CIVICS-Ch 2 Understanding Secularism Social and Political Life

                                         
                           
                         CH -2; UNDERSTANDING SECULARISM SOCIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE 
                         


                                                            TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS 

Q2. Will the government intervene if some religious group says that their religion allows them to practise infanticide? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer :Yes, the government will and should intervene because this practice is against the right to freedom to live. Moreover, it is a crime to kill or practice infanticide.
4. Look up the annual calendar of holidays of your school. How many of them pertain to different religions? What does this indicate?
 Answer- Many holidays on a school's annual calendar pertain to different religions. This indicates that India is a secular country where religious freedom is granted to its citizens and all religions are equally respected.
5. Find out some examples of different views within the same religion.
 Answer- Among Muslims, many people believe in ‘Parda system’, whereas many do not approve of it & see it as interference in the freedom of women.
6. The Indian State both keeps away from religion as well as intervenes in religion. This idea can be quite confusing. Discuss this once again in class using examples from the chapter as well as those that you might have come up with.
Answer -1) The Indian State distances itself from the religion and it is not rules by a religious group & nor does it support any one religion.
2) Equal respect is given to all the religions. In order to prevent domination by one particular community, the state may interfere in the religion.
3) State may interfere in the religion to ensure that all the religions are treated equally.
4)Sometimes, the State may have to intervene in the religion based on ‘personal laws’ of the communities to ensure that laws relating to equal inheritance are protected.
Q7. This poster alongside highlights the need for 'Peace'. It says, “Peace is a never-ending process... It cannot ignore our differences or overlook our common interests.” Write in your own words what you think the above sentences are trying to convey? How does it relate to the need for religious tolerance? This chapter had three drawings on religious tolerance made by students of your age. Design your own poster on religious tolerance for your peers.
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Answer ‘Peace is a never-ending process. It cannot ignore our differences or overlook our common interests.’ The above sentences say that for all the communities to stay together, it is very important that each religious community should respect the other, their interests & their religious practices. We should not feel bound by any law that we need to respect the other religion, whereas, we should work towards decreasing the differences amongst religious communities & work towards brining peace in the society as a civilized society. Only then, we will be able to enjoy the coexistence of different religious in the society.


Extra questions:

Q1.What is secularism?

Answer:Secularism is the belief that no one should be discriminated on the basis of the religion he or she practises. Every citizen, irrespective of which religion he or she follows, is equal in the eyes of the laws and policies that govern the Nation.

Q2.What are the strategies followed by the Indian government to establish secularism?

Answer:The strategies followed by the Indian government to establish secularism are.
1)Strategy of distancing itself from religion
2)Strategy of non-interference
3)Strategy of intervention
Q3.Mention a few points in the US constitution related to secularism.

Answer:According to the U.S. Constitution the legislature cannot declare any religion as the official religion. The legislature cannot give preference to one religion and neither the State nor religion can interfere in the affairs of one another.
Q4.What are the objectives of the Indian constitution that advocates secularism?
Answer:The objectives of the Indian constitution that advocates secularism are.
1.One religious community should not dominate another.
2.Some members of a religious community should not dominate other members of the same religious community.
3.The State should not enforce any particular religion nor take away the religious freedom of individuals.