The general purpose of
the presentation is to inform people about secularism and persuade them
that secularism is the only means for political and social progress.
The specific purpose of
the presentation is to persuade people that secularism must be
implemented in Lebanon, because it is the only means for peace, prosperity, and
stability in Lebanon.
Introduction:
I.
The dictionary definition of secularism,
atheism and sectarianism will be given during the introduction, and the various
repercussion of each school of thought will be previewed.
A. Secularism
is a movement derived from the word secular, which means either of three things
according to the online dictionary:
1. Of
or relating to worldly as opposed to sacred things; temporal.
2. Not
concerned with or related to religion.
3. Not
within the control of the Church.
B. Atheism
is a movement derived from the word Atheist, which has the following dictionary
definitions:
1. Disbelief in or denial of the existence of God
or gods.
2. The
doctrine that there is no God or gods.
C. Sectarianism
is also a school of thought, but is derived from the word sectarian, which
according to the online dictionary means:
1. Of,
relating to, or characteristic of a sect.
2. Adhering
or confined to the dogmatic limits of a sect or denomination; partisan.
3. Narrow-minded;
parochial.
D. A
preview of what will be discussed in the body will be quickly shown on the
PowerPoint presentation aid.
Now that you know what secularism and sectarianism really means, a
detailed comparison between them and their diverse repercussions will be
discussed.
Body:
II.
The reasons that make the Lebanese
refute the idea of secularism and its implementation are various. The following
is a list of those reasons:
A. People
are not aware of the difference between secularism and atheism; hence the idea
of a secular society becomes blasphemous.
B. Contrary
to the shared myth that Lebanese are highly educated people, they are not.
Therefore their ability to interpret politics correctly is hindered, and
instead of using reason they use indoctrinated beliefs to back up arguments.
C. Lack
of transparency in the Lebanese society among commoners and politicians alike
is an indicator of lack of morality and self-control. Having a secular society
requires people to restrict themselves to the laws, which at the moment they
are not.
D. Sectarian
people fear the idea of being ruled by the other sect, and therefore believe
that if Lebanon becomes a secular nation the majority which is the Shiite will
rule all other sect, which in turn is a logical fallacy.
Now that you know the main reasons why secularism is currently refuted in Lebanon, a Sign
Post:preview of what sectarianism has done to Lebanon.
III.
Sectarianism has claimed the lives of
millions of people throughout the history of Lebanon, and hindered social,
educational, economic, and political growth.
A. The
history of Lebanon is mainly a history of sectarian violence that has produced the following casualties:
a. Between
1840 and 1860 sectarian violence between the Druze and the Christians of Mount
Lebanon left more than 380 villages destroyed.
b. 1958
Conflict between the Government (Christian) and the Opposition (Sunni and
Druze) produced 4000 casualties.
c. 1968,
1975-1990 Civil war between all sects of Lebanon produced 150,000 deaths,
200,000 wounded, 900,000 displaced, and 400,000 missing.
d. More
recently in 2008, civil unrest which started in May 8, and extended till the
end of that year resulted in battles between the Sunnis, Shiites, and Druze,
which in turn produced 104 casualties and 85 wounded.
B. Sectarianism’s
effect on the economy is very clear, and can be deduced from the negative GDP
growth of -57% during the 1975-1990 Civil War and 75,000% devaluation on the
Lebanese Lira.
After discussing the effects of sectarianism, the effects of secularism
on different cultures including diverse cultures will be discussed.
IV.
The application of secularism on
culturally diverse societies in the world and the Middle East.
A. The
UNDP has developed a cool called Human Development Index (HDI) for countries to
measure which are the best, and which are the worst countries to live in. The
top 10 countries with the highest HDI are all secular nations: Norway, Australia,
Netherlands, and U.S.A. New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Germany,
and Sweden.
B. Turkey
which is a conservative country and shares a large amount of cultural
identifiers with Lebanon has turned secular more than 80 years ago, and since
then it is experiencing steady growth on all levels including HDI.
C. The
USA is one of the most culturally diverse countries on earth, home to more than
30 different religious sects, yet maintains a superpower status and rank 4th
on HDI. This was made possible due to the fact that politics is separated from
religion.
Conclusion:
The sectarian status of
Lebanon has defined us as a third world developing nation, which has constant
political and economic instability due to sectarian violence. Lebanon is
constantly used as a scenario for what can happen when religion mixes with
politics. It is time to put our narrow mindedness behind us, and prosper after
thousands of years of suffering due to sectarianism.
References
(1999). Photographs in History (Arabic). In Photographs
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Atheist.
(2011). Retrieved from The Free Online Dictionary by Farlex:
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/atheism
Sectarian.
(2011). Retrieved from The Free Online Dictionary by Farlex:
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/sectarian
Secular.
(2011). Retrieved from The Free Online Dictionary by Farlex:
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/secular
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Mongabay. (1987, December). Lebanon - The 1958
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