What is secularization, and how is it related to the history of christianity?
Secularization is the process by which something (usually a government) becomes neutral on issues of religion and spirituality. Something is secular when it does not give any benefits to, or discriminate against, one religion over another. Secularization does not inherently relate to Christianity or any other religion.
secularization is another odd word that was stolen from the English language by the fundies. Profane – outside the temple Pagan – villager (outside of the city with the temple in it) Heathen – one who lives on the heath or rolling green hills (outside the village which is outside of the city with the temple in it) secularization is a generalization for those outside of the church, regardless of their distance from the church/temple. 3 words were too hard for fundies to master so they went for one – secularization dualism is just simple thinking for simple minds. reminds me of the fundie marriage manual: “In, out. Repeat if necessary.
Secularization has many meanings, depending on context. Probably the most general is that value is placed on the world accessible to the human sensorium and is seen to be governed by natural forces comprehensible to human intelligence. This is opposed to the devaluation of the natural or material world, which you find in some forms of neoplatonism, and the belief that the world is ruled by unseen magical forces that only an elite few understand and can manimpulate, which you find in some forms of gnosticism. Many forms of pagan gnosticism believed that the physical world was created by the demiurge, which was an evil power, and that humans were trapped in a material body, from which gnostic spirituality could free them. The valuation of this world, which you find in Judeo-Christian religions, has been one of the great spurs to secularization, because the belief that the physical cosmos, as the creation of a loving G-d, was “good” and “very good” validated the material world. This belie
