Weltliche

Weltliche is the German adjective meaning worldly or secular. It describes aspects of life that belong to the non-religious or profane sphere, such as politics, law, science, culture, or daily affairs. The opposite term is geistlich, meaning spiritual or sacred. In many contexts weltlich denotes the non-religious, civil, or lay dimension of society, in contrast to church authority or religious matters.

The word is formed from Welt, world, plus the suffix -lich. Grammatically, weltliche appears in various declined forms (for example, weltliche Ordnung, die weltliche Kultur). In addition to its adjectival use, weltlich can function as a noun in some contexts when capitalized as Das Weltliche, referring to the secular world as opposed to the sacred realm, often alongside Das Geistliche.

Usage and contexts. In theology and church history, weltlich marks the temporal, civil, or lay sphere distinct from ecclesiastical authority. In sociology, political science, and cultural discourse, it commonly describes non-religious institutions, secular law, municipal governance, or profane culture. The term can carry neutral or evaluative nuance depending on context, sometimes highlighting the separation of church and state, or contrasting secular and religious values in moral or social debate.

See also. Geistlich, heilig, Kirche, Säkularisierung, Trennung von Kirche und Staat. The concept is widely used in German-language discussions of secularization, civil society, and the relationship between religion and public life.