Laicize for Dummies

Laicize is a word that might sound a bit complicated at first, but don't worry, I'm here to explain it in a way that is easy to understand. When we talk about laicize, we're actually talking about a process, like a change that can happen to someone or something. It's like when you have a glass of water, and you want to take out all the juice or flavor from it, so it becomes just water again. The process of taking out all the flavors and making it plain water is similar to what happens when someone or something gets laicized.

Now, let's think of an example that might make it even clearer. Imagine you have a computer with a lot of software installed on it, like games, video editing programs, and music apps. Each of these software has its own purpose and function, right? But sometimes, we may want to remove one of these software programs from the computer because maybe we don't need it anymore or it's causing some problems. So, what do we do? We go through a process called uninstalling, where we carefully remove the software program from the computer, leaving it without any trace or impact.

Well, in a similar way, when we talk about laicize in a human context, it means that someone who was previously connected or involved with a religion or a religious organization, like a priest, a nun, or even a church itself, no longer has that connection. It's like taking out all the flavors or special characteristics associated with that religious involvement and making it plain again. It's like pressing a reset button and starting fresh.

But wait, there's more! Laicize can also have another meaning, which is related but slightly different. It can be used to describe the process of changing something from being religious or spiritual in nature to being more secular or non-religious. It's like taking away all the religious aspects and making it more focused on things that are not connected to religion.

So, in summary, when we say someone or something is laicized, it means that they have been disconnected from their previous religious involvement or that they have been stripped of the religious characteristics associated with them. It's like removing a software program from a computer or taking out all the flavors from a glass of water, leaving it plain and without any special traits.