Critique of Auguste Comte’s ideology on the death of religion

• Main Authors: Anuli B. Okoli, Favour C. Uroko
• Format: Article
• Language: Afrikaans
• Published: AOSIS 2018-08-01
• Series: HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies
• Subjects: Sacrilisation; Secularisation; Belief; Believe; Model; Rationalisation; Secular; August Comte; Religion; Globalisation
• Online Access: https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/4810

Secularism dealt with the known, whereas religion dealt with the unknown. The rise of secularism threatened the survival of religion. This was the thesis of Auguste Comte. He said there would be a time when the irrelevant nature and death of religion would be recorded. At this point, man would have been able to unravel most of the unknown around him, hence no need for religion. The article has as its aim to examine the flaws in Auguste Comte’s ideology on the existence of religion and secularism together. Using the descriptive phenomenological method of research, which allows for an objective analysis of the problem, it was discovered that, notwithstanding Comte’s theory, religion and secularism have continued to exist side by side since the 20th century to the contemporary 21st century because they are complementary. It was also discovered that religion exerts a force that cannot be silenced by an industrial revolution of the world. Religion provides the solution to man’s innermost needs which cannot be threatened with the rise of secularism.