Which of the following describe "secularism"?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 2

The correct answer is Option (2) → Opposition to religious chauvinism

Option (1) Opposition to religious minority — Incorrect. Hostility to a religious minority is the communal attitude, which secularism stands against. A secular person or state does not favour any particular religion over others.

Option (2) Opposition to religious chauvinism — Correct. The most common Indian use of secular is as the opposite of communal: a secular person or state does not favour any particular religion over others. Secularism in this sense is the opposite of religious chauvinism, the attitude that sees one’s own group as the only worthy one and others as inferior. It need not imply hostility to religion; it means equal respect for all religions.

Option (3) Opposition to religious authority — Incorrect. In the western sense, secularism means the separation of church and state, that is, of religious and political authority. Separation is not opposition, and the Indian sense of the term need not imply hostility to religion at all.

Option (4) Protection of religious minority — Incorrect. Protecting minorities is a safeguard the state provides, but it is not what the word secularism describes. Secularism describes the stance of not favouring any one religion and treating all with equal respect.

NCERT (2025-26): “Secularism … Secularism is among the most complex terms in social and political theory. In the western context the main sense of these terms has to do with the separation of church and state. The separation of religious and political authority marked a major turning point in the social history of the west. This separation was related to the process of ‘secularisation’, or the progressive retreat of religion from public life, as it was converted from a mandatory obligation to a voluntary personal practice. Secularisation in turn was related to the arrival of modernity and the rise of science and rationality as alternatives to religious ways of understanding the world.”

“Secularism … The Indian meanings of secular and secularism include the western sense but also involve others. The most common use of secular in everyday language is as the opposite of communal. So, a secular person or state is one that does not favour any particular religion over others. Secularism in this sense is the opposite of religious chauvinism and it need not necessarily imply hostility to religion as such. In terms of the state-religion relationship, this sense of secularism implies equal respect for all religions, rather than separation or distancing. For example, the secular Indian state declares public holidays to mark the festivals of all religions.…”