atheism

Though the term 'secularism' was first used by George jacob Holyoake for the firsdt time in England in 185 to describe a social order separate from religion witjhout actively criticising the religious belief, but its idea as a noyion of free thought draws its roots from classical Greek and
Roman philosophers such as Marcuse Aurlius; Epicurus, Antiphone, Democritus ; Heraclitus .....; Indian Materialist traditions of Lokayat-Charvak philosophy; Kabir and the Sufi traditions; the enlightenment philosophers such as Denis Didero; Voltaire, Madison, Thomas Pain.......; freethinkers, agnostics, atheists like bertrand Riussel, Marx, Che and Bhagat Singh, Rahul Sankrityayan.........

Holyoaken, though himelf an agnostic, wrote, "secularism as an arguement is not agaist christianity but independent of it; it does not question the pretensions of religion (read christianity) but advances others". It does not say that there is "no light or guidance elsewhere" but there is one in secular truth "whose conditions and sanctions exist independently and forever. " Secular knowledge is "manifestly that kind of knowledge, which is founded in this life" , relates "to the conducts of this lifeand conduces the welfare of this life and is capable of being tested with the experience of this life." truth must be proved in practice.
In political terms secularism is a movent towars separation of religion and government.
Unfortunately in India, secular stae dowes not keep equi-distance from all the religions but promotesd the ob scurantism of all the religion.