Secular Hope

Different understandings of the word
'secular' are at root of America's domestic and
international political conflicts. Academics and legal
professionals, by failing to heed Harvey Cox's 1965 warning
to distinguish between 'secularism' as a closed ideology and
'secularization' as a healthy cultural process, are
inadvertently fuelling fundamentalism and the culture wars.
This distinction is critical to protecting the human right
advances made by liberal secular governments. SECULAR HOPE,
using Northrop Frye's Great Code, integrates the differing
political assumptions of the religious right, modern
liberals, the American founding fathers, and Islamic
scholars to create a peaceful vision of a post secular
future via secularization. The United States was founded on
faith in secularization; the belief that only individuals
can morally reconcile their religious and rational
understandings of their own personal experiences. Deviating
from this idea, which is deeply embedded in all monotheistic
cultures, cannot be done lightly even when coming from the
best of intentions. By comparing Canadian and American
constitutional approaches to secularity, it is shown that
while America's unique path is more contentious it is
ultimately more hopeful. A post secular constitutional
vision is offered that will safely bring down the Western
wall of separation that currently is preventing America from
moving beyond the Cold war and realizing its full potential
as a global leader. SECULAR HOPE provides a historical, yet
practical, understanding of what it means to live
respectfully in a secular society today.