Sekulär

Sekulær is an adjective used in several Scandinavian languages to describe things related to the secular, i.e., not religious or sacred, and to public life rather than sacred matters. It can refer to worldly, non-spiritual, or non-clerical aspects of society, culture, or institutions. In everyday use, sekulær denotes a distinction between religious and non-religious spheres.

Etymology and meaning: The term derives from Latin saecularis, through medieval and modern European languages, where it originally signaled things of the temporal world as opposed to the sacred. Over time it came to mean non-religious, non-clerical, or non-spiritual in various languages, including the Nordic languages.

Usage and contexts: In political and legal discourse, sekulær often appears in phrases about the separation of church and state, secular education, and neutrality of public institutions toward religion. Examples include references to a sekulær stat (secular state) or sekulær skole (secular school). The term is generally neutral, but its connotations can vary depending on the speaker and the argumentative context, especially in debates about the role of religion in public life.

Relation to secularization: In sociology and social theory, sekulærisering (secularization) describes the process by which religious influence wanes in public institutions and everyday life, while private belief may persist or diversify. The concept encompasses shifts in law, government, education, and culture toward more secular norms.

See also: secularism, secularisation, laïcité, separation of church and state.