Secularisation in the 21st century as a factor of political polarisation of society

Antony Miller

Secularisation in the 21st century as a factor of political polarisation of society

Antony Miller

Abstract

The polarisation of society in the 21st century has become a significant threat to both state governments and the functioning of national communities themselves. Issues of religion and religiosity, placed within the framework of secular institutions, have become one of the areas of increased confrontation, which necessitates a deeper understanding of this phenomenon. The aim of this article was to study the problem of the formation of political confrontation around religious practices and secularisation in modern society. The leading research method was the formal-legal analysis method, with the help of which the current legal status of atheism as a worldview of a significant part of the population was investigated in national and international legal acts; the content of civil law on freedom of religion was investigated. Using the comparison method, the scale and practices of discrimination against representatives of the atheistic worldview in different countries of the world were compared. As a result of the study, the legal nature of the establishment of the right to freedom of religion, as well as the significance of the criminalisation of atheism in Muslim countries, were revealed. It is worth noting that this study has shown that in many countries atheists face discrimination and persecution because of their beliefs. The results obtained during the study demonstrate that the church continues to play a significant role in shaping public opinion and political decisions in many countries, which exacerbates the divide between believers and non-believers. Progressive secularisation and the reaction to it contribute to the polarisation of society through the confrontation of religious and atheistic views in various spheres of life, which is especially acutely felt in political confrontations. The results of this research, as well as the conclusions drawn on their basis, are of practical value for a further, more comprehensive study of the stated problem, creating a foundation for the legal regulation of the status of atheism

Keywords

atheism; religious conflicts; religion policy; freedom of religion; stigmatisation

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Suggested citation

Miller, A. (2024). Secularisation in the 21st century as a factor of political polarisation of society. Foreign Affairs, 34(3), 32-39. https://doi.org/10.46493/2663-2675.34(3).2024.32