” ” ” “"The task of witness is not easy. There are many today who claim that God should be left on the sidelines, and that religion and faith, while fine for individuals, should either be excluded from the public forum altogether or included only in the pursuit of limited pragmatic goals", the Pope remarked. "This secularist vision he continued seeks to explain human life and shape society with little or no reference to the Creator. It presents itself as neutral, impartial and inclusive of everyone. But in reality, like every ideology, secularism imposes a world-view. If God is irrelevant to public life, then society will be shaped in a godless image, and debate and policy concerning the public good will be driven more by consequences than by principles grounded in truth". "Yet experience shows" warned the Pope that "when God is eclipsed, our ability to recognize the natural order, purpose, and the ‘good’ begins to wane" and "what was ostensibly promoted as human ingenuity soon manifests itself as folly, greed and selfish exploitation".
