What is a Secular State?
All over the world, the topic is a constant source of controversy. But, after all, what is the real definition of “secular state”? In short, it is one in which government administration is separate and independent from religious influences.
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But the concept of the secularity of the State goes well beyond that, as explained by the professor of Constitutional Law at USP, Joana Zylbersztajn, who was also the author of the book “A secularidade do Estado Brasileiro”
According to the professor, there are some fundamental characteristics that help us identify the secular State. Are they:
Constituent elements:
- Democracy: power emanates from the people and not from God – as occurred in the religious State.
- Freedom: coexistence and non-suppression of freedoms – including religious freedom. There is no restricted freedom because of your religion. And, in the same way, you can exercise your religiosity. “The secular State not only coexists with religious freedom, it is essential for it to be exercised”, explains professor Joana.
- Equality: all people are equal for the secular State, regardless of their religion. “You will no longer have privileges because of your religion.”
- State-religion separation: the secular State cannot elect an official religion, submit to dogmas or establish public relations with religions.
Is a secular state atheist?
Be download da Primer “Secularism: What Is It?”, from the Observatory of Secularism in Education (OLÉ) under the mandate of Councilor Marielle Franco (PSOL).
No, a secular State is not synonymous with an atheist State.
This is because, according to professor Joana Zylbersztajn, saying that the State is secular is not saying that it is against religiosity. But he also does not choose one of them, that is, he recognizes the belief in God, but does not choose one.
“God is not a matter for the [secular] State”, he reinforces. Their duty is limited to protecting the different manifestations of the faith. Listen:
According to USP Law professor, Leonardo Rosa, saying that a State is secular, does not mean say that it remains absolutely separate from religion.
Confusion is recurrent, according to the professor, but it is impossible to isolate the two factors that are so important in contemporary social life:
"The State inevitably relates to religion, and doing so in a healthy way is what we can expect from this secular State.”
Why is the secular state important?
What is the role of this model? Why is it defended historically? What are its advantages? According to Professor Leonardo, its value lies in protecting rights and guaranteeing freedoms.
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Listen to an excerpt from the interview Curto News with the Law professor Leonardo Gomes Penteado Rosa:
Diversity x Hegemony
Second Professor Joana Zylbersztajn, some historical facts can help explain why some people still resist or show difficulty in assimilating what the secular State proposes.
In Brazil, 90% of the population says they are Christian. The country has a history of a Catholic majority, and it is common for different groups that occupy hegemonic places to have a “perception of privileges”. Catholics have holidays and laws that preserve their beliefs, something other religions do not have.
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“We have seen this shift in religious power from Catholics to evangelicals. It is difficult for Catholics to see religious oppression on others because they do not experience it. It's difficult for white people to understand racism in a structural way. It’s difficult to understand your privileges and the type of impact this has on society”, explains Joana.
Listen to this excerpt from the interview:
Now the teacher Leonardo Penteado explains that the fact that Brazil is a religious country with a Christian majority does not give the right for this single vision to impose itself on society or government and the lives of its citizens. “In the same way, there is no need to 'secularize' society, because that would be modifying people's beliefs, a violation of religious freedom. People cannot use the State to impose their dogmas on third parties, and the State must also not combat people’s religious beliefs.”
Listen to what else Professor Leonardo said:
On the other hand, professors Joana and Leonardo explain that the existence of the secular State is not enough to combat discrimination and religious violence. States in which there is an official religion, such as Argentina and England, have freedom of religion, while in Brazil, in which there is a secular state, “there is a process of discrimination on the subject”.
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Listen to what Professor Leonardo said on this topic:
Does it need to be in the Constitution?
Regarding the definition of “secular State”, the Observatory of Secularism in Education at the Fluminense Federal University agrees that “it is easier to say what he is not. Like democracy.” Like this, even if it is not guaranteed in the Constitution, a State becomes secular when it legitimizes itself exclusively from popular sovereignty – and it doesn’t depend on religion.
“The first result of secularism is that the State becomes impartial in matters of religion, whether in conflicts or alliances between religious organizations, or in the actions of non-believers. The secular State therefore respects all religious beliefs, as long as they do not violate public order, just as it respects non-religious beliefs. It neither supports nor hinders the dissemination of religious ideas or ideas that are contrary to religion.” (OLE)
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Stamping the concept is not a simple task, according to the Observatory, because it presupposes observation and progressive change various aspects of that society.
“The secularism of the State is a process. In the past, all states based their legitimacy on the sacred, so that the king or emperor was considered a God or his son or his envoy. (…) There is no fully secular State in the world, just as there is no fully democratic State. Like democracy, secularism is a process, a social and political construction.” (Observatory of Secularism in Education - Federal Fluminense University)
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