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other subjects > arts and humanities > theology > religion > sacred versus secular

Preferred term

sacred versus secular  

Definition

  • In common usage, the terms sacred and secular are often set in opposition—sacred referring to anything related to or in contact with the Divine, and secular referring to that which is not Divine—the temporal, earthly, or common. However, the two concepts have slightly different meanings for scholars engaged in the academic study of religion; they are similarly expressed in oppositional terms—but not to each other. [Source: Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity, and Society; Sacred versus Secular]

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https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/sacred_versus_secular

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