This essay intends to answer the question whether Europe is secular or religious.
In both the European treaties and the accession criteria to the European Union there are no references to a historical and cultural community to describe the European polity. Article 6 of the Treaty on European states: ‘The Union is founded on the principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law, principles which are common to the Member States’. No references to the Christian roots of Europe in the draft treaty establishing a constitution for Europe (European Constitution, only a general reference to its religious heritage).
The background provided in the introduction states the importance to deal with the subject and finally raises the question. Europe claims to be secular, but its moral values are too closely bind towards its Judeo-Christian heritage to act without showing religious bias. Therefore, my thesis statement will be: Even though the states of the EU have secular constitutions, the shared Christian roots of the member states of the European Union and the notion of believing without belonging which is shared by the majority of the European population leads to religiously motivated policy of the member states.
At a glance
- Grade: 2.0 (1.0 is the best grade)
- Examines Turkish EU accession alongside Poland’s integration
- Contrasts Davie’s and Hervieu-Léger’s accounts of belief and belonging
Contents
1. Definitions and European secular identity
2. Christianity, secularism and European integration
3. Turkey and European Union accession
4. Conclusion:
Objectives and Themes
The essay asks whether Europe is secular or religious, examining the relationship between secular political institutions, Christian heritage and debates about European Union membership. It uses Turkey’s accession as a case through which to explore how religious identity and secularism feature in European integration.
- Definitions of religion, secularism and secularization
- Christian heritage and European identity
- Belief, belonging and religious practice
- Poland and Turkey in European integration
- Islam, public life and accession debates
Excerpt from the Book
Is Europe secular or religious?
The following essay intends to answer the question whether Europe is secular or religious? In order to answer this question in a meaningful manner, a definition of the two technical terms is needed. Secular signifies: “Belonging to the world and its affairs as distinguished from the church and religion; civil, lay, temporal. Chiefly used as a negative term, with the meaning non-ecclesiastical, non-religious, or non-sacred.“ (Oxford English Dictionary 2008)
Where as religion according to the Oxford English Dictionary means:
Belief in or acknowledgement of some superhuman power or powers (esp. a god or gods) which is typically manifested in obedience, reverence, and worship; such a belief as part of a system defining a code of living, esp. as a means of achieving spiritual or material improvement. (Oxford English Dictionary 2008)
It is of crucial importance for contemporary European Union and its future to realise and define for itself whether it is religious or secular, since it prides itself for being secular and therefore modern. The characteristics of secularism, which I will explain in further depth later on are highly held among the member states. “ As a general rule the theory postulates that the more modern a society the less religious will be its population.” (Casanova: p. 87)
It is important to self-define for the Union because any kind of public reflection of the Christian tradition and culture or of the current religious heritage of modern Europeans, it is believed, would result in the impossibility of liberal political coexistence and “pluralistic toleration in a united Europe.” Rather than keeping in memory the actual religious and secular pluralisms and the multiple European modernities, the most important discourses in Europe favour to stick to the idea of a unique secular modernity, emerging out of the Enlightenment.“ (Casanova: p. 66) If Europe cannot be determined in regards to specific factors such as of complex space and complex time that permits and offers options diversity of lifestyles to unfold, “it may be fated to be no more than the common market of an imperial civilization, always anxious about (Muslim) exiles within its gates and (Muslim) barbarians beyond”. (Asad: p.180)
Chapter Summaries
1. Definitions and European secular identity: The essay defines its principal terms and introduces the tension between secular institutions and Europe’s religious heritage. It sets out its central question and thesis.
2. Christianity, secularism and European integration: The discussion considers belief and belonging, secular political thought and the place of Christianity in European identity. Poland’s experience provides a point of comparison for debates about integration.
3. Turkey and European Union accession: The essay examines arguments surrounding Turkish accession, religious symbols and public statements about Islam and multiculturalism. It also contrasts approaches to religion in France and England.
4. Conclusion: The author returns to the relationship between Turkish accession, European identity and the place of religion in political life.
Keywords
European Union, secularism, secularization, religion, Christianity, Islam, European identity, Turkey, Poland, EU accession, religious pluralism, constitutional patriotism, laïcité
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the essay about?
It examines whether Europe is secular or religious and considers how both traditions shape European political identity.
What are its central themes?
Its themes include secularization, Christian heritage, religious belonging, Islam and European integration.
What is the main research question?
The essay asks whether Europe is secular or religious, with particular attention to the debate over Turkey’s accession to the European Union.
What method does the author use?
The author develops an interpretive argument using definitions, published scholarship, political statements and examples from European integration debates.
What does the main discussion cover?
It considers theories of religion and secularism, contrasts aspects of European countries’ experiences and discusses the treatment of Turkey’s application for EU membership.
Which keywords characterize the essay?
Key terms include secularism, Christianity, Islam, European identity, secularization and EU accession.
How does the essay use Poland as a comparison?
It discusses Poland’s Catholic identity and its integration into the EU alongside arguments about Turkey’s accession.
Which perspectives on religious belief and belonging are discussed?
The essay considers Grace Davie’s idea of “believing without belonging” and Danièle Hervieu-Léger’s account of “belonging without believing.”
How are France and England contrasted?
The essay contrasts French laïcité with England’s established church and its approach to religious practice and minorities.
- Quote paper
- Otto Möller (Author), 2014, Is Europe secular or religious? The case of Turkey, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/459782
