Cultural Anthropology Essay: Secularism's Influence on Modern States

This essay delves into the significant role of secularism in shaping modern societies, examining its impact on cultural growth. The essay argues that secularism, often interpreted as the separation of religion and state, is a vital component of modernization, although strict secularity may pose challenges. It discusses the importance of religious freedom and the accommodation of diverse religions within a state, citing examples such as India and the USA. The essay highlights the benefits of pluralism, including the sharing of ideas and enhanced freedom, while also acknowledging the potential for conflicts arising from uniformity in religious practices. References to relevant articles and studies are included to support the arguments presented.

Cultural Anthropology
Name
Institution

Cultural Anthropology
Secularism plays a very important role in the cultural growth and shaping of modern societies. It
can be argued that most states are currently secular and secularism and secularization is
dominating most states globally. Secularism plays a critical role in the nature and direction of
modern states. Secularism is sometimes interpreted as a separation between religion and the
state. It is worth noting that secularism is a very vital component of modernization. Secularism in
most cases disregards religion and argues that religion may pose dangerous consequences when
allowed to influence politics. In an article written by Abigail Fradkin, she argues that secularism
developed by India’s first prime minister failed to address social and religious contradictions.
The brand of secularism that was initiated by India in1976 advocated for the state to remains
neutral towards the different religious groups in India ("Modi's India: Caste, Inequality and the
Rise of Hindu Nationalism", 2020). Strict secularism may, however, not be necessary. Even
though secularism forms the basis of modern democracies, strict secularity denies the state the
right to intervene in religious affairs. This can consequently lead to contradictions and in some
instances conflicts between different communities that live in one state.
Freedom of religion is considered a fundamental human right and any individual has the right to
manifest their religion. The state should, therefore, be accommodative to other religions besides
the dominant religion and nobody should be persecuted because they believe in other faiths.
Most nations tend to have similar ideological beliefs despite in spite of differing religious
integrations. Most nations have religious diversity but every government tends to incline
towards the most dominant religion. Every state will always have one dominant religion.
Therefore, accommodation and openness to other religions should be allowed under a dominant
religion. Failure to accommodate other religions leads to conflicts that may destabilize a nation.

Disregard of Muslims led to the massacre in Gujarat in 2002 due to the dominance of Hinduism.
In an article written in The Guardian newspaper by Safi, (2017), he writes that a fight started
between Hindus and Muslim minorities due to suspicions that some parishioners were converting
Muslims into Hinduism. Most political appointments were also reserved for the Hindus in India
thus advancing Hindu nationalism at the expense of other religions. The election of Trump as the
45th president of the USA was also helped by his anti-Muslim agenda because the USA is
dominated by Christians (Whitehead, Perry & Baker, 2018).
The state must maintain a neutral attitude towards religion. It is the fundamental right of citizens
to take part in religions of their choice. It is also essential for the state to recognize and support
religious plurality but be keen to separate herself from any religion. Modern states must be able
to separate themselves from religion politically, socially, culturally, and administratively. For
example, most Americans identify as Christians belonging to various denominations and nobody
can claim to represent all Christian groups. Religious diversity in the USA also extends beyond
Muslims, Christians, Jews, and Buddhist among others. Some people associate pluralism with a
threat to faith that may lead to the loss of religious substance. I, however, believe that pluralism
is good for faith.
Pluralism helps in encouraging the sharing of ideas because society is full of individuals with
different beliefs and values. Pluralism additionally enhances freedom because people are plunged
towards free and varying decisions. Furthermore, pluralism combined with the freedom of
religion ensures that religious institutions become voluntary associations thus changing the
relationship between churches and the state. These benefits of pluralism show that religious
plurality supported by but separate from the state must be encouraged. Uniformity in religious
practice is however not necessarily a requirement for national unity. In fact, this kind of

uniformity can create conflicts between different people because some people may feel
discriminated against. For example, Erdoğan pushed for an Islamic nationalism in Turkey in an
attempt to build an influence similar to the one built by Ottoman (Peterson, 2017). As a result,
Turkey has moved far away from democratic norms thus confounding ties with the West. This
Islamic nationalism with the aim of advancing uniformity in religion has led to an attempted
coup on the Erdoğan administration (Peterson, 2017).

References
Modi's India: Caste, Inequality and the Rise of Hindu Nationalism. (2020). Retrieved 7 March
2020, from https://www.newsweek.com/modis-india-caste-inequality-and-rise-hindu-
nationalism-356734
Peterson, S. (2017). In Turkey, Erdoğan fans an Islamic nationalism to build Ottoman-style
influence. Retrieved 7 March 2020, from https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-
East/2017/0222/In-Turkey-Erdogan-fans-an-Islamic-nationalism-to-build-Ottoman-style-
influence
Safi, M. (2017). Rise of Hindu ‘extremist’ spooks Muslim minority in India’s heartland.
Retrieved 7 March 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/26/modis-
man-flexes-muscular-hinduism-shock-election
Whitehead, A., Perry, S., & Baker, J. (2018). Make America Christian Again: Christian
Nationalism and Voting for Donald Trump in the 2016 Presidential Election. Sociology
Of Religion, 79(2), 147-171. doi: 10.1093/socrel/srx070 Retrieved 7 March 2020, from
https://academic.oup.com/socrel/article/79/2/147/4825283