secular religion

plural secular religions

1. A communal belief system that omits or disregards supernatural or metaphysical elements (unlike religions) but shares most of the epistemic traits of religions, such as dogma, ideology, martyrdom for a cause, tribalism, demonization of outsiders, dichotomization of humans into the righteous versus the evildoers (good guys versus bad guys), and so on.

   Fascism and communism are often described as secular religions.

   2 more examples

   Her theory posits that secular religions will rush in to fill the cultural void left by the decline of religiosity.

   Left-wing and right-wing political ideologies have themselves become secular religions, providing people with a community of like-minded brethren, a catechism of sacred beliefs, a well-populated demonology, and a beatific confidence in the righteousness of their cause. In chapter 21 we will see how political ideology undermines reason and science.⁷ It scrambles people’s judgment, inflames a primitive tribal mindset, and distracts them from a sounder understanding of how to improve the world.

   2018, Steven Pinker, “Chapter 3: Counter-Enlightenments”, in Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress, Penguin, →ISBN