How Neutral is Political Secularism? Investigating Christian Privilege

Political secularism, installing institutional barriers between the political and religious sphere, is generally seen as a neutral and inclusive political system. We often forget that the term ‘secular’ emerged as a theological category in Western Christendom and has no equivalent in other religious traditions. Furthermore, the secular political system in Europe came into existence in response to political problems specific to Western Christian society. This raises the question whether secularism still carries the baggage of a Christian tradition. And if so, what consequences does this have for non-Christian religions in contemporary European societies? This paper argues that a Christian privilege exists in the way religion is accommodated in the public sphere. However, to resolve this problem it is insufficient to demand a stricter secularism or simply extend Christian privilege to other religious groups. Instead, it is necessary to critically examine the central organizing concepts in political secularism, including the concept of ‘religion’ itself.