Abstract
This chapter argues that the sacred and the secular are not opposed and the sacred can substantively figure in secular discourse, as well as sketching some central features of the sacred. The sacred is central to all religions. It is tempting to conclude from this that anyone claiming that something is sacred has departed from secular discourse. A rich secular understanding of reality, and especially normative reality, should not neglect the millennia of human reflection on a variety of concepts, especially that of the sacred, embodied in the doctrines, practices, and stories of the earth’s religions, just as it should not neglect millennia of art and literature as sources of information. Religions sometimes highlight this need for caution with prudential warnings. Things closely connected to other sacred things tend to partake of their sacredness. The connection might be symbolic or it might take another form. Priests who offer sacred rituals are typically considered sacred personages.
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