Essay on Secularism: It is a socialist ideology that respects all religions and gives people a choice to practice their own religion. India is a land of composite cultures and has seen the rise of Guru Nanak, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, Dadu Dayal, Baba Farid and Mira Bai. The religious toleration of great leaders like Ashoka has ensured that all communities live in peace and harmony is the main aim of a secular state.
Essay on Secularism 500 Words in English
Below we have provided Secularism Essay in English, suitable for class 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 school students.
‘Secularism’ stands for disengagement of state/government in people’s will to practice a certain religion. The idea of secularism proposes equal treatment of all religions in a state without any government discrimination or personal intervention. Countries like USA, India, Nepal and France have this term imbibed in their constitution, making it a legal and constitutional right for their nation’s citizens. The need to introduce ‘secularism’ wouldn’t have emerged if people and state were considerate enough to understand that the supreme power is only ‘one’ and different religions are just ‘different ways’ of preaching that same one God for all.
Why should a state thrive to be secular is an important question that can be addressed by understanding the following arguments:-
- First of all, the term secularism in the most common words or say, in the layman language stands for ‘freedom of religion’ granted by the state to its civilians. A state should thrive on being secular because it’s a humane notion that ensures human rights safeguarding.
- Secularism ensures ‘harmony’ and ‘brotherhood’ among the citizens of a nation. It respects and helps to contain the diversity of a nation.
- Freedom of faith and belief provides satisfaction to people, and they work for the development of the nation without getting indulged in fights and riots. The idea of secularism strengthens the sense of equality among all.
- It allows for constructing religious places, institutions, educational centres, propagating religious ideas, and converting people into different religions, providing autonomy to people over their religious beliefs.
We generally don’t realise the importance of something until it’s gone. There have been times when people weren’t allowed to openly practise their religion or the rulers used to demolish religious places and asked themselves to be worshipped instead. We have a come a long way, far from that dreadful history but we must learn to value this blessing of living in a ‘secular’ state where no one holds an authority to devoid us of our religious rights, and we are free to worship Allah, Ram, Guru sahib, Jesus, Buddha or just no God, all at our own will.
India as a Secular Nation
Seeing the diverse religions that thrive within the domain of Indian national boundaries, the framers of the Indian constitution found it fitting to declare India as a ‘Secular State’. The word was added to the Indian constitution with the 42nd Amendment of 1975 and was reflected in the preamble to the constitution, which shows it’s importance in defining the nation’s governance. However, the Indian idea of secularism is pretty much different than what is globally accepted.
Unlike the western definition of separation of state from religion, India sticks to a completely modified version that defines it as ‘neutrality of state to all the religious groups’. The Indian Government is not separated from the religion but rather is unbiased towards them all. It does take part in religious hustle-bustle going on within the country premises though never tries to establish it’s dominion over any of them.
The religious institutions, charities, and trusts fall under the concurrent list, giving both state and central governments the right to frame laws regarding them. India’s diversity allows the flourishing of many religious groups in the country, including Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and many other minorities.
Secularism is a significant notion that needs to be sustaine