Europe, India, and the Limits of Secularism

by Jakob De Roover

For several decades now, commentators have sounded the alarm about the crisis of secularism. Saving the secular state from political religion, they suggest, is a question of survival for societies characterized by religious diversity. Yet it remains unclear what the crisis is all about. This book argues that its roots are internal to the liberal model of secularism and toleration. Rather than being neutral or non-religious, this is a secularized theological model with deep religious roots. The limits of liberal secularism go back to its emergence from the dynamics and tensions of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. From the very beginning, it went hand in hand with its own mode of an anticlerical theology that rejected Catholicism and Judaism as evil forms of political religion. Later this framework produced the colonial descriptions of Hinduism (and its caste hierarchy) as a false and immoral religion. Thus, secularism was presented as the only route forward for
India. Still, the secular state often harms local forms of living together and reinforces conflicts rather than resolving them. Todays advocacy of secularism is not the outcome of reasonable reflection on the problems of Indian society but a manifestation of colonial consciousness.

Genres: History, Religion, India

296 pages, Paperback

Published May 3, 2016

Reviews

[Akhil · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book traces the Protestant Christian origins of the concepts such as liberty, freedom, and secularism. It shows how little sense these concepts make when taken from their Christian context. The author further touches upon how the forceful imposition of this Christian liberal secular framework onto India by the colonizer gave birth to "Hinduism" based on scriptures that Indians never blindly followed before. Also, its Protestant Christianity inspired intolerant anti-clerical nature created narratives around "Brahmin oppression", “upper caste”, and the "false religion" they profess.

He concludes by saying that liberal secularism and Hindu nationalism are essentially two sides of the same coin and are a manifestation of the colonial consciousness. The solution lies in realizing the true potential of Bharat's pluralism, which is being diluted by these liberal secular concepts. He points out that for millenniums Bharat succeeded in absorbing even rigid religions by transforming them into traditions of sorts.