Secularism refers to the separation of government and religion where no religion is endorsed or favored. It means individuals have the freedom to choose their own religious beliefs or non-beliefs without interference from the government. Secularism draws from ideas in ancient Greek and Roman philosophy as well as Enlightenment thinkers and aims to modernize society by removing religious influence from laws and policies. Supporters argue it protects religious minorities and enhances democracy.

1. SECULARISM

2. What Does It Mean? Secularism is the concept that government or other entities should exist separately from religion and / or religious beliefs

3. Secularism, also called Secularity or (adjectives: Secular or non religious) is the idea of something being not religious or not connected to a religious authority

4. This means that anyone can choose to practice or not practice any religion they want, and the government cannot make them be a part of a religion if they do not want to

6. It Also Means They Can Choose NOT To Be A Part Of Any Religion

8. WHY SECULARISM? It has been argued that secularism is a movement toward modernization, and away from traditional religious values

10. Replacing laws based on scripture (such as Torah and Sharia law) with civil laws

13. Due in part to the belief in the separation of church and state, secularists tend to prefer that politicians make decisions for secular rather than religious reasons

14. Some of the well known states that are often considered “constitutionally secular" are: India France Mexico South Korea Turkey But none of these nations have identical forms of governance

15. Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secularism http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secularism

16. THANK YOU SaurabhDeshpande