Word: seculare
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...with other Slavic peoples, including Czechs, Slovaks, Slovenes, Serbs, Croats, Bulgarians, Ukrainians and, most dramatically, Russians ?some 220 million Slavs in all. Rhetorically, at least, that included the great Orthodox churches of East Europe. The Pope seemed to envision an eventual pan-European Christian alliance against the secular materialism of both East and West...
...Marxism and religion. Marx originally objected to religion in the belief that it encouraged men to ignore human suffering in the present in hopes of future spiritual salvation. He predicted that the forces of economic history would grind religion into oblivion. Then, somewhat perversely, his own theory became a secular faith. Before long it was actively contributing to human suffering, while encouraging men to endure the pain of the world against a future time when the state would wither away...
Twentieth century Marxist governments have done all they can to help history do in the Christian religion. As Poland proves, they have largely failed. In fact, faith in inevitable secular progress has been in decline everywhere. Partly for that reason, rigid cold war orthodoxies on both sides have softened a trifle. On paper, at least, the socialist states have recognized the importance of the human rights issue. The Soviet Union and its dutiful allies pledged, under the 1975 Helsinki accords, to "respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief for all." A Pope...
...other side of the ideological divide, Catholicism itself continues to change. Once it used its own secular power in order to frustrate the religious freedom of others. But the bishops of the Second Vatican Council formally incorporated freedom of conscience in modern society into their creed. The Catholic Church now flatly opposes all attempts to compel conformity to religious belief...
...That is one reason why there are still three Soviet divisions stationed in Poland. In bargaining for further concessions, the papacy today has no more divisions than it had when Stalin first sneered at its lack of them. Where Poland is concerned, however, John Paul II does have considerable secular as well as spiritual clout. It derives not merely from the strength and solidarity of Polish Catholics or from his own toughness and experience in struggling with Communists. To a considerable degree, it also results from the political and economic morass in which Poland finds itself...