Hinduwebsite Editorial - The True Meaning of Secular and Secularism
The term secular is frequently used in contemporary public discourse, yet it is not always well understood. While many people are familiar with the concept of secularism, the meaning of secular is often less clear. Both terms originated in Western intellectual and political traditions and entered Indian public debate relatively recently.
In standard usage, secular refers to matters that are nonreligious—that is, not associated with religious, spiritual, or sacred practice. In some contexts, the word may describe an individual whose outlook is oriented toward worldly concerns rather than religious commitments, including individuals who do not follow a particular religion or do not hold theistic beliefs.
Some traditions draw a clear distinction between secular and religious orientations, although the boundary between the two can vary by context and community. In discussions of Hindu practice, for example, some interpretations describe Hinduism as a comprehensive way of life in which religious belief and practice are central.
According to those interpretations, identifying as Hindu is closely connected to practicing Hindu Dharma, including beliefs and practices such as devotion to God or the divine, religious duties, and concepts such as reincarnation. Historically, Indian philosophical traditions have also included materialist schools—often associated with the Lokāyata (Cārvāka) tradition—which rejected theism and the afterlife and treated death as the end of individual existence.
From some religious perspectives, a secular outlook may be viewed critically, particularly when it is understood to imply indifference toward religious belief. At the same time, individuals who do not identify with a religion may still follow moral principles and pursue ethical living through nonreligious frameworks, including secular humanism, which emphasizes human dignity, reason, and social justice rather than religious doctrine.
In everyday conversation, people may use secular to describe someone who does not ground their views in religious scripture or religious practice. Others use the term more narrowly or more broadly depending on context. It is also common to distinguish between personal religiosity and a commitment to secular principles in civic and political life, such as supporting equal treatment of different faiths under the law.
In practice, many individuals maintain religious commitments in private life while also supporting secular governance in public institutions. In this sense, a person may endorse secularism—understood as impartiality and equal treatment—without adopting a personally nonreligious identity. The extent to which these positions are seen as compatible can depend on cultural, theological, and political assumptions.
The term is sometimes used in ways that emphasize social identity (for example, describing someone as “modern” or “urban”), which can obscure its core meaning. When used to describe personal belief, secular typically refers to an orientation that is not grounded in religious belief or affiliation. Different religions and philosophical traditions assess “worldliness” in different ways, and some may view it as a source of ethical risk or spiritual distraction.
Another common assumption is that being secular necessarily implies being more tolerant or more “modern.” In reality, attitudes vary widely. Some secular thinkers have been critical of religion and argue that religious influence can be harmful or should be limited in public life. Such critiques often emphasize perceived negative social consequences of religious institutions or doctrines, while others take more accommodating positions.
Although secularism is derived from the word secular, it is often used with a distinct meaning in political and social contexts. Secularism generally refers to the principle that government institutions and public policy should remain independent of religious authority and should not privilege any particular religion. In pluralistic societies, this approach is frequently presented as a framework for protecting religious freedom and ensuring equal treatment.
Historically, many rulers governed in ways closely aligned with the religious traditions they endorsed, sometimes drawing explicitly on scriptural authority. In many contemporary secular democracies, elected officials are expected—often as a constitutional obligation—to remain impartial toward citizens of different faiths and to keep governance separate from religious authority. At the same time, political actors may still invoke religious identity or values during campaigns; however, the principle of secular governance calls for public decisions to be justified on broadly accessible, nonsectarian grounds.
It is therefore important to distinguish between secular and secularism. In many contexts, secular describes a nonreligious orientation or an absence of religious affiliation, whereas secularism refers to a policy or principle of governance in which people of diverse religions (and nonreligious viewpoints) coexist under institutions that are intended to remain neutral with respect to religion. Because the terms can carry different implications for different audiences, it is useful to clarify how they are being used in a given discussion.
From a religious standpoint, some writers argue that a secular outlook can encourage moral and spiritual complacency, while others emphasize the possibility of ethical life outside formal religion. In pluralistic public settings, however, many religious and nonreligious individuals support secular governance as a means of ensuring fairness, protecting freedom of conscience, and reducing conflict. Regardless of one’s personal convictions, constructive public dialogue typically benefits from avoiding disparagement of religious or nonreligious groups and focusing on shared civic principles.