säkulare

Säkulare is a Swedish term associated with the concept of secularism. In standard usage, the more common spelling is sekulär, which means non-religious or relating to the secular sphere. The form säkulare may appear as an alternative or older variant in some texts, or when the adjective is used as a noun (for example, de säkulära), though many speakers prefer sekularister when referring to people who advocate secularism.

Etymology and meaning: Säkulär derives from the Latin saecularis and is part of a family of words that describe the boundary between religion and public life. As an adjective, it denotes things outside or independent of religious authority, such as sekulär stat, sekulär politik, or sekulär världsbild. It is closely related to sekularisering (secularization), which describes the process by which institutions and public life become less influenced by religious authority.

Usage as a noun: While säkulare can function as a plural noun describing secular people (de säkulare), this usage is less common in contemporary Swedish. More typical terms for people who promote secularism are sekularister or sekular humanists. The choice of term can reflect stylistic preference, with sekulär/sekulära emphasizing the attribute and sekularister emphasizing the advocacy.

Context in Swedish society: Sweden has a history of church-state separation and a strong tradition of secular public life. The Church of Sweden was disestablished as a state church in the year 2000, illustrating a broader tendency toward secular governance and public policy that often emphasizes pluralism and freedom of religion and belief.

See also: secularism, secularization, church-state separation, sekulär.