Secularism…
Secularism…
Societas Criticus, revue de critique sociale et politique, Vol. 27-02, Éditos : www.societascriticus.com
A translation assisted by Google translation and Antidote of our french text La laïcité…
Michel Handfield, MSc. Sociology (2024-03-23 in French, 2024-03-24 for the translation)
If we pursue secularism, we must do it not just for others, but for everyone. This is as important for the CAQ, the Parti Québécois, and all other parties, both provincial and federal, in my opinion.
So, if we practise secularism in the strict sense, there must be no special treatment. Even Christian holidays must be discarded. We don't have the excuse of saying that, for us, it's not religious, but cultural, as some politicians say to maintain their more religious right.
Christmas then becomes the celebration of the winter solstice on December 25. A new celebration is added to the spring equinox and Good Friday and Easter Monday are removed. Thanksgiving is replaced by the autumn equinox, but the Quebec Day, which corresponds to the summer solstice on June 24, is retained. If we wish each other a happy Saint-Jean, it is because we are going or have gone to Saint-Jean mass (1). Otherwise, it is a happy Quebec Day or happy summer because we do not mix religion with politics in secularism.
On the other hand, if we keep religious holidays, it must be good for everyone, and we are then in open secularism. This could be the occasion to review the calendar of these holidays to make some space for others who are also part of us, especially if we are talking about integration!
We must therefore keep Christmas and Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day (Quebec's holiday), but we must review some other holidays, such as Good Friday, Easter Monday and Thanksgiving, and replace them with an Indigenous, Jewish and Muslim holiday in the calendar of public holidays. This is a sign of openness and peace.
It is also a way of telling others that intercultural/multicultural dialogue is better than war, especially for humans, who too often fight in the name of divergent beliefs towards a god that they often say is unique, even if this is not the case in all religions (2) and the different spiritualities that exist (3). If I may say so, we can then think of the god of Spinoza and Einstein, where God is found « dans l'harmonie de tout ce qui existe » ("in the harmony of all that exists") as in nature or the universe, for example :
"As historian Simon Veille points out in an article written for Le Monde des religions, when asked if he believed in God, Einstein replied: "I believe in Spinoza's God, who reveals himself in the harmony of all that exists, but not in a God who would be concerned with the destiny and actions of human beings." (See footnote 4 for French text and reference.)
Still an interesting concept, where there is no reason to fight in the name of God, since he is harmony and neutrality.
But, regardless of our divine and spiritual conceptions, we cannot force secularism on others if it does not touch us, and ask them to understand us. If there is an effort to be made, whether towards closed or open secularism, we must do it collectively. In essence, the government could take ownership of historic churches and transform them into regional hubs that cater to diverse cultural and spiritual needs. These spaces could host interfaith religious services, as well as scientific and cultural events, conferences, exhibitions, a community radio station, and a public library in the absence of one. In short, make it the meeting centre of the community, which is too often lost with the disappearance of churches and businesses on the main street (5), both in the regions and in the neighbourhoods of large cities that are visibly devitalizing.
Notes
1. A very beautiful mass, by the way, because I once went to the Saint-Jean Baptiste church in Montreal. It was in 2019 and I talked about it in my text of July 17, 2019: « Vous avez bien dit laïque? », Societas Criticus, Vol. 21 no 03, Essais :
À BAnQ :
https://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/201/300/societas_criticus/pdf/2019/SCVol21no03pdf.pdf
À BAC :
https://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/201/300/societas_criticus/pdf/2019/SCVol21no03pdf.pdf
2. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion
3. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritualité
4. The original version : « Comme le souligne l’historien Simon Veille dans un article écrit pour Le Monde des religions, lorsqu’on lui demande si il croit en Dieu, Einstein répond : "Je crois au Dieu de Spinoza, qui se révèle dans l'harmonie de tout ce qui existe mais non en un Dieu qui se préoccuperait du destin et des actes des êtres humains." » Source : Audrey Dumain, "The God Letter" : la lettre exceptionnelle d'Albert Einstein sur Dieu et la religion juive, France Culture, Religions – Spiritualité, 4 décembre 2018 :
5. Clin d’œil à La Rue Principale, chanson des Colocs, 1993. Le lien :