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French secularity (French: ''laïcité'', pronounced (:laisite)) is the absence of religious involvement in government affairs especially the prohibition of religious influence in the determination of state policies.〔''Religion and Society in Modern Europe'', by René Rémond (Author), Antonia Nevill (Translator), Malden, MA, U.S.A.: Blackwell Publishers, 1999.〕〔Evelyn M. Acomb, : ''The French Laic Laws, 1879-1889: The First Anti-Clerical Campaign of the Third French Republic'', New York : Columbia University Press, 1941〕 French secularism has a long history but the current regime is based on the 1905 French law on the Separation of the Churches and the State.〔 See drop-down essay on "The Third Republic and the 1905 Law of Laïcité"〕 During the twentieth century, it evolved to mean equal treatment of all religions, although a more restrictive interpretation of the term has developed since 2004. Dictionaries ordinarily translate ''laïcité'' as ''secularity'' or ''secularism'' (the latter being the political system),〔''Collins Robert French Dictionary Unabridged'', Harper Collins publishers〕 although it is sometimes rendered in English as ''laicity'' or ''laicism'' by its opponents. While the term was coined in 1871 in the dispute over the removal of religious teachers and instruction from elementary schools, the term laïcité dates to 1842. In its strict and official acceptance, it is the principle of separation of church (or religion) and state.〔TLFi dictionary: http://www.cnrtl.fr/lexicographie/laicit%E9?〕 Etymologically, ''laïcité'' is a noun formed by adding the suffix ''-ité'' (English ''-ity'', Latin ''-itās'') to the Latin adjective ''lāicus'', loanword from the Greek λᾱϊκός (''lāïkós'' "of the people", "layman"), the adjective from (''lāós'' "people").〔Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary. Retrieved September 30, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: (laic )〕 ==Controversy== The word laïcité has been used, from the end of the 19th century on, to mean the freedom of public institutions, especially primary schools, from the influence of the Catholic Church〔Excerpt of ''Nouveau dictionnaire de pédagogie et d'instruction primaire'', 1911: http://www.premiumwanadoo.com/jeunes-laiques/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10〕 in countries where it had retained its influence, in the context of a secularization process. Today, the concept covers other religious movements as well. Proponents assert the French state secularism is based on respect for freedom of thought and freedom of religion. Thus the absence of a state religion, and the subsequent separation of the state and Church, is considered by proponents to be a prerequisite for such freedom of thought. Proponents maintain that ''laïcité'' is thus distinct from anti-clericalism, which actively opposes the influence of religion and the clergy. ''Laïcité'' relies on the division between private life, where adherents believe religion belongs, and the public sphere, in which each individual, adherents believe, should appear as a simple citizen equal to all other citizens, devoid of ethnic, religious or other particularities. According to this concept, the government must refrain from taking positions on religious doctrine and only consider religious subjects for their practical consequences on inhabitants' lives. Supporters argue that ''Laïcité'' by itself does not necessarily imply any hostility of the government with respect to religion. It is best described as a belief that government and political issues should be kept separate from religious organizations and religious issues (as long as the latter do not have notable social consequences). This is meant to protect both the government from any possible interference from religious organizations, and to protect the religious organization from political quarrels and controversies. Critics of ''laïcité'' argue that it is a disguised form of anti-clericalism〔http://theweek.com/articles/555734/benedict-option-why-religious-right-considering-allout-withdrawal-from-politics〕 and infringement on individual right to religious expression, and that, instead of promoting freedom of thought and freedom of religion, it prevents the believer from observing his or her religion. Another critique is that, in countries historically dominated by one religious tradition, officially avoiding taking any positions on religious matters favors the dominant religious tradition of the relevant country. Even in the current French Fifth Republic (1958–), school holidays mostly follow the Christian liturgical year, though Easter holidays have been replaced by Spring holidays which may or may not include Easter, depending on the vagaries of the liturgical calendar. However, schools have long given leave to students for important holidays of their specific non-majority religions, and food menus served in secondary schools pay particular attention to ensuring that each religious observer may respect his religion's specific restrictions concerning diets. To counter the traditional influence of Christian festivals educationalists in line with market forces have often promoted references to Santa Claus, Valentines and Halloween, particularly at primary school level. Other countries, following in the French model, have forms of Laïcité – examples include Albania, Mexico and Turkey. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Laïcité」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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