Secular Globalism and the "Religious Criterion" of Civilisation

Abstract

This article examines whether religion can continue to serve as a defining criterion of civilisation in an age of secular globalization. It revisits recurring debates over the concept of religious civilisation by engaging with Arnold Joseph Toynbee’s theory of civilizations, one of the most influential attempts to place religion at the centre of civilizational development. The article analyses the meaning and theoretical function of Toynbee’s "religious criterion" and assesses its applicability to societies shaped by secularization, globalization, and the growing marginalization of religion in public life. It also considers whether religiously oriented civilizations, whether universal or regionally bounded, can emerge under modern conditions or whether they remain historically specific to Antiquity and the Middle Ages. By reassessing Toynbee’s conceptual framework in light of contemporary social transformations, the article clarifies both the explanatory potential and the limitations of the religious criterion in current theories of civilization.