<p> Many people still see/use the word secular as being anti-religious. In modern times, it is certainly not as it conforms with the Euro Convention on Human Rights which allows freedom to have beliefs, or none at all.</p><p>Relevant dictionary entries for secular etc. Also for atheist & atheism.</p><p>Oxford English Dictionary (2 nd edition, 1989)</p><p>A Secular</p><p>1 Of/ or pertaining to the world</p><p>2a Belonging to the world and its affairs as distinguished from the church and religion; civil, lay, temporal. Chiefly used as a negative term, with the meaning non-ecclesiastical, non-religious, or non-sacred, but not anti-religious.</p><p>2b Of literature, history, art (esp. music), hence of writers or artists: Not concerned with or devoted to the service of religion; not sacred; profane. Also of buildings, etc., Not dedicated to religious uses</p><p>2c Of education, instruction; Relating to non-religious subjects. (In modern use often implying the exclusion of religious teaching from education, or from the education provided at the public expense.) Of a school: That gives secular education</p><p>3a Of or belonging to the present or visible world as distinguished from the eternal or spiritual world; temporal, worldly.</p><p>3b Caring for the present world only; unspiritual rare</p><p>4 Used for: Pertaining to or accepting the doctrine of secularism; secularistic</p><p> secular societies: the designation given to associations formed in various English towns from 1852 onwards to promote the spread of secularist opinions</p><p>B Secularism</p><p>1 The doctrine that morality should be based solely on regard to the well-being of mankind in the present life, to the exclusion of all considerations drawn from belief in God or in a future state. a. As the name of a definitely professed system of belief, promulgated by G. J. Holyoake (1817–1906). b. In wider sense, as denoting a mode of thought more or less implicitly held and acted upon</p><p>2 The view that education, or the education provided at the public cost, should be purely secular</p><p>C Secularist</p><p>1 One of the secular clergy; a secular</p><p>2. An adherent of secularism</p><p>3 An advocate of exclusively secular education D Secularly</p><p>1 As a secular or lay person; in accordance with secular procedure; non-ecclesiastically</p><p>2 In a worldly manner; in a manner characterized by the absence of religion.</p><p>The Chambers Dictionary 1998 edition, reprinted 1999</p><p>E Secular</p><p>Relating to the present world, or to things not spiritual; civil, not ecclesiastical; lay, not concerned with religion</p><p>F Secularism</p><p>The belief that the state, morals, education etc should be independent of religion: G J Holyoake’s (1817 – 1916) system of social ethics (separation of state and religion)</p><p>Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners 2002</p><p>G Secular</p><p>Not religious or not connected with religion</p><p>H Secularism</p><p>Lack of religious influence within society, or the belief that this is important</p><p>I Secularize</p><p>To make something less religious or stop it from being controlled by religion</p><p>The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language , Fourth Edition</p><p>J Secularism</p><p>1 Religious skepticism or indifference</p><p>2 The view that religious considerations should be excluded from civil affairs or public education</p><p>Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary</p><p>K Secularism</p><p>1 The state or quality of being secular; a secular spirit; secularity</p><p>2 The tenets or principles of the secularists</p><p>WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University</p><p>L Secularism</p><p>A doctrine that rejects religion and religious considerations (The privilege thereof)</p><p>OED (1989)</p><p>M Atheism Disbelief in [or denial of] the existence of a God. Chambers has the same minus the words in [ ] but uses lower case god!</p><p>N Atheist</p><p>One who denies or disbelieves the existence of a God.</p>