Does Religious Pluralism Require Secularism?
espite predictions to the contrary, religion is not disappearing. By now many proponents of the secularization thesis—the argument that with modernity the world is becoming less and less religious on a path to a religion-free world—have admitted their error and acknowledged that religion is well and thriving in contemporary life. The rapidly increasing and deepening religious pluralism in many places around the world raises the problem of how people of radically different faiths can live together. The essays gathered here suggest that secularism might be part of the answer. Secularism, they argue, is not anti-religious or simply the absence of religion; rather it involves the attempt to create a public realm shaped by respect for others and concern for their rights—a place in which deep differences can coexist. For a secular state is (ideally) one that enforces no one religion; treats people of all religions with equal respect; and preserves a public space for the free exercise and exp
