Question

please give some ideas for the case study on "Secularism in South Africa"

Answer 1

According to the last population census that recorded religious identity, 79.8% of South African citizens identified as Christian. However South Africa registered an almost 20% drop in religious affiliation over a seven year period from 2005 to 2012. During the country’s 2011 population census, the religious demographics of the country were not recorded as it was deemed irrelevant. This suggests a nationwide gravitation away from religiosity and towards social secularity.

The 2012 poll by the Win Gallup International Religiousity and Atheism index which measures global self-perceptions on belief, saw the number of religious South Africans drop from 83% in 2005 to 64% in 2012. These results indicate that the atheist and secularist community in South Africa is growing, repudiating the misconception that South Africa is a pious and conservative Christian nation.

Despite secularism being fast growing, the views of those who remain irreligious are often not documented and as a result many people have developed stereotypes which associate high levels of religious adherence with certain ethnic groups. For instance, black South Africans are often perceived as being very religious due to the high depictions of them in mass media with associations to Christian churches and Islam which has a major influence over parts of North Africa. Among the leading voices of reason in the world, there exists only one prominent black figure, that being African- American scientist Neil Degrasse Tyson. Another reason why stereotypes associating people of color with religious fundamentalism have developed is due to the West associating culture and religion with them.