A common denouncement made by secularists against those who hold Christian values is that they are religiously prejudiced or extremely conservative and that their conclusions are not rational.

It is necessary to avoid focussing exclusively on one aspect of an issue- Fr Alfred Micallef

Sometimes you get the impression they are afraid that they would be submitted to some type of new inquisition. Tonio Borg’s screening in Brussels was a case in point. Many a Maltese was irked by it because they could see the irrationality of it all.

The process of secularisation was begun by the Bible itself. At a time when all creation was considered sacred, the Genesis account tells us this is not so. Creation is profane – ‘very good’ because it was created by God – but not sacred. As a consequence, neither the Gospel nor Christianity is enemy of the secular.

Thanks to this insight we can communicate with God directly rather than via some other creature. The roots of secularism are found in this intuition of the Bible; but then, beginning with the Enlightenment movement of the 19th century, secularists go much further – they eliminate God from life altogether and make an ideology out of life without God.

Many secularists express ethical norms with vehemence but often their main argument for sustaining them consists in their saying that those who do not share their views are religiously prejudiced. This is hardly very convincing. It seems they do not know how to be secularists except by being anti-religious.

Moreover, some seem to believe that the position of the Church on many issues has been imposed by God exclusively on the believing community and that the Church tries to impose it on society. It is quite something that no-body has suggested we should de-penalise theft and murder because they form part of the Ten Commandments!

Both Church and society are duty bound to dedicate themselves to prejudice-free research as to what is conducive to authentic human living and what isn’t.

Moreover, the State is responsible for protecting the weakest. This responsibility is often forgotten by those who argue strongly for the freedom and rights of individuals, often forgetting that the freedom and rights of any person are limited by the freedom and rights of others even if these others are too weak to vindicate them.

Opposing religious to secular cannot be very helpful to society. Finding the best ways in which the individual person can live their freedom and satisfy their desire within the community requires profound reflection on human nature and its demands.

It is possible that secularists and believers may arrive at different conclusions but the difference should not be of any magnitude. After all, the charter of human rights is agreed upon by all, at least in our European and American cultures.

In order to find out what is genuinely human it is necessary to avoid focussing exclusively on one aspect of an issue and ignoring others. Our reflection needs to encompass the whole situation.

For instance, we cannot focus exclusively on the desire and ‘right’ of a couple to have a child without also taking into consideration what else is entailed in the equation.

Secularists pride themselves in basing their arguments on reason. Fair enough, at least up to a certain extent, because it is doubtful whether reason by itself can illuminate the whole of life. Even so, this does not preclude them from taking into consideration all the facets of an issue.

Then it is necessary to see through which fundamental value we view reality. The colour in which we see the world depends on the colour of the glasses we happen to be wearing.

It is one thing if this value is love, or agape, as in Christianity; it would be another matter if this value is pleasure or convenience or individual satisfaction.

It is possible for secularists and people of religion to work hand in hand in searching for modes of life which are genuinely human. However, for this to happen we all need to get rid of all our prejudices and seek truth with honesty.

alfred.j.micallef@um.edu.mt

Fr Micallef is a member of the Society of Jesus.