nonconfessional

Nonconfessional is an adjective describing policies, institutions, or practices that do not adhere to or promote a particular religious confession or denomination. It denotes neutrality toward religious matters and contrasts with confessional institutions that are officially aligned with a church or faith.

In education, nonconfessional schooling or curricula aim to treat religions and beliefs in a pluralistic, nonpartisan manner, and to avoid promoting any single creed. Public schools in many democracies are described as nonconfessional or secular, though the degree of religious influence can vary and private or faith-based schools may exist alongside them.

In governance, a nonconfessional state or policy seeks to separate church and state or to ensure freedom of belief for all citizens, rather than privileging a specific religion. Legal frameworks often use terms such as secularism or neutrality to express this stance. In other sectors, nonconfessional can describe media, charities, or civic organizations that operate without official religious affiliation and that do not base activities on a particular confession.

Etymology: from non- prefix + confessional, derived from confession (creed).

See also:

- secularism

- laïcité

- neutrality

- church-state separation

- confessional state

- secular education