State religion
From Free net encyclopedia
A state religion (also called an official religion, established church or state church) is a religious body or creed officially endorsed by the state. The term state church is associated with Christianity, and is sometimes used to denote a specific national branch of Christianity. Closely related to state churches are what sociologists call ecclesiae, though the two are slightly different. State religions are examples of the official or government-sanctioned establishment of religion, as distinct from theocracy.
Types of state churches
The degree and nature of state backing for denomination or creed designated as a state religion can vary. It can range from mere endorsement and financial support, with freedom for other faiths to practice, to prohibiting any competing religious body from operating and to persecuting the followers of other sects. In Europe, competition between Catholic and Protestant denominations for state sponsorship in the 16th century evolved the principle cuius regio eius religio ("states follow the religion of the ruler") embodied in the text of the treaty that marked the Peace of Augsburg, 1555.
In some cases, a state may have a set of state-sponsored religious denominations that it funds; such is the case in Alsace-Moselle in France, following the pattern in Germany.
In some communist states, notably the People's Republic of China, the state sponsors religious organizations, and activities outside those state-sponsored religious organizations are met with various degrees of official disapproval. In these cases, state religions are widely seen as efforts by the state to prevent alternate sources of authority.
Sociology of state churches
Sociologists refer to mainstream non-state religions as denominations. State religions tend to admit a larger variety of opinion within them than denominations. Denominations encountering major differences of opinion within themselves are likely to split; this option is not open for most state churches, so they tend to try to integrate differing opinions within themselves.
However, state churches have divided, with the dissidents losing the advantages of state support. The Church of Scotland has split several times in the past for doctrinal reasons, including the meaning and acceptability of state support. Its largest offshoots were the Free Church of Scotland and the United Free Church of Scotland. These offshoots did lose the established status of their parent, but since 1929 the reunited Church of Scotland has considered itself to be a "national church" rather than an established church, as it is entirely independent of state control in matters spiritual.
Many sociologists now consider the effect of a state church as analogous to a chartered monopoly in religion.
Where state religions exist, it is usually true the majority of residents are officially considered adherents; however, much of this support is little more than nominal; many members of the church rarely attend it. But the population's allegiance towards the state religion is often strong enough to prevent them from joining competing religious groups. Many sociologists theorise that the religious difference between the United States and Europe is an example of this: the continuing vitality of religion in American life, compared to many European countries, is due to the lack of any state church during most of American history.
A denomination's status as official religion does not always imply that the jurisdiction prohibits the existence or operation of other sects or religious bodies. It all depends upon the government and the level of tolerance the citizens of that country have for each other. Some countries with official religions have laws that guarantee the freedom of worship, full liberty of conscience, and places of worship for all citizens; and implement those laws than other countries that do not have an official or established state religion.
Disestablishment
See also secular state.
Disestablishment is the process of divesting a church of its status as an organ of the state. In Britain there was a campaign by Liberals, dissenters and nonconformists to disestablish the Church of England in the late 19th century; it failed in England, but demands for the measure persist to this day. The Church of Ireland was disestablished in 1869 and the Church of England was disestablished in Wales in 1920, becoming the Church in Wales rather than the Church of Wales. Those who wish to continue with an established church take a position of antidisestablishmentarianism.
The First Amendment to the US Constitution explicitly bans the federal government from setting up a state church. This did not, when ratified, prevent state governments from establishing a church, and Connecticut continued to do so until she replaced her colonial Charter with the Connecticut Constitution of 1818. The Fourteenth Amendment forbids the states to violate the rights of citizens of the United States, those rights defended by the Constitution against the Federal Government; and thus prohibits state establishments also. The exact boundaries of this prohibition are still disputed and are a frequent source of cases before the US Supreme Court, especially as the court must reconcile the establishment clause of the First Amendment with the clause that prohibits restraints on the free exercise of religion. All present State Constitutions also include a clause parallel to the First Amendment.
Christian countries
The following states recognize some form of Christianity as their official religion (by denomination):
Roman Catholic
Jurisdictions which recognize Catholicism as their official religion:
- Argentina
- Bolivia
- Costa Rica
- El Salvador
- Liechtenstein
- Malta
- Monaco
- Some cantons of Switzerland
- Vatican City
Eastern Orthodox
Jurisdictions which recognize one of the Eastern Orthodox Churches as their official religion:
- Cyprus
- Georgia - the Georgian Orthodox Church is the de-facto state religion, receiving more rights through law than other religions and being recognised constitutionally for its importance in Georgian history, yet not being explicitly designated as the official religion.
- Greece
The Russian Federation recognizes the Russian Orthodox Church, the main sub-branch of the greater Eastern Orthodox Church, as well as Buddhism, Judaism, and Islam as all "official" and "indigenous" to Russian soil.
Oriental Orthodox
Jurisdictions which recognize one of the Oriental Orthodox Churches as their official religion:
- Armenia - like Georgia, the Armenian Apostolic Church is the de-facto state religion
Lutheran
Jurisdictions which recognize a Lutheran church as their official religion:
Until 2000, Sweden had the localized Lutheran Church as a state church. The Church of Sweden has now been relegated to the status of a national church. Finland's former state church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, was changed into a national church (along with the Finnish Orthodox Church, which was given the same position) through the church law of 1870, the constitution of 1919 and the law on religious freedom of 1922.
Anglican
Jurisdictions which recognise an Anglican church as their state religion:
- England (as part of the greater United Kingdom) - Church of England
Reformed
Jurisdictions which recognize a Reformed church as their official religion:
- Some cantons of Switzerland
Presbyterian
Jurisdictions which recognize a Presbyterian church as their official religion:
- Scotland - The Church of Scotland is the national church. Prior to 1929, it was also the established church.
Islamic Countries
Countries which recognize Islam as their official religion:
- Afghanistan
- Algeria
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Brunei
- Comoros - constitution does not mention of any official religion, but recognises the Islamic faith as the main source of legislation and bans other religions from proselytising.
- Egypt - recognises Islamic Shari'a as a main source of legislation however makes no mention of Islam as the state religion.
- Iran
- Iraq
- Jordan
- Kuwait
- Libya
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mauritania
- Morocco
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- Somalia
- Tunisia
- United Arab Emirates
- Yemen
States which recognize specifically Sunni Islam as their official religion:
- Algeria
- Saudi Arabia (as state-sanctioned religion)
- Somalia
States which recognize specifically Shia Islam as their official religion:
- Iran (as state-sanctioned religion)
The Republic of Lebanon recognizes sixteen religious sects belonging to Christianity and Islam, in addition to Judaism. However there is no particular state religion. According to the constitution, the president of the Republic must necessarily be a Maronite Catholic Christian.
Buddhist Countries
Countries which recognize Buddhism as their official religion:
- Bhutan (Drukpa Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism)
- Cambodia (Theravada Buddhism)
- Kalmykia, a republic within the Russian Federation (Tibetan Buddhism - sole Buddhist entity in Europe)
- Thailand (Theravada Buddhism)
- Tibet Government in Exile (Gelugpa school of Tibetan Buddhism)
Hindu Countries
There are no countries that explicitly recognise Hinduism as their official religion. In the Constitution of Nepal, however, the country is referred to as the "Hindu Kingdom", even though Hinduism is not mentioned as the state religion.
Jewish Countries
Note: Officially, Israel has no state religion or established church. A few personal status laws, in particular regarding marriage and divorce, are governed by state-recognized Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and Druze authorities. As the Jewish state, however, its de facto state religion is Judaism.
Ancient state religions
Egypt and Sumer
The concept of state religions was known as long ago as the empires of Egypt and Sumer, when every city state or people had its own god or gods. Many of the early Sumerian rulers were priests of their patron city god. Some of the earliest semi-mythological kings may have passed into the pantheon, like Dumuzid, and some later kings came to be viewed as divine soon after their reigns, like Sargon the Great of Akkad. One of the first rulers to be proclaimed a god during his actual reign was Gudea of Lagash, followed by some later kings of Ur, such as Shulgi. Often, the state religion was integral to the power base of the reigning government, such as in Egypt, where Pharaohs were often thought of as embodiments of the god Horus.
Greek city-states
Many of the Greek city-states also had a 'god' or 'goddess' associated with that city. This would not be the 'only god' of the city, but the one that received special honors. In ancient Greece the city of Athens had Athena, Sparta had Artemis, Delos had Apollo, and Olympia had Zeus.
Rome paganism and Christianity
In Rome, the office of Pontifex Maximus came to be reserved for the emperor, who was often declared a 'god' posthumously, or sometimes during his reign. Failure to worship the emperor as a god was at times punishable by death, as the Roman government sought to link emperor worship with loyalty to the Empire. Many Christians and Jews were subject to persecution, torture and death in the Roman Empire, because it was against their beliefs to worship the emperor.
In 313 AD Constantine the Great established Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire when he issued the Edict of Milan.
Paganism (Neoplatonic Hellenism) was restored for a time by Julian the Apostate from 361 to 363. Julian does not appear to have reinstated the persecutions of the earlier Pagan Roman emperors.
Rome returned to Christianity as the state religion after the death of Julian.
Han Dynasty Confucianism and Sui Dynasty Buddhism
In China, the Han Dynasty (206 BC -- 220 AD) advocated Confucianism as the de facto state religion, establishing tests based on Confucian texts as an entrance requirement into government service. The Han emperors appreciated the societal order which is a central concept of Confucianism. Confucianism would continue as the state religion until the Sui Dynasty (581 - 618 AD), when it was replaced by Buddhism. Neo-confucianism returned as the state religion sometime in the 10th century.
States without any state religion
These states do not profess any state religion and attempt to treat all religions equally. Countries which officially decline to establish any religion include:
- Australia
- Azerbaijan
- Canada
- France
- India
- Japan
- New Zealand
- Romania
- South Korea
- Turkey
- United States of America
Established churches and former state churches in Europe
Note 1:
In 1967, the Albanian government made atheism the "state religion". This designation remained in effect until 1991.
Note 2: Finland's State Church was the Church of Sweden until 1809. As an autonomous Grand Duchy under Russia 1809-1917, Finland retained the Lutheran State Church system, and a state church separate from Sweden, later named the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, was established. It was detached from the state as a separate judicial entity when the new church law came to force in 1870. After Finland had gained independence in 1917, religious freedom was declared in the constitution of 1919 and a separate law on religious freedom in 1922. Through this arrangement, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland lost its position as a state church but gained a constitutional status as a national church alongside with the Finnish Orthodox Church, whose position however is not codified in the constitution.
Former state churches in British North America
| Colony | Denomination | Disestablished1 |
|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | Congregational | 1818 |
| Georgia | Church of England | |
| Massachusetts | Congregational | 17802 |
| New Brunswick | Church of England | |
| New Hampshire | Congregational | 1790 |
| Newfoundland | Church of England | |
| North Carolina | Church of England | ≤ 1776 |
| Nova Scotia | Church of England | 1850 |
| Prince Edward Island | Church of England | |
| South Carolina | Church of England | |
| Upper Canada | Church of England | 1854 |
| West Florida | Church of England | N/A 3 |
| East Florida | Church of England | N/A 4 |
| Virginia | Church of England | 1786 |
| West Indies | Church of England | 1868 |
Note 1: In several colonies, the establishment ceased to exist in practice at the Revolution, about 1776; this is the date of legal abolition.
Note 2: Replaced by a system which required every man to belong to a church, and permitted each church to tax its members. This was not, in theory, an establishment; but was sufficiently oppressive in practice, to be abolished in 1833.
Note 3: Religious Tolerance for Catholics with an Established Church of England were policy in the former Spanish Colonies of East and West Florida while under British rule. East Florida was lost to Spain in 1781.
Note 4: Religious tolerance for Catholics with an established Church of England were policy in the former Spanish Colonies of East and West Florida while under British rule. East Florida was returned to Spain in 1783.
References
- McConnell, Michael W. "Establishment and Disestablishment at the Founding, Part I: Establishment of Religion" William and Mary Law Review, Vol. 44, 2003 pp 2105+ for United States
See also
de:Staatsreligion nl:Staatsgodsdienst ja:国家宗教 no:Statskirke pl:Religia państwowa fi:Valtionkirkko sv:Statsreligion zh:國教