6.6 Religion and secularism notes

1. 6.6.1Sociology of religion: Durkheim, Weber, Marx, Tylor, Frazer and Malinowski

   Sociologists study religion as a social institution: Durkheim saw it as society worshipping itself, Weber as a force that can shape economic life, Marx as an ideology that consoles the oppressed, and the early anthropologists traced it to animism, magic and the need to cope with anxiety.

   Standard · 9 min · Full course
2. 6.6.2Religious communities of India: Census 2011 profile, practices and notified minorities

   India is home to every major world religion; Census 2011 counted Hindus at 79.8% and Muslims at 14.2%, with Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains forming smaller communities, and six communities are notified as national minorities.

   Standard · 9 min · Full course
3. 6.6.3Secularism: the Indian model, constitutional provisions and key judgments

   Indian secularism means the State has no religion of its own, treats all religions with equal respect and keeps a "principled distance" from them, intervening when needed to protect equality within and between communities; the Supreme Court holds it to be part of the basic structure.

   Standard · 10 min · Full course
4. 6.6.4Religion and the State in practice: essential practices doctrine, conversion laws, Places of Worship Act and Sabarimala

   Courts decide how far the State may regulate religion by asking whether a practice is "essential" to the faith; the same tension runs through temple-entry cases like Sabarimala, State anti-conversion laws, the freeze on places of worship as of 15 August 1947 and the 2025 overhaul of waqf law.

   Standard · 12 min · Full course

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