Introduction: The Future of Religion and the Future of Secularism

José Casanova Introduction: The Future of Religion and the Future of Secularism THE PAPERS IN THE FIRST FIVE SECTIONS OF THIS ISSUE SET THE stage for this concluding section by addressing the origins of the secu­ lar and engaging the reader in historical debates. The remarks in this concluding section, drawn from a roundtable discussion at the reli­ gious-secular divide conference, work forward from the foundation established by the preceding papers. These authors speculate on the future of religion and future of secularism. The purpose of organizing this conference was to challenge our categories and to begin to think in new ways. We sought to make ques­ tions of religion and secularism more complex than they generally are in our public discourse. In this, I think, we have been successful. The papers in this concluding section of the issue represent an attempt at a summary of our debates. The authors were asked at the conference to comment on anything they found interesting, anything they heard in the discussions, or anything that was not said but they felt important to include in the conversation. The brief essays in this section represent the authors’ further development of their remarks at the conference in light of the debates among themselves and the ques­ tions raised by the audience. social research Vol 76 : No 4 : W inter 2009 1325 ...