This is a long
essay that deals with the general theme of secularization in the West and how
to understand that. It is part of a major research project of mine that seeks
to plot what kind of spirituality-religiosity might be relevant to people in
the 21st century
The Secularized West – How Do We Evaluate It?
It is plain to see that, in many areas (perhaps even in most
areas), the so-called “western world” (or simply “the West”) is by and large “secularized.”
The word “secular” comes from the Late Latin word saeculāris (meaning
“temporal”) which, in turn, comes from the Latin word saeculum (“an
age”). Defined more precisely, "secular" refers to a public
order where there is no one particular kind of religious hegemony. It includes
the separation of church and state. It also means the existence and acceptance
of a plurality of opinions (including religious opinions). Seen in this way,
the secular order is an open-ended, polymorphic, polyvocal order of diverse
sorts of people saying all sorts of things. And, ideally, anyone in the secular
society has the right to ask any question (from
philosopher John Caputo’s helpful description. See bibliographical link at the
end).
When we say though
that the West is largely “secularized,” we mean that it (that is, a great
number of people living in it) is largely focused on this world, this
life and how humans and their habitat could exist and flourish in the here
and now. The flip side of this secularization is that, in general, western
society pays little or less and less attention nowadays to God, religion, the
supernatural or the next life (particularly, heaven or hell). What is more,
even many self-professed religious believers in western[ized] societies,
although nominally “religious,” live their daily lives by and large without
really being much aware of God and the supernatural realm.
Meanwhile, some others
(especially, more “seriously” religious people) bemoan this secularized western
world and see it as the source of godlessness, immorality and of the many present-day
evils that beset us. It is thought that this secularized world spawns a godless
and hedonistic milieu as well as a loss of traditional “godly” values. It is
common to encounter voices saying that the West is lost in a crisis of meaning
because of the loss of the authority of religion (read “Christianity”) which supposedly
held everything together once upon a time (cf. e.g. Carroll 2004, p.1).
For a very long
time, I (especially my younger, more conservative self) also thought of the
secularization of the West in those above-mentioned negative ways. That drastically
changed when I encountered and studied more deeply the philosopher of religion
and radical philosopher-theologian Don Cupitt. Cupitt, I think, is one of the
most creative and insightful philosophical-theological minds today and he
deserves to be read and studied more widely. He has a startlingly different take
on this phenomenon of secularization. Cupitt has argued in many of his writings
(in particular, in The Meaning of the West [MW]) that this so-called
secularized West is actually something like the logical and evolved form
or grown-up, more mature version of Christianity! In fact, I think it is fair
to say that he suggests that the postmodern, humanistic West (which
many Christians consider as the evil antithesis of Christianity) should actually
be considered <Christianity as it was meant to be>! In short, it is the realized (and
important to add) “yet very flawed” “Kingdom of God.” How about that for a
change?
I think I have some
say in this because I am an immigrant here in the West who came originally from
a staunchly Catholic-Christian developing country (the Philippines, which happens
to be westernized in many ways) and who also lived for a long time in a non-western
country (Japan). Moreover, I did graduate studies in Western Europe, the heart
of “the West” for six years. I freely chose to leave my homelands to resettle
and live in the West (now in Ontario, Canada). In the course of my life, I have
seen the differences between the West and some non-western countries.
Based on personal
experience and study, let me begin by saying that there are so many genuinely
good things in western societies. This is why so many of us have decided to uproot
ourselves, migrate, and settle here. In a blog post in Australia’s Sea of
Faith website, Greg Spearritt said,
There are plenty from elsewhere … who desperately want to live in the
West. And for good reason. They may not be perfect, but Western societies look
after their own like no-one else does, including their weaker members and
even those who dissent from prevailing political or social views. (Would you
rather be gay in Abuja, Riyadh, Beijing or Sydney?) Western technology is the
envy of the rest of the world, even of people like Osama bin Laden who use it
to attack the West. Western medicine gives us an ever-longer, healthier
lifespan. Western governments actively seek the moral, physical and
intellectual improvement of their people and contribute to the well-being of
the world’s poorest through (relatively) string-free aid budgets. (That’s not
to mention the work of Western NGOs such as Oxfam, Red Cross, Amnesty
International and Médecins sans Frontieres) The West is innovative, constantly
on the move, and – most important of all – it loves life wholeheartedly
(Spearritt, 2008).
Before anything
else, I would like to say unambiguously at the outset that it is
definitely not my intention here to unilaterally and uncritically glorify the
West. There are many negative, even downright evil things to be found
in the West today. To name a few: unbridled capitalism, the staggering gap
between rich and poor, a superiority complex (white privilege in most cases), racism,
and so forth. I happen to be completing this essay in the wake of the death of
George Floyd, Jr., at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis (June 2020).
This event has led to widescale demonstrations and public unrest in the US and
other places around the world in order to highlight the evil of racial
discrimination against black people. It is heartbreaking to see such a damning
instance of social dysfunction in 2020 in the West! This is to say: Yes, I
am well aware of the many dysfunctions of western societies. Despite
that and in the face of all that, I still think that it is important not to
forget that so many good and wholesome things in life that we do widely enjoy
here in the West can only be dreamed of by many people in many non-western
countries. Let me reiterate: take that from someone who has left his original
countries, decided to live here in the West and is very happy to have done so. That’s
my personal context.
In this essay, I
would like to ask and explore the question: Is the secularized West really all
that evil as conservative religious believers think it to be? Let me get a
little ahead of myself and answer with (a cautious and qualified) “No”. A
more careful examination of the matter with some guidance from philosopher-theologian
Don Cupitt will surprisingly show that the secularized West actually shares as
it were the very DNA of Christianity in striking ways and we have to say that, indeed,
that much maligned secularized, irreverent, and irreligious West is actually
Christianity’s child … but all grown-up now!
