Difference Between Sacred and Secular

Sacred vs Secular
 

Sacred and secular are two words that are generally not talked about in daily lives. However, they have profound significance in our lives as we seem to divide things in our lives in these broad categories. We do not consciously divide our world into sacred and secular, but this dichotomy is a result of centuries of religious thinking and teachings. Broadly speaking, there can be both good and bad things in the category of secular, while all things godly or are related with religion are considered to be good only. However, this is not the only difference between sacred and secular as will become clear after reading this article.

Sacred

All things sacred remind us of God and religion. These are things that are not for everyday use and, in fact, we keep these things aside for use in church or other religious purposes. If we read bible, we come across preaching that some things are holy, and cannot be equated with other things mundane or for everyday use. God intended the seventh day of the week to be HIS day and for remembrance. This does not mean that the other 6 days of the week are Godless. In fact, human limitations have forced us to have a special day for HIS remembrance so that, we do not mix the sacred with the secular or worldly things.

Secular

All things that are not holy are called secular. This means that things not specifically meant to be used in church or in connection with God are secular things. Governments all over the world try to be as secular as possible and, this means that they do not favor any single religion and treat all religions on an equal basis. When we are in the office or at a restaurant with friends, we are not sacred or focused on sacred. Rather we are thinking of all things worldly and hence not sacred.