History: “Secular” Concept
The association of secular to the worldly notion by Protestant Reformation indicates transformational changes being experienced. The “secular” concept indicating nonreligious activities, if accepted, they are driving people away to worldly needs. The religion is at the center of the experiencing changes in the authority of faith and restoration of the destroyed faith in authority. The major concerns are directed on how layman uses these authorities subject to what ordained priests consider transformation achievement. The approach by the priests to assess the changes experienced by the laymen, it gives an indication of secular concepts and relating it to the religion transformation. Therefore, the paper focuses on explaining how secular became “secular” and the impacts it has on the “religion” ideas.
The protestant reformation considered freeing humankind from their external religiosity after which they were made religiosity become inner man. This shows how people were freed from the external forces especially from the worldly secular approach but later to realize of inner confinement by the same “religious” secular struggle. It relates being free from the chains without realizing that the hearts are chained. The secular concept has been connected to the layman struggle with the outside but has no impact on the inner life. The impact of secular concept to religious is defined through the worldly influence to ways of life.
The protestant transformation has greatly contributed to the philosophical transformation and understanding of the secular concept. The coverage of the property secularization by the churches never changed especially in Germany then indicating hypocritical aspects. The theology expressing the appropriate approach to the secular approach and how it has changed, it did not show how these influence later haunted the same religious understanding. The Germany history has suffered radical episodes but later the theology failed to lead to status quo. This shows that secularization should be considered in the protestant transformation from both edges; spiritually and worldly approach. The spiritual approach should seek to free an inner person from the chains that hinder reality understanding and worldly approach covering secular understanding. These concepts are essential in determination o the religious effects and how priests and layman are supposed to associate on a balanced religious faith.
The negative issues that were associated with every class lacked consistency, acuteness and courage portrayed society in a negative representation. These issues are more related to the non religious edge and hence expressing retaliation to the protestant transformation effort. The positively aligned behaviors are supposed to identify with the spiritual understandings that are considered to attract souls toward the religious teachings. Therefore, the secular concept is considered as negative vices that retaliate from the religious transformation. The aspect of the secular life raises the material forces and political power to the same level. This is modest egoism defining and identifying revolutionary transformation whereby people becomes defiant by considering themselves nothing and at the sometimes being everything.
In conclusion, the concept of secular being referred and associated to worldly by protestant transformation has generated more insight in the religious understanding. The spiritual and societal understanding helps in guiding on relating worldly and religious perception on property ownership, political power, and economic conditions. All people regardless of their religious understanding depend on worldly in one way or another. Hence, it is important to consider being free both outer and inner person rather being free outer person but heart being chained. Therefore, “secular” concept depends on with personal understanding on how to relate spiritual and “worldly” approach.
Bibliography
Raines, John. Marx on Religion. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2002
