The future of secularism has been a subject of philosophical, intellectual, and cultural debate since the early 1980s, following the rise of religious influence worldwide. This religious resurgence coincided with severe crises in secular societies, particularly regarding the sharp decline in religious and moral conscience. The absence of these values had negative consequences, such as family disintegration, increased addiction and violence, and calls advocating for the removal of secularism.
The presence of religion in politics was evident during the inauguration of U.S. President Trump in January 2025 in multiple instances, including the presidential oath and the participation of three religious figures representing Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The New York Times published several reports on the presence of religious rituals in American election gatherings, with one report noting how candidates invoke their religious affiliations in their political lives. Some even considered their political activities to be sacred religious duties.
Over the past thirty years, European political scientists have increasingly focused on the intersection of religion and politics. A study published in 2023 discussed the influence of the right wing and religion on EU politics, as well as the presence of Christianity in European political discourse.
This discussion led to the concept of "post-secularism," which refers to the return of religion to the public sphere, whether in politics or governance. The entanglement of religion and politics has become a significant factor in shaping European identity. Religion re-entered the public space through the doorway of identity, with religious parties presenting themselves as defenders of Christian identity and asserting that Europe can only be understood as having a Christian identity.
Secularism: What Does It Want?
The success of secularism in the Western experience, particularly in separating religion from governance, played a crucial role in ending religious wars in Europe. This success has been one of the key justifications for the continued influence of secularism in political and social domains.
Secularism was justified as a preventive measure against the specter of religious wars—such as the European conflicts that erupted following the Protestant Reformation in 1517 and lasted until the early 18th century. For example, the Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648) between Catholics and Protestants claimed nearly 12 million lives, with Germany losing a third of its population.
Thus, secularism emerged to neutralize religious extremism from governance and restructure political life on non-religious foundations to avoid such bloody conflicts. During that era, secularization achieved considerable success. However, secularism also became a fuel for conflict during the two World Wars through nationalist and racial ideologies.
By the 1980s, doubts began to rise about the long-term success of secularism in maintaining its political and social influence. This debate intensified with the identity crisis brought about by increasing immigration to Europe. Secularism found itself needing religion to help define European identity in response to the presence of foreign identities. Consequently, Christianity was invoked as a key component of European identity.
Secularism initially emerged as a solution to Europe's religious wars, but it later took an antagonistic stance toward religion, excluding it from the public sphere and confining its expression to private life and places of worship. While some secular systems allowed religion a degree of expression in public life, others adopted an authoritarian and exclusionary stance, seeking not only to remove religion from governance but also to suppress its presence in public spaces—an effort enforced by state authority and legislation.
Secularism positioned itself as an overarching authority that judges all ideas and values, making itself the standard for everything. Some Western thinkers argue that after Western philosophy declared the "end of transcendence" with the proclamation of the "death of God" by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche in his 1882 book The Gay Science, it sought alternative transcendent ideals devoid of the Creator’s existence. Secularism attempted to elevate itself to a transcendent status, granting its laws a sense of sacredness, enforced through state power.
This shift led to profound intellectual crises, the most significant of which is the loss of meaning and the absence of religious moral reference points. Human beings were given the authority to define good and evil based not on external transcendental criteria but on materialistic, pleasure-driven, and utilitarian considerations.
As a result, secularism fostered a fragile and superficial form of belief, reducing faith to a personal choice among multiple options, including atheism. Secularism evolved into a rigid ideological stance that sought to establish itself by excluding religion or by controlling and instrumentalizing it. In this context, the concept of state neutrality toward religion faded, and secularism became a tool to regulate religion—either by excluding, controlling, or utilizing it.
This transformation led to profound moral and social issues, including moral decay, the erosion of family values, and a rise in violence and addiction. Some Western thinkers argue that secularism has developed in parallel with the weakening of human identity and the loss of meaning and purpose in human existence—concepts that religion, with its deep-rooted traditions, once reinforced in society.
Secularism has been primarily reinforced through state policies. However, this reinforcement paradoxically led to what can be called the "de-secularization" of society, as it facilitated the return of religion to the public sphere. This phenomenon was observed by American sociologist Peter L. Berger in his 1999 book The Desecularization of the World, which he edited alongside six prominent writers and intellectuals. The book challenged the belief that the modern world is becoming increasingly secular, arguing instead that modernization often strengthens religious influence. It presented a vision of religion's resilience in the face of modernity and secularization. Subsequent studies have further confirmed the resurgence of religion in the public sphere, alongside the decline of secularism.
One could argue that the challenges posed by modernity and secularization themselves, rather than secularism as an ideology, represent the true challenge to religion. Many of these challenges drive individuals toward uncertainty—particularly concerning the future, which secularism once promised to secure. For example, the global financial crisis of 2008 led to a prolonged economic downturn and widespread uncertainty. In such moments, secularism failed to provide reassurance to those suffering from the crisis, leaving many on the brink of despair and suicide. In contrast, religion played a vital role in offering pathways to overcoming such existential despair.
Studies indicate that religiosity contributes to lower substance abuse rates. For instance, statistics show that approximately 9% of Americans suffer from alcohol addiction, which accounts for 12% of disabilities in industrialized Western societies. Confronted with this crisis, states have been compelled to incorporate religion and encourage religious adherence as a strategy to combat alcohol addiction. A 2024 study on faith-based recovery and the role of religion in addiction rehabilitation concluded that "belief systems serve as a protective factor against addictive behavior."
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