have a scheme of morality without Atheism. The Utilitarian scheme is a defiance of the doctrine of Providence and a protest against God". On the other hand, Holyoakc affirmed that "Secu- larism is not an argument against Christianity, it is one independent of it. It does not question the pre- tensions of Christianity; it advances others. Secu- larism does not say there is no light or guidance else- where, but maintains that there is light and guidance in secular truth, whose conditions and sanctions exist independently, and act forever. Secular knowledge is manifestly that kind of knowledge which is founded in this life, which relates to the conduct of this life, conduces to the welfare of this life, and is capable of being tested by the experience of this hfe" (Charles Bradlaugh, I, 334, 336). But in many passages of his writings, Holyoake goes much further and seeks to disprove Christian truths. To the criticism of theol- ogy. Secularism adds a great concern for culture, so- cial progress, and the improvement of the material con- ditions of life, especially for the working classes. In ethics it is utilitarian, and seeks only the greatest good of the present life, since the existence of a future fife, as well as the existence of God, "belong to the debatable ground of speculation" (English Secular- ism, 37). It tends to substitute "the piety of useful men for the usefulness of piety" (ibid., 8).

II. Criticism. — The fundamental principle of Secularism is that, in his whole conduct, man should be guided exclusively by considerations derived from the present life itself. Anything that is above or be- yond the present life should be entirely overlooked. Whether God exists or not, whether the soul is im- mortal or not, are questions which at best cannot be answered, and on which consequently no motives of action can be based. A fortiori all motives derived from the Christian religion are worthless. "Things Secular are as separate from the Church as land from the ocean" (English Secularism, 1). This principle is in strict opposition to essential Catholic doctrines. The Church is as intent as Secularism on the improve- ment of this life, as respectful of scientific achieve- ments, as eager for the fulfilment of all duties pertain- ing to the present life. But the present life cannot be looked upon as an end in itself, and independent of the future life. The knowledge of the material world leads to the knowledge of the spiritual world, and among the duties of the present life must be reckoned those which arise from the existence and nature of God, the fact of a Divine Revelation, and the neces- sity of preparing for the future life. If God exists, how can Secularism "inculcate the practical suffi- ciency of natural morality? " If "Secularism does not say there is no light or guidance elsewhere", how can it command us to follow exclusively the light and guidance of secular truth? Only the Atheist can be a consistent Secularist.

According as man makes present happiness the only criterion of the value of life, or on the contrary admits the existence of God and the fact of a Divine Revela- tion and of a future life, the whole aspect of the pres- ent life changes. These questions cannot be ignored, for on them depends the right conduct of life and "the development of the moral and intellectual nature of man to the highest possible point". If anything can be known about God and a future life, duties to be ful- filled in the present life are thereby imposed on "all who would regulate life by reason and ennoble it by service". "Considerations purely human" become inadequate, and the "light and guidance" found in secular truth must be referred to and judged from a higher point of view. Hence the present life in itself

cannot be looked upon as the only standard of man's worth. The Church would fail in her Divine mission if she did not insist on the insufficiency of a life con- ducted exclusively along secular lines, and therefore on the falsity of the main assumption of Secu- larism.

Again, the Catholic Church does not admit that rehgion is simply a private affair. God is the author and ruler not only of individuals, but also of societies. Hence the State should not be indifferent to religious matters (see Ethics). How far in practice Church and State should go together depends on a number of circumstances and cannot be determined by any gen- eral rule, but the principle remains true that religion is a social as well as an individual duty.

In practice again, owing to special circumstances, a secular education in the public schools may be the only possible one. At the same time, this is a serious defect which must be supplied otherwise. It is not enough for the child to be taught the various human sciences, he must also be given the knowledge of the necessary means of salvation. The Church cannot renounce her mission to teach the truths she has received from her Divine Founder. Not only as individuals, but also as citizens, all men have the right to perform the religious duties which their conscience dictates. The complete secularization of all public institutions in a Christian nation is therefore inadmissible. Man must not only be learned in human science ; his whole life must be directed to the higher and nobler pursuits of morality and religion, to God Himself. While fully recognizing the value of the present life, the Church cannot look upon it as an end in itself, but only as a movement toward a future life for which preparation must be made by compliance with the laws of nature and the laws of God. Hence there is no possible compromise between the Church and Sec- ularism, since Secularism would stifle in man that which, for the Church, constitutes the highest and truest mo- tives of action, and the noblest human aspirations.

Holyoake, The Principles of Secularism (London, I860) ; Idem, Sixty Years of an Agitator's Life (London, 1892), autobi- ography; Idem, The Origin and Nature of Secularism (London, 1896) ; published simultaneously in America under the title Eng- lish Secularism, A Confession of Belief (Chicago, 1896) ; McCabe, Life and Letters of George Jacob Holyoake (London, 1908) ; Goss, A Descriptive Bibliography of the Writings of George Jacob Holy- oake, with a Brief Sketch of his Life (London, 1908); The Auto- biography of Mr. Bradlaugh (London, s. d.) ; Bonner, Charles Bradlaugh (7th ed., London, 1908); Funt. Anti-Theistic Theories (5th ed., Edinburgh, 1894).

C. A. DUBRAY.

Secularization (Lat. scecularizatio), an authoriza- tion given to rehgious with solemn vows and by ex- tension to those with simple vows to live for a time or permanently in the "world" (sseculum), i. e., outside the cloister and their order, while maintaining the essence of religious profession. It is a measure of kindness towards the religious and is therefore to be distinguished from the "expulsion" of religious with solemn vows, and the "dismissal" of religious with simple vows, which are penal measures towards guilty subjects. On the other hand, as secularization does not annul the religious character, it is distinct from absolute dispensation from vows; this likewise is a lenient measure, but it annuls the vows and their obligation, and the one dispensed is no longer a reli- gious. As a general rule dispensation is the measure taken in the case of religious with simple vows while secularization is employed where there are solemn vows. Nevertheless there are exceptions in both cases. Sometimes lav religious with solemn vows or lay sisters are wholly dispensed from their vows, religious life in the world being very difficult for lay persons; in other instances religious men or women with simple vows are authorized at least for a time to lay aside their habit and live outside their houses, at the same time observing their vows; such is the case for instance with the rehgious men and women in