MALLICK AFORETHOUGHT

Dear John Paul: Don't even think about it (HEATHER MALLICK, Aug. 9, 2003, Globe and Mail)

Canada is a secular nation. I love you for that, beautiful Canada. Secularism means great things. Churchy people of any brand have no say in government, and that's all she wrote.

This view, that secularism means that religious views are barred from government, would be easier to laugh at if it weren't where the doctrine tends to lead unless rightly understood. Ms Mallick is probably right, so far as Canada is concerned, because it is basically statist and the State can not tolerate any challengers to its power, the chief of which has always been the Church. But unless we too wish to end in Statism, we need a more nuanced understanding of what secularism actually requires than Ms Mallick's. It really need mean no more than this: government and government actions shall not be premised solely on the dictates of, nor tend to benefit, just one religious denomination (no establishment) and, in exchange, religion shall be free--to the greatest extent possible, consistent with entirely neutral laws--from government interference. Posted by Orrin Judd at August 10, 2003 8:48 AM