Beyond Secularism? Rethinking the “Secular” in a Religiously Plural Context

In global and inter-religious 21st century North America, lines demarcating sacred and secular are becoming increasingly unstable and problematic. Yet in this lies great potential for rethinking the sacred/secular dilemma. The article argues that, contrary to prominent secularization theories, the secular is a particular kind of social space congenial to sacred traditions, defined not so much by anti- or a-religious ideologies (e.g., secularism or neutrality) as by public and democratic processes of interaction. The task, then, is to outline a framework for understanding and evaluating these kinds of processes. Secularity need not require transferring the authority of sacred claims to non-sacred mediums; rather, it means opening such claims to ongoing public conversations in which contestation and potential redefinition can occur. A third discourse emerges in-between parties that is dialogical and inter-religious in character, wherein continuities are forged amidst differences and the best of what sacred traditions have to offer become salient as means to sharing space.