A secular state is an idea pertaining to
secularity, whereby a
state is or purports to be officially neutral in matters of
religion, supporting neither religion nor
irreligion.[1] A secular state claims to treat all its citizens equally regardless of religion, and claims to avoid preferential treatment for a citizen based on their religious beliefs, affiliation or lack of either over those with other profiles.[2]
Although secular states have no
state religion, the absence of an established state religion does not mean that a state is completely secular or
egalitarian. For example, some states that describe themselves as secular have
religious references in their national anthems and flags, or laws that benefit one religion or another.
Origin and practice
Secularity can be established at a state's creation (e.g., the
Soviet Union, the
United States) or by it later
secularizing (e.g.,
France or
Nepal). Movements for laïcité in France and
separation of church and state in the United States have defined modern concepts of secularism, the United States of America being the first explicitly secular government in history. Historically, the process of secularisation typically involves granting religious freedom, disestablishing state religions, stopping public funds being used for religion, freeing the legal system from religious control, freeing up the education system, tolerating citizens who change religion or abstain from religion, and allowing political leaders to come to power regardless of their religious beliefs.[3]
In France,
Italy, and
Spain, for example, official holidays for the public administration tend to be Christian
feast days. Any private school in France that contracts with Éducation nationale means its teachers are salaried by the state—most of the
Catholic schools are in this situation and, because of history, they are the majority; however, any other religious or non-religious schools also contract this way.[4] In some European states where secularism confronts
monoculturalistphilanthropy, some of the main
Christian sects and
sects of other religions depend on the state for some of the financial resources for their
religious charities.[5] It is common in
corporate law and
charity law to prohibit
organized religion from using those funds to organize religious worship in a separate
place of worship or for
conversion; the religious body itself must provide the religious content, educated clergy and
laypersons to exercise its own functions and may choose to devote part of their time to the separate charities. To that effect, some of those charities establish secular organizations that manage part of or all of the donations from the main religious bodies.
Many states that are nowadays secular in practice may have legal vestiges of an earlier
established religion. Secularism also has various guises that may coincide with some degree of official religiosity. In the United Kingdom, the head of state is still required to take the
Coronation Oath enacted in 1688, swearing to maintain the Protestant Reformed religion and to preserve the established
Church of England.[6] The UK also maintains seats in the
House of Lords for 26 senior clergymen of the Church of England, known as the
Lords Spiritual.[7] In Canada the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms affords secular freedoms of conscience and religion, thought, belief, opinion and expression, including communication, assembly and association yet the
Charter's preamble maintains the concept of "the supremacy of God" which would appear to disadvantage those who hold
nontheistic or
polytheistic beliefs, including
atheism and
Buddhism.[8][9] Italy has been a secular state since the enactment of the
Constitution in 1948 (stressed by a
Constitutional court's decision in 1985),[10] but still recognizes a special status for the Catholic Church. The reverse progression can also occur, however; a state can go from being secular to being a
religious state, as in the case of
Iran where the secularized
Imperial State of Iran was replaced by an
Islamic Republic. Nonetheless, the last 250 years has seen a trend towards secularism.[11][12]
List of secular states by continent
This is the list of countries that are explicitly described as secular in their constitutions or other official state documents.
Afghanistan became a secular state following the
Saur Revolution however
Sunni Islam was briefly reinstated as the state religion under General Secretary
Hafizullah Amin until his assassination in December 1979. President
Mohammad Najibullah would reinstate
Sunni Islam as the state religion in 1987.[164]
There is constitutional ambiguity whether Bangladesh is a secular country or an Islamic country. In 2010, the high court of Bangladesh reinstated secularism as a part of the Bangladesh constitution after terming the 1977 constitutional amendment done by then Bangladesh President
Ziaur Rahman as illegal.[167] Political leaders and experts have expressed uncertainty if Bangladesh is a secular state or an Islamic state.[168]
See also
Look up secular in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
^Section 116 of the
Constitution of Australia provides, "the Commonwealth shall not make any law for establishing any religion, or for imposing any religious observance, or for prohibiting the free exercise of any religion, and no religious test shall be required as a qualification for any office or public trust under the Commonwealth.[143] However, the states retain the power to pass religiously discriminatory laws.[144]
^Article 24 of the
Central African Republic's Constitution of 2016, constituteproject.org: "The Central African Republic is a State of law, unitary, sovereign, indivisible, secular and democratic."
^"Constitution de la République démocratique du Congo". Retrieved 18 March 2015., article 1er: "République Démocratique du Congo est, dans ses frontières du 30 juin 1960, un État de droit, indépendant, souverain, uni et indivisible, social, démocratique et laïc."
^"ICL - Congo-Brazzaville - Constitution". Retrieved 18 March 2015., Article 1: "The Republic of the Congo is a sovereign and independent State, decentralized, indivisible, secular, democratic, and social."
^"Madagascar's Constitution of 2010"(PDF)., Article 1: "The Malagasy People constitute a nation organized as a sovereign, unitary, republican and secular State."
^ConstitutionArchived 12 September 2012 at the
Wayback Machine, Article 25: "Mali is an independent, sovereign, indivisible, democratic, secular, social Republic."
^"ICL - Namibia - Constitution". Retrieved 18 March 2015., Article 1: "The Republic of Namibia is hereby established as a sovereign, secular, democratic and unitary State ..."
^"The Constitution (Amendment)". Archived from
the original on 28 March 2015., "We, The People of India having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic and to secure to all its..."
^Article 1 of ConstitutionArchived 4 February 2007 at the
Wayback Machine, Article 1: "The Kyrghyz Republic (Kyrghyzstan) shall be a sovereign unitary democratic republic created on the basis of a legal secular state."
^Dodd 2003, p. 571,
The rough guide to Nepal harvnb error: no target: CITEREFDodd2003 (
help): "After 2005, the Marxist-Leninist government of reunified Nepal declared the state atheist while theoretically allowing people the right to practice their religion under the constitution."
^Preamble to the Constitution, "The elaboration and adoption of the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of East Timor is the culmination of the secular resistance of the Timorese People ..."
^Dodd 2003, p. 571,
The rough guide to Vietnam harvnb error: no target: CITEREFDodd2003 (
help): "After 1975, the Marxist-Leninist government of reunified Vietnam declared the state atheist while theoretically allowing people the right to practice their religion under the constitution."
^In Belgium, Article 20 of the Constitution provides: No one can be obliged to contribute in any way whatsoever to the acts and ceremonies of religion, nor to observe the days of rest.
"ICL - Belgium - Constitution". Retrieved 18 March 2015.
^"Constitution"(PDF). constituteproject.org. Retrieved 4 October 2020., article 35: "The Church and religious organisations in Ukraine are separated from the State, and
the school - from the Church."
^Section 2 of Article IV of the
Micronesian constitution provides, "no law may be passed respecting an establishment of religion or impairing the free exercise of religion, except that assistance may be provided to parochial schools for non-religious purposes."
"Constitution of the Federated States of Micronesia".