Some countries have a main faith.
This is called a state religion. The government helps this group. It can help with money or buildings. This helps the faith stay strong. What do you think?
Some lands have one main faith.
This is called a state religion. The government helps this group. It might give them money for buildings. It might also pay for their leaders. This helps the faith stay strong.
Different lands do this in different ways. Some lands give a lot of help. Other lands give no help at all. Some people follow many different faiths. Even with a main faith, people can still pray in their own way. It is interesting to see how lands choose their faiths.
Some countries have an official religion. This is called a state religion.
The government may support this faith. They might pay for religious buildings. They might also pay for religious leaders. This can give the faith more rights. It can also give it fewer rules.
Ways of helping can change. Some states give much help. Other states give no help at all. For example, Greenland and Denmark give no help. In Bhutan, Buddhism is the spiritual heritage. The King protects all religions there.
In Costa Rica, the state helps the Catholic Church. But people can still practice other faiths.
There is also a state church. This is a special type of state religion. The state has full control over it. In a state religion, a different group might rule the church. For example, the Vatican rules the Catholic Church. Some countries may also change their status. This is called disestablishment. This is when a church is no longer part of the state.
A state religion is a faith that a government officially supports. This is also called an official religion.
When a country has a state religion, it is not a secular state. A secular state is one that does not have an official religion. However, a state with an official religion is not always a theocracy. In a theocracy, religious leaders hold the legislative power. In many state religions, the government simply gives the faith special treatment. This might include using public money to maintain religious buildings. It can also include paying the clergy, who are religious leaders.
How a state supports a religion can vary a lot. Some governments provide only a simple endorsement. This means they recognize the faith but might not give money. Other states might give no help at all to any religion. For example, Greenland, Denmark, England, Iceland, and Greece do not provide help. In other places, the support is very high. In Saudi Arabia and Iran, the state support is quite strong. In some cases, a state might even stop other religions from working. This can lead to the persecution of people who follow different beliefs.
History shows that official religions have existed for a very long time. They have been found in almost all types of cultures. Even in the Ancient Near East, people had these systems. A Latin scholar named Marcus Terentius Varro once studied these ideas. He called the link between religion and the state "theologia civilis." One of the first state-sponsored Christian groups was the Armenian Apostolic Church. It was established in the year 301 CE. In England, King Henry VIII made big changes in 1534. He declared himself the Supreme Head of the Church of England.
Different religions have different official statuses around the world. In Bhutan, the Constitution says Tibetan Buddhism is the spiritual heritage. The King of Bhutan is the protector of all religions there. In Cambodia, Theravada Buddhism is the official religion. Myanmar also recognizes the special position of Theravada Buddhism. Some countries recognize Christianity in their constitutions. For example, Samoa is a Christian nation. In Costa Rica, the Catholic and Apostolic Religion is the religion of the state. The government helps maintain it, but people can still practice other faiths.
There is also a difference between a state religion and a state church. A state church is established by a state for its own exclusive use. In a state church, the government has absolute control. In a state religion, an outside group might rule the church. For example, the Vatican rules the Catholic Church. Sometimes, a country decides to end this official status. This process is called disestablishment. People who fight against this change are called antidisestablishmentarians. These ideas show how much people wonder about the link between faith and law.
A state religion, often called an official religion, is a religion or creed that a sovereign state officially endorses.
While such a state is not a secular state, it is not necessarily a theocracy. In a theocracy, religious leaders hold legislative control over the government. In many cases involving state religions, the government simply provides advantageous treatment to the endorsed faith. This treatment can range from simple endorsement to unrestricted public spending on clergy and religious property. Generally, these official religions enjoy more rights and face fewer restrictions than other faiths within the country.
The mechanism of state support varies significantly across different nations. At one end of the spectrum, a state may offer mere endorsement without providing financial support. At the other extreme, a state might prohibit competing religious bodies or even persecute followers of other sects. Some administrative regions also sponsor specific denominations through local laws. For instance, in Alsace-Moselle, France, local laws fund several religious communities, including Catholic, Lutheran, Reformed, and Israelite groups. This follows historical patterns seen in Germany and the pre-1905 French concordatory system.
There is a technical distinction between a state religion and a state church. A state church, or an established church, is a religion established by a state for its own exclusive use. In a state church, the government maintains absolute control over the institution. In contrast, a state religion may be ruled by an exterior body. For example, the Vatican maintains control over the Catholic Church even when it is the state religion. A related term is ecclesiae, which carries a similar but minor connotation. When a state decides to repeal a church's status as a government organ, the process is called disestablishment. Those who oppose this process are known as antidisestablishmentarians.
History shows that the relationship between religious cults and the state has been studied for centuries. The ancient Latin scholar Marcus Terentius Varro used the term "theologia civilis" to describe this connection. Official religions have appeared in almost all cultures, reaching back into prehistory and the Ancient Near East. In the Christian tradition, the Armenian Apostolic Church was the first state-sponsored denomination, established in 301 CE. In Europe, the 16th century saw intense competition between Catholic and Protestant denominations for state sponsorship. This led to the principle of "Cuius regio, eius religio," meaning the religion of the state follows the religion of its ruler. This principle was embodied in the Peace of Augsburg in 1555. In 1534, Henry VIII broke with Rome and declared himself the Supreme Head of the Church of England.
Today, the degree of imposition varies widely. In some Middle Eastern nations, Islam is the official religion, though the level of restriction on citizens differs by country. Rulers in Saudi Arabia use religious power, while in Iran, secular presidents must follow religious authorities following the 1979 Islamic Revolution. In contrast, Turkey became a secular country following the Atatürk Reforms. This differs from the Russian Revolution, which resulted in state atheism. Some European nations, such as England, Denmark, Greece, Iceland, and Greenland, have official religions but provide no special support.
Buddhism serves as an official religion in several nations. In Bhutan, the Constitution defines Tibetan Buddhism as the country's "spiritual heritage." The King, or Druk Gyalpo, acts as the protector of all religions. The state also provides funds to the Zhung Dratshang. In Cambodia, the Constitution declares Theravada Buddhism as the official religion. Myanmar also recognizes the special position of Theravada Buddhism through its Constitution and the 1961 State Religion Promotion and Support Act. This act requires the government to teach Buddhist lessons in schools and broadcast sermons on state media. Other nations, like Thailand and Laos, grant Buddhism special status or privilege rather than full state religion status.
Christianity also holds official status in various forms. In Papua New Guinea, the Constitution was amended to acknowledge God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Samoa is also defined as a Christian nation in its Constitution. In the realm of Catholicism, several states recognize it officially. Costa Rica's Constitution identifies the Catholic and Apostolic Religion as the state religion, though it allows for other forms of worship. Liechtenstein and Malta also recognize Catholicism as the state religion. In the case of the Vatican, it is an elective, theocratic monarchy ruled by the Pope, who serves as the Vicar of Christ. These various systems show how deeply faith and government can be connected.
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