Word: secularization
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...anger has been stoked by rumors, currently rife in Baghdad's political circles, that the U.S. is seeking to replace the Shi'ite-led government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki with a more secular leadership, perhaps including some elements of Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath party. Unsurprisngly, relations between al-Maliki and the U.S. have turned distinctly prickly. Sources tell TIME that the Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the supreme religious figure in Iraqi Shi'ism, has been alarmed by these rumors and asked al-Maliki about them when the Prime Minister visited the cleric in Najaf last month...
...secular age, though, we needn't show obeisance to other cultures. So no mention of any days of the week, please, and all months are they that must not be named - until that lovely, unimpeachably secular holiday, Labor...
...seasonal tradition: arguing about Christmas. Courts will be asked to decide if carols can be sung in public schools, or a Creche displayed on Main Street. The pundits on Air America and Fox News Channel will flash their tempers in the debate over whether this is a secular or Christian country. The War on Christmas will raise more hackles than the war in Iraq. The Christmas spirit, by which I mean the nondenominational surrender to good will and good manners for a few weeks, will suffer. It wasn't supposed to be this way, but Christmas has become a divider...
Perhaps the required study of religion has no place at a secular university. But religion courses aren’t designed to convince or indoctrinate. Their purpose is to explore an academic discipline that receives little or no treatment at Harvard. Studying religion involves coping with unanswerable questions, confronting humanity’s limitations, and thinking beyond oneself. No literature or science course can teach these skills. And regardless of whether students are atheist or devout, thinking about religion in an academic environment expands their view of the world and opens their minds to a new and different...
...Life Science,” and “Physical Science.” The report says that knowledge of these areas is essential to citizenship. One student questioned if “Reason and Faith” should be taught at a secular university. In response to student concerns that the report didn’t give sufficient attention to science and math, Simmons said, “It’s important...to think not only about the practical details of the science, but also the implications of the science.” UC Student Activities Committee Vice...