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State religion

January 01, 1970

A state religion (also called official religion) is a religion or creed officially endorsed by a sovereign state. A state with an official religion (also known as confessional state), while not a secular state, is not necessarily a theocracy. State religions are official or government-sanctioned establishments of a religion, but the state does not need to be under the control of the clergy (as in a theocracy), nor is the state-sanctioned religion necessarily under the control of the state.

Confessional states[a]
  Christianity (unspecified doctrines)
  Roman Catholicism
  Eastern Orthodoxy
  Protestantism
  Islam (unspecified doctrines)
  Sunni Islam
  Shi'a Islam
  Buddhism

Official religions have been known throughout human history in almost all types of cultures, reaching into the Ancient Near East and prehistory. The relation of religious cult and the state was discussed by the ancient Latin scholar Marcus Terentius Varro, under the term of theologia civilis (lit. 'civic theology'). The first state-sponsored Christian church was the Armenian Apostolic Church, established in 301 CE.[28] In Christianity, as the term church is typically applied to a place of worship for Christians or organizations incorporating such ones, the term state church is associated with Christianity as sanctioned by the government, historically the state church of the Roman Empire in the last centuries of the Empire's existence, and is sometimes used to denote a specific modern national branch of Christianity. Closely related to state churches are ecclesiae, which are similar but carry a more minor connotation.

In the Middle East, the majority of states with a predominantly Muslim population have Islam as their official religion, though the degree of religious restrictions on citizens' everyday lives varies by country. Rulers of Saudi Arabia use religious power, while Iran's secular presidents are supposed to follow the decisions of religious authorities since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Turkey, which also has Muslim-majority population, became a secular country after Atatürk's Reforms, although unlike the Russian Revolution of the same time period, it did not result in the adoption of state atheism.

The degree to which an official national religion is imposed upon citizens by the state in contemporary society varies considerably; from high as in Saudi Arabia and Iran, to none at all as in Greenland, Denmark, England, Iceland, and Greece (in Europe, the state religion might be called in English, the established church.)

Types edit

The degree and nature of state backing for denomination or creed designated as a state religion can vary. It can range from mere endorsement (with or without 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.[29] 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 in 1555. In England, Henry VIII broke with Rome in 1534, being declared the Supreme Head of the Church of England,[b] the official religion of England continued to be "Catholicism without the Pope" until after his death in 1547.[31]

In some cases, an administrative region may sponsor and fund a set of religious denominations; such is the case in Alsace-Moselle in France under its local law, following the pre-1905 French concordatory legal system and patterns in Germany.[32]

State churches edit

 
Westminster Abbey is responsible directly to the British monarch. The Church of England is the established church in England.

A state church (or "established church") is a state religion established by a state for use exclusively by that state. In the case of a state church, the state has absolute control over the church, but in the case of a state religion, the church is ruled by an exterior body; for example, in the case of Catholicism, the Vatican has control over the church. As of 2024, there are only five state churches left.[33]

Disestablishment edit

Further information: Secular state

Disestablishment is the process of repealing a church's status as an organ of the state. In a state where an established church is in place, opposition to such a move may be described as antidisestablishmentarianism. This word is, however, most usually associated with the debate on the position of the Anglican churches in the British Isles: the Church of Ireland (disestablished in 1871), the Church in Wales (disestablished in 1920), and the Church of England itself (which remains established in England).[citation needed]

Current states with a state religion edit

Buddhism edit

Governments where Buddhism, either a specific form of it, or Buddhism as a whole, has been established as an official religion:

  •   Bhutan: The Constitution defines Buddhism as the "spiritual heritage of Bhutan". The Constitution of Bhutan is based on Buddhist philosophy.[34] It also mandates that the Druk Gyalpo (King) should appoint the Je Khenpo and Dratshang Lhentshog (The Commission for Monastic Affairs).[35]
  •   Cambodia: The Constitution declared Buddhism as the official religion of the country.[36] About 98% of Cambodia's population is Buddhist.[37]
  •   Myanmar: Section 361 of the Constitution states that "The Union recognizes special position of Buddhism as the faith professed by the great majority of the citizens of the Union."[38] The 1961 State Religion Promotion and Support Act requires : to teach Buddhist lessons in schools, to give priority to Buddhist monasteries in founding of primary schools, to make Uposatha days holidays during Vassa months, to broadcast Buddhist sermons by State media on Uposatha days, and other promotion and supports for Buddhism as State Religion.[39]
  •   Sri Lanka: The constitution of Sri Lanka states under Chapter II, Article 9, "The Republic of Sri Lanka declares Buddhism as the state religion and accordingly it shall be the duty of the Head of State and Head of Government to protect and foster the Buddha Sasana".[40]

In some countries, Buddhism is not recognized as a state religion, but holds special status:

  •   Thailand: Article 67 of the Thai constitution: "The State should support and protect Buddhism". In supporting and protecting Buddhism, the State should promote and support education and dissemination of dharmic principles of Theravada Buddhism, and shall have measures and mechanisms to prevent Buddhism from being undermined in any form. The State should also encourage Buddhists to participate in implementing such measures or mechanisms.[41]
  •   Laos: According to the Lao Constitution, Buddhism is given special privilege in the country. The state respects and protects all the lawful activities of Buddhism.[42]
  •   Kalmykia (Russia): The local Government supports Buddhism and also encourages Buddhist teachings and traditions. It also builds various Buddhist temples and sites. Various efforts are taken by the Government for the revival of Buddhism in the republic.[43][44][45]

Christianity edit

Main articles: Christian state, Christian republic, Christianity and politics, Christian democracy, Christian nationalism, and Christendom

The following states recognize some form of Christianity as their state or official religion or recognize a special status for it (by denomination):

Non-denominational Christianity edit

  •   Samoa: In June 2017, Parliament voted to amend the wording of Article 1 of the constitution, thereby making Christianity the state religion. Part 1, Section (1)(3) reads "Samoa is a Christian nation founded on God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit." The status of the religion had previously only been mentioned in the preamble, which Prime Minister Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi considered legally inadequate.[46][47]
  •   Zambia: The preamble to the Zambian Constitution of 1991 declares Zambia to be "a Christian nation", while also guaranteeing freedom of religion.[48]

Catholicism edit

Jurisdictions where Catholicism has been established as a state or official religion:

Jurisdictions that give various degrees of recognition in their constitutions to Roman Catholicism without establishing it as the State religion:

Eastern Orthodoxy edit

  •   Greece: The Church of Greece is recognized by the Greek Constitution as the prevailing religion in Greece[67] and is the only country in the world where Eastern Orthodoxy is clearly recognized as a state religion.[68][69] However, this provision does not give exclusivity of worship to the Church of Greece, while all other religions are recognized as equal and may be practiced freely.[70]

The jurisdictions below give various degrees of recognition in their constitutions to Eastern Orthodoxy, but without establishing it as the state religion:

Protestantism edit

The following states recognize some form of Protestantism as their state or official religion:

The Commonwealth edit

Anglicanism edit

The Anglican Church of England is the established church in England as well as all three of the Crown Dependencies:

Calvinism edit
  •   Scotland: The Church of Scotland is the national church, but not the United Kingdom as a whole.[79] Whilst it is the national church, it 'is not State controlled' and the monarch is not the 'supreme governor' as in the Church of England.[79]
  •   Tuvalu: The Church of Tuvalu is the state religion, although in practice this merely entitles it to "the privilege of performing special services on major national events".[80] The Constitution of Tuvalu guarantees freedom of religion, including the freedom to practice, the freedom to change religion, the right not to receive religious instruction at school or to attend religious ceremonies at school, and the right not to "take an oath or make an affirmation that is contrary to his religion or belief".[81]

Nordic Countries edit

Lutheranism edit

Jurisdictions where a Lutheran church has been fully or partially established as a state recognized religion include the Nordic States.

Jurisdictions that give various degrees of recognition in their constitutions to Lutheranism without establishing it as the state religion:

  •   Finland: The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland has a special relationship with the Finnish state, its internal structure being described in a special law, the Church Act.[73] The Church Act can be amended only by a decision of the synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and subsequent ratification by the Parliament of Finland. The Church Act is protected by the Constitution of Finland and the state cannot change the Church Act without changing the constitution. The church has the power to tax its members. The state collects these taxes for the church, for a fee. On the other hand, the church is required to give a burial place for everyone in its graveyards.[73] The President of Finland also decides the themes for intercession days. The church does not consider itself a state church, as the Finnish state does not have the power to influence its internal workings or its theology, although it has a veto in those changes of the internal structure which require changing the Church Act. Neither does the Finnish state accord any precedence to Lutherans or the Lutheran faith in its own acts.
  •   Sweden: The Church of Sweden was the state church of Sweden between 1527 when King Gustav Vasa broke all ties with Rome and 2000 when the state officially became secular. Much like in Finland, it does have a special relation to the Swedish state unlike any other religious organizations. For example, there is a special law that regulates certain aspects of the church[87] and the members of the royal family are required to belong to it in order to have a claim to the line of succession. A majority of the population still belongs to the Church of Sweden.[88]

Other/mixed edit

  •   Armenia: The Armenian Apostolic Church has a constitutional agreement with the State: "The Republic of Armenia shall recognise the exclusive mission of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church, as a national church, in the spiritual life of the Armenian people, in the development of their national culture and preservation of their national identity."[89]
  •   Dominican Republic: The constitution of the Dominican Republic specifies that there is no state church and provides for freedom of religion and belief. A concordat with the Holy See designates Catholicism as the official religion and extends special privileges to the Catholic Church not granted to other religious groups. These include the legal recognition of church law, use of public funds to underwrite some church expenses, and complete exoneration from customs duties.[90]
  •   Haiti: While Catholicism has not been the state religion since 1987, a 19th-century concordat with the Holy See continues to confer preferential treatment to the Catholic Church, in the form of stipends for clergy and financial support to churches and religious schools. The Catholic Church also retains the right to appoint certain amounts of clergy in Haiti without the government's consent.[91][92]
  •   Hungary: The preamble to the Hungarian Constitution of 2011 describes Hungary as "part of Christian Europe" and acknowledges "the role of Christianity in preserving nationhood", while Article VII provides that "the State shall cooperate with the Churches for community goals." However, the constitution also guarantees freedom of religion and separation of church and state.[93]
  •   Nicaragua: The Nicaraguan Constitution of 1987 states that the country has no official religion, but defines "Christian values" as one of the "principles of the Nicaraguan nation".[94]
  •   Portugal: Although Church and State are formally separate, the Catholic Church in Portugal still receives certain privileges.[95]

Islam edit

Many Muslim-majority countries have constitutionally established Islam, or a specific form of it, as a state religion. Proselytism (converting people away from Islam) is often illegal in such states.[96][97][98][99]

In some countries, Islam is not recognized as a state religion, but holds special status:

  •   Tajikistan: Although there is a separation of religion from politics, certain aspects of law also privilege Islam. One such law declares "Islam to be a traditional religion of Tajikistan, with more rights and privileges given to Islamic organizations than to religious groups of non-Muslim origin".[126]
  •   Tunisia: Article 5 of the Constitution declares that "Tunisia is part of the Muslim world, and the state alone must work to achieve the goals of pure Islam in preserving honourable life of religious freedom". Although, Islam has been given special privileges by the Constitution, though it is no longer the state religion.[127][128]
  •   Turkmenistan: The Constitution claims to uphold a secular system in which religious and state institutions are separate. However, in Turkmenistan, the state actively privileges a form of traditional Islam. The culture, including Islam, is a key facet, contributes to the Turkmen national identity. The state encourages the conceptualization of "Turkmen Islam".[129]
  •   Uzbekistan: Since independence, Islam has taken on an altogether new role in the nation-building process in Uzbekistan. The government affords Islam in special status and declared it as a national heritage and a moral guideline.[130]

Judaism edit

See also: Jewish state
  •   Israel: Although is defined in several of its laws as a "Jewish and democratic state" (medina yehudit ve-demokratit). However, the term "Jewish" is a polyseme that can describe the Jewish people as either an ethnic or a religious group. The debate about the meaning of the term "Jewish" and its legal and social applications is one of the most profound issues with which Israeli society deals. The problem of the status of religion in Israel, even though it is relevant to all religions, usually refers to the status of Judaism in Israeli society. Thus, even though from a constitutional point of view Judaism is not the state religion in Israel, its status nevertheless determines relations between religion and state and the extent to which religion influences the political center.[131] The Law of Return, was passed on 5 July 1950, gives the global diaspora Jews, the right to relocate to Israel and acquire Israeli citizenship. Section - (1) of that law declares that "Every Jew has the right to come to this country as an Oleh, "(Immigrant)". In the Law of Return, the State of Israel gave effect to the Zionist movement's "credo" which called for the establishment of Israel as a Sovereign Jewish state with Democratic setups, ideals and values.[132]

The State of Israel supports religious institutions, particularly Orthodox Jewish ones, and recognizes the "religious communities" as carried over from those recognized under the British Mandate—in turn derived from the pre-1917 Ottoman system of millets. These are Jewish and Christian (Eastern Orthodox, Latin Catholic, Gregorian-Armenian, Armenian-Catholic, Syriac Catholic, Chaldean, Melkite Catholic, Maronite Catholic, and Syriac Orthodox). The fact that the Muslim population was not defined as a religious community does not affect the rights of the Muslim community to practice their faith. At the end of the period covered by the 2009 U.S. International Religious Freedom Report, several of these denominations were pending official government recognition; however, the Government has allowed adherents of not officially recognized groups the freedom to practice. In 1961, legislation gave Muslim Shari'a courts exclusive jurisdiction in matters of personal status. Three additional religious communities have subsequently been recognized by Israeli law: the Druze (prior under Islamic jurisdiction), the Evangelical Episcopal Church, and followers of the Baháʼí Faith.[133]

Political religions edit

In some countries, there is a political ideology sponsored by the government that may be called political religion.[134]

Multiple religion recognition edit

Islam in Russia is recognized under the law and by Russian political leaders as one of Russia's traditional religions, Islam is a part of Russian historical heritage, and is subsidized by the Russian government.[154] The position of Islam as a major Russian religion, alongside Orthodox Christianity, dates from the time of Catherine the Great, who sponsored Islamic clerics and scholarship through the Orenburg Assembly.[155]

In addition, the Treaty of Lausanne explicitly guarantees the security and protection of both Greek and Armenian Orthodox Christian minorities and the Turkish-Jews. Their religious institutions are being recognized officially by the state.[163][164]

  •   Vietnam is officially atheist[165] (although sometimes also referred as atheist-Buddhist),[166][167] but recognizes only 38 religious organizations and one dharma practice.[168]

Former state religions edit

See also: Secular state

Roman religion and Christianity edit

Main articles: Roman imperial cult and Christianity as the Roman state religion

In Rome, the office of Pontifex Maximus came to be reserved for the Emperor, who was occasionally 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.[citation needed]

In 311, Emperor Galerius, on his deathbed, declared a religious indulgence to Christians throughout the Roman Empire, focusing on the ending of anti-Christian persecution. Constantine I and Licinius, the two Augusti, by the Edict of Milan of 313, enacted a law allowing religious freedom to everyone within the Roman Empire. Furthermore, the Edict of Milan cited that Christians may openly practice their religion unmolested and unrestricted, and provided that properties taken from Christians be returned to them unconditionally. Although the Edict of Milan allowed religious freedom throughout the Empire, it did not abolish nor disestablish the Roman state cult (Roman polytheistic paganism). The Edict of Milan was written in such a way as to implore the blessings of the deity.[citation needed]

Constantine called up the First Council of Nicaea in 325, although he was not a baptized Christian until years later. Despite enjoying considerable popular support, Christianity was still not the official state religion in Rome, although it was in some neighboring states such as Armenia, Iberia, and Aksum.[citation needed]

Roman religion (Neoplatonic Hellenism) was restored for a time by the Emperor Julian from 361 to 363. Julian does not appear to have reinstated the persecutions of the earlier Roman emperors.[citation needed]

Catholic Christianity, as opposed to Arianism and other ideologies deemed heretical, was declared to be the state religion of the Roman Empire on 27 February 380[169] by the decree De fide catolica of Emperor Theodosius I.[170]

Han dynasty Confucianism edit

In China, the Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE) advocated Confucianism as the de facto state religion, establishing tests based on Confucian texts as an entrance requirement into government service—although, in fact, the "Confucianism" advocated by the Han emperors may be more properly termed a sort of Confucian Legalism or "State Confucianism". This sort of Confucianism continued to be regarded by the emperors, with a few notable exceptions, as a form of state religion from this time until the collapse of the Chinese monarchy in 1912. Note, however, there is a debate over whether Confucianism (including Neo-Confucianism) is a religion or purely a philosophical system.[171]

Yuan dynasty Buddhism edit

During the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty of China (1271–1368 CE), Tibetan Buddhism was established as the de facto state religion by the Kublai Khan, the founder of the Yuan dynasty. The top-level department and government agency known as the Bureau of Buddhist and Tibetan Affairs (Xuanzheng Yuan) was set up in Khanbaliq (modern Beijing) to supervise Buddhist monks throughout the empire. Since Kublai Khan only esteemed the Sakya sect of Tibetan Buddhism, other religions became less important. Before the end of the Yuan dynasty, 14 leaders of the Sakya sect had held the post of Imperial Preceptor (Dishi), thereby enjoying special power.[172]

Golden Horde and Ilkhanate edit

The Mongol rulers Ghazan of Ilkhanate and Uzbeg of Golden Horde converted to Islam in 1295 CE because of the Muslim Mongol emir Nawruz and in 1313 CE because of Sufi Bukharan sayyid and sheikh Ibn Abdul Hamid respectively. Their official favoring of Islam as the state religion coincided with a marked attempt to bring the regime closer to the non-Mongol majority of the regions they ruled. In Ilkhanate, Christian and Jewish subjects lost their equal status with Muslims and again had to pay the poll tax; Buddhists had the starker choice of conversion or expulsion.[173]

Former state churches in British North America edit

Main article: Separation of church and state in the United States § State churches in British North America prior to the Revolution

Other states edit

Established churches and former state churches edit

Country Church Denomination Disestablished
Anhalt Evangelical State Church of Anhalt united Protestant 1918
Armenia Armenian Apostolic Church Oriental Orthodox 1921
Austria Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1918
Baden Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1918
United Evangelical Protestant State Church of Baden united Protestant 1918
Bavaria Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1918
Protestant State Church in the Kingdom of Bavaria right of the Rhine Lutheran and Reformed 1918
United Protestant Evangelical Christian Church of the Palatinate united Protestant 1918
Barbados Church of England Anglican 1968
Bolivia Roman Catholic Church Catholic 2009
Brazil[d] Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1890
Brunswick Evangelical Lutheran State Church in Brunswick Lutheran 1918
Bulgaria Bulgarian Orthodox Church Eastern Orthodox 1946
Central African Empire Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1979
Chile Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1925
Colombia Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1936[187]
Cuba Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1902
Cyprus Church of Cyprus Eastern Orthodox 1977, following the death of the Ethnarch Makarios III
Czechoslovakia Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1920
Denmark Church of Denmark Lutheran Current
England Church of England Anglican Current
Ethiopia Ethiopian Orthodox Church Oriental Orthodox 1974
Faroe Islands Church of the Faroe Islands Lutheran Elevated from a diocese of the Church of Denmark in 2007 (the two remain in close cooperation)
Finland Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland Lutheran 1867
Finnish Orthodox Church Eastern Orthodox 1917
France Cult of Reason N/A 1794 (established 1793)
Cult of the Supreme Being N/A 1794, officially banned in 1802
Roman Catholic Church[e] Catholic 1905
Georgia Georgian Orthodox Church Eastern Orthodox 1921
Greece Church of Greece Eastern Orthodox[67] The Church of Greece is recognized by the Greek Constitution as the "prevailing religion" in Greece.[67] However, this provision does not give official status to the Church of Greece, while all other religions are recognized as equal and may be practiced freely.[70]
Greenland Church of Denmark Lutheran Under discussion to be elevated from The Diocese of Greenland in the Church of Denmark to a state church for Greenland, along‐the‐lines the Faroese Church took in 2007
Guatemala Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1871
Haiti Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1987
Hawaii Church of Hawaii Anglican 1893
Hesse Evangelical Church in Hesse united Protestant 1918
Hungary[f] Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1946
Iceland Lutheran Evangelical Church Lutheran Current
Ireland[g] Church of Ireland Anglican 1871
Italy Roman Catholic Church Catholic 18 February 1984 (into force 25 April 1985[194])
Liechtenstein Roman Catholic Church[51] Catholic Current
Lippe Church of Lippe Reformed 1918
Lithuania Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1940
Lübeck Evangelical Lutheran Church in the State of Lübeck Lutheran 1918
Luxembourg Roman Catholic Church Catholic Not an official state church[195]
Malta Roman Catholic Church Catholic Current
Mecklenburg-Schwerin Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Lutheran 1918
Mecklenburg-Strelitz Mecklenburg-Strelitz State Church Lutheran 1918
Mexico Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1857 (reestablished between 1864 and 1867)
Monaco Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1999 (reestablished again in 2020–present).
Netherlands Dutch Reformed Church Reformed 1795
Nicaragua Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1939[196]
North Macedonia Macedonian Orthodox Church Eastern Orthodox 1921
Norway Church of Norway Lutheran As of 2012 the Constitution of Norway no longer names Lutheranism as the official religion of the state and in 2017 the church became an independent legal entity,[197][198][199] but article 16 says that "The Church of Norway [...] will remain the National Church of Norway and will as such be supported by the State."[200] As of 1 January 2017 the Church of Norway is a legal entity independent of the state.[197][201]
Oldenburg Evangelical Lutheran Church of Oldenburg Lutheran 1918
Panama Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1904
Paraguay Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1992[202]
Peru Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1993
Philippines[h] Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1898
Poland[i] Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1947
Portugal[j] Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1910, 1976
Prussia
pre 1866 provinces		 Evangelical State Church of Prussia's older Provinces with nine ecclesiastical provinces united Protestant 1918
Prussia
Province of Hanover		 Evangelical Reformed State Church of the Province of Hanover Reformed 1918
Prussia
Province of Hanover		 Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Hanover Lutheran 1918
Prussia
Province of Hesse-Nassau (partially)		 Evangelical State Church of Frankfurt upon Main united Protestant 1918
Prussia
Province of Hesse-Nassau (partially)		 Evangelical Church of Electoral Hesse united Protestant 1918
Prussia
Province of Hesse-Nassau (partially)		 Evangelical State Church in Nassau united Protestant 1918
Prussia
Province of Schleswig-Holstein		 Evangelical Lutheran Church of Schleswig-Holstein Lutheran 1918
Romania Romanian Orthodox Church Eastern Orthodox 1947
Russia Russian Orthodox Church Eastern Orthodox 1917
Saxony Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Saxony Lutheran 1918
Schaumburg-Lippe Evangelical State Church of Schaumburg-Lippe Lutheran 1918
Scotland[203] Church of Scotland Presbyterian Remains the national church; state control disclaimed since 1638. Formally recognised as not an established church by the Church of Scotland Act 1921.
Serbia Serbian Orthodox Church Eastern Orthodox 1920
Spain Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1978
Sweden Church of Sweden Lutheran 2000
Thuringia church bodies in principalities which merged in Thuringia in 1920 Lutheran 1918
Tuvalu Church of Tuvalu Reformed Current
Uruguay Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1918 (into effect in 1919)
United States[k] none since 1776, which was made explicit in the Bill of Rights in 1792 none n/a; some state legislatures required all citizens in those states to be members of a church, and some had official churches, such as Congregationalism in some New England states such as Massachusetts. This eventually ended in 1833 when Massachusetts was the last state to disestablish its church.
Waldeck Evangelical State Church of Waldeck and Pyrmont united Protestants 1918
Wales[l] Church of England Anglican 1920
Württemberg Evangelical State Church in Württemberg Lutheran 1918

Former confessional states edit

Note: This only includes states that abolished their state religion themselves, not states with a state religion that were conquered, fell apart or otherwise disappeared.

Buddhism edit

Hinduism edit

Country Disestablished
Nepal 2008 (de facto)[209]
2015 (de jure)[209]

Islam edit

Shamanism edit

Country Denomination Disestablished
Silla Korean Shamanism 527 CE

Shinto edit

Country Denomination Disestablished
Japan State Shinto 1947 (de facto)[212]

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ Bhutan,[1] Mauritania,[2] Western Sahara (via Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic[3] and Morocco,[4] which divide control), Morocco,[4] Tunisia,[5] Egypt,[6] England,[7] Jordan,[8] Iraq,[9] Pakistan,[10] Bangladesh,[11] United Arab Emirates,[12] Oman,[13] Yemen,[14] Maldives,[15] Iran,[16] Algeria,[17] Saudi Arabia,[18] Sri Lanka,[19] Afghanistan,[20] Somalia,[21] Malaysia,[22] Brunei,[23] Greece,[24] Denmark,[25] Costa Rica,[26] Zambia.[27] See also here.
  2. ^ The headship was administrative and jurisdictional but did not include the potestas ordinis (the right to preach, ordain, administer the sacraments and rites of the Church which were reserved to the clergy).[30]
  3. ^ The Constitution also states that "Any matter relating to divorce, judicial separation or restitution of conjugal rights or to family relations of the members of the Greek-Orthodox Church, shall be cognizable by family courts each of which is composed: For a divorce trial, of three judges, one of which is a lawyer ecclesiastical officer appointed by the Greek Orthodox Church and presides over the Court and the other two of high professional and moral standard belonging to the Greek Orthodox Church are appointed by the Supreme Court among lawyers. If no ecclesiastical officer is appointed as above, the Supreme Court appoints the President of the Court as well."[72]
  4. ^ Brazilian Laws – the Federal Constitution – The Organization of State. V-brazil.com. Retrieved 5 May 2012. Brazil had Roman Catholicism as the state religion from the country's independence, in 1822, until the fall of the Brazilian Empire. The new Republican government passed, in 1890, Decree 119-A "Decreto 119-A". Prohibits federal and state authorities to intervene on religion, granting freedom of religion. (still in force), instituting the separation of church and state for the first time in Brazilian law. Positivist thinker Demétrio Nunes Ribeiro urged the new government to adopt this stance. The 1891 Constitution, the first under the Republican system of government, abolished privileges for any specific religion, reaffirming the separation of church and state. This has been the case ever since the 1988 Constitution of Brazil, currently in force, does so in its Nineteenth Article. The Preamble to the Constitution does refer to "God's protection" over the document's promulgation, but this is not legally taken as endorsement of belief in any deity.
  5. ^ In France the Concordat of 1801 made the Roman Catholic, Calvinist, Lutheran churches and Judaism state-sponsored religions until 1905 French law on the Separation of the Churches and the State.
  6. ^ In Hungary the constitutional laws of 1848 declared five established churches on equal status: the Roman Catholic, Calvinist, Lutheran, Eastern Orthodox and Unitarian Church. In 1868 the law was ratified again after the Ausgleich. In 1895 Judaism was also recognized as the sixth established church. In 1948 every distinction between the different denominations were abolished.[188][189]
  7. ^ In the Kingdom of Ireland the Church of Ireland was established in the Reformation.[190] The Act of Union 1800 created the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland with the United Church of England and Ireland established outside Scotland. The Irish Church Act 1869 demerged and disestablished the Church of Ireland,[190] and the island was partitioned in 1922. The Republic of Ireland's 1937 constitution prohibits an established religion.[191] Originally, it recognized the "special position" of the Roman Catholic Church "as the guardian of the Faith professed by the great majority of the citizens", and recognized "the Church of Ireland, the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, the Methodist Church in Ireland, the Religious Society of Friends in Ireland, as well as the Jewish Congregations and the other religious denominations existing in Ireland at the date of the coming into operation of this Constitution".[192] These provisions were deleted in 1973.[193]
  8. ^ The Philippines was among several possessions ceded by Spain to the United States in 1898; religious freedom was subsequently guaranteed in the archipelago. This was codified in the Philippine Organic Act (1902), section 5: "... That no law shall be made respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, and that the free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without discrimination or preference, shall forever be allowed." A similarly-worded provision still exists in the present Constitution. Catholicism remains the predominant religion, wielding considerable political and cultural influence.
  9. ^ Article 25 of the constitution states: "1. Churches and other religious organizations shall have equal rights. 2. Public authorities in the Republic of Poland shall be impartial in matters of personal conviction". Article 114 of the Polish March Constitution of 1921 declared the Roman Catholic Church to hold "the principal position among religious denominations equal before the law" (in reference to the idea of first among equals). The article was continued in force by article 81 of the April Constitution of 1935. The Soviet-backed PKWN Manifesto of 1944 reintroduced the March Constitution, which remained in force until it was replaced by the Small Constitution of 1947.
  10. ^ Until 1910 Roman Catholic Church was considered as state religion. Between 1951 and 1976 Catholic religion was considered as religion of the Portuguese Nation.[citation needed]
  11. ^ The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution explicitly forbids the federal government from enacting any law respecting a religious establishment, and thus forbids either designating an official church for the United States, or interfering with State and local official churches—which were common when the First Amendment was enacted. It did not prevent state governments from establishing official churches. Connecticut continued to do so until it replaced its colonial Charter with the Connecticut Constitution of 1818; Massachusetts retained an establishment of religion in general until 1833.[204] Until its substitution by Article of Amendment XI in 1834, Article III of the Massachusetts constitution's bill of rights provided, "... the legislature shall, from time to time, authorize and require, the several towns, parishes, precincts, and other bodies politic, or religious societies, to make suitable provision, at their own expense, for the institution of the public worship of God, and for the support and maintenance of public Protestant teachers of piety, religion and morality, in all cases where such provision shall not be made voluntarily."[205] The Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1868, makes no mention of religious establishment, but forbids the states to "abridge the privileges or immunities" of U.S. citizens, or to "deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law". In the 1947 case of Everson v. Board of Education, the United States Supreme Court held that this later provision incorporates the First Amendment's Establishment Clause as applying to the States, and thereby prohibits state and local religious establishments. The exact boundaries of this prohibition are still disputed, and are a frequent source of cases before the U.S. Supreme Court—especially as the Court must now balance, on a state level, the First Amendment prohibitions on government establishment of official religions with the First Amendment prohibitions on government interference with the free exercise of religion. See school prayer for such a controversy in contemporary American politics. All current State constitutions do mention a Creator, but include guarantees of religious liberty parallel to the First Amendment. The constitutions of eight states (Arkansas, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas) also contain clauses that prohibit atheists from holding public office.[206][207] However, these clauses were held by the U.S. Supreme Court to be unenforceable in the 1961 case of Torcaso v. Watkins, where the court ruled unanimously that such clauses constituted a religious test incompatible with the religious test prohibition in Article 6 Section 3 of the United States Constitution. The Church of Hawaii was the state church of Hawaii from 1862–1893.
  12. ^ The Church in Wales was split from the Church of England in 1920, by Welsh Church Act 1914; at the same time becoming disestablished.
  13. ^ The Turkish Constitution of 1924 was amended for the first time on 10 April 1928, including removing inter alia Article 2 and the provision of "Religion of the Turkish state is Islam".[211]

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Further reading edit

  • Rowlands, John Henry Lewis (1989). Church, State, and Society, 1827–1845: the Attitudes of John Keble, Richard Hurrell Froude, and John Henry Newman. Worthing, Eng.: P. Smith [of] Churchman Publishing; Folkestone, Eng.: distr. ... by Bailey Book Distribution. ISBN 1850931321

External links edit

  • McConnell, Michael W. (April 2003). . William and Mary Law Review. 44 (5): 2105. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011.

January 01, 1970
state, religion, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, november, . This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources State religion news newspapers books scholar JSTOR November 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message A state religion also called official religion is a religion or creed officially endorsed by a sovereign state A state with an official religion also known as confessional state while not a secular state is not necessarily a theocracy State religions are official or government sanctioned establishments of a religion but the state does not need to be under the control of the clergy as in a theocracy nor is the state sanctioned religion necessarily under the control of the state Confessional states a Christianity unspecified doctrines Roman Catholicism Eastern Orthodoxy Protestantism Islam unspecified doctrines Sunni Islam Shi a Islam Buddhism Official religions have been known throughout human history in almost all types of cultures reaching into the Ancient Near East and prehistory The relation of religious cult and the state was discussed by the ancient Latin scholar Marcus Terentius Varro under the term of theologia civilis lit civic theology The first state sponsored Christian church was the Armenian Apostolic Church established in 301 CE 28 In Christianity as the term church is typically applied to a place of worship for Christians or organizations incorporating such ones the term state church is associated with Christianity as sanctioned by the government historically the state church of the Roman Empire in the last centuries of the Empire s existence and is sometimes used to denote a specific modern national branch of Christianity Closely related to state churches are ecclesiae which are similar but carry a more minor connotation In the Middle East the majority of states with a predominantly Muslim population have Islam as their official religion though the degree of religious restrictions on citizens everyday lives varies by country Rulers of Saudi Arabia use religious power while Iran s secular presidents are supposed to follow the decisions of religious authorities since the 1979 Islamic Revolution Turkey which also has Muslim majority population became a secular country after Ataturk s Reforms although unlike the Russian Revolution of the same time period it did not result in the adoption of state atheism The degree to which an official national religion is imposed upon citizens by the state in contemporary society varies considerably from high as in Saudi Arabia and Iran to none at all as in Greenland Denmark England Iceland and Greece in Europe the state religion might be called in English the established church Contents 1 Types 1 1 State churches 1 2 Disestablishment 2 Current states with a state religion 2 1 Buddhism 2 2 Christianity 2 2 1 Non denominational Christianity 2 2 2 Catholicism 2 2 3 Eastern Orthodoxy 2 2 4 Protestantism 2 2 5 The Commonwealth 2 2 5 1 Anglicanism 2 2 5 2 Calvinism 2 2 6 Nordic Countries 2 2 6 1 Lutheranism 2 2 7 Other mixed 2 3 Islam 2 4 Judaism 2 5 Political religions 2 6 Multiple religion recognition 3 Former state religions 3 1 Roman religion and Christianity 3 2 Han dynasty Confucianism 3 3 Yuan dynasty Buddhism 3 4 Golden Horde and Ilkhanate 3 5 Former state churches in British North America 3 6 Other states 4 Established churches and former state churches 5 Former confessional states 5 1 Buddhism 5 2 Hinduism 5 3 Islam 5 4 Shamanism 5 5 Shinto 6 See also 7 Notes 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External linksTypes editThe degree and nature of state backing for denomination or creed designated as a state religion can vary It can range from mere endorsement with or without 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 29 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 in 1555 In England Henry VIII broke with Rome in 1534 being declared the Supreme Head of the Church of England b the official religion of England continued to be Catholicism without the Pope until after his death in 1547 31 In some cases an administrative region may sponsor and fund a set of religious denominations such is the case in Alsace Moselle in France under its local law following the pre 1905 French concordatory legal system and patterns in Germany 32 State churches edit nbsp Westminster Abbey is responsible directly to the British monarch The Church of England is the established church in England A state church or established church is a state religion established by a state for use exclusively by that state In the case of a state church the state has absolute control over the church but in the case of a state religion the church is ruled by an exterior body for example in the case of Catholicism the Vatican has control over the church As of 2024 there are only five state churches left 33 Disestablishment edit Further information Secular state Disestablishment is the process of repealing a church s status as an organ of the state In a state where an established church is in place opposition to such a move may be described as antidisestablishmentarianism This word is however most usually associated with the debate on the position of the Anglican churches in the British Isles the Church of Ireland disestablished in 1871 the Church in Wales disestablished in 1920 and the Church of England itself which remains established in England citation needed Current states with a state religion editBuddhism edit Governments where Buddhism either a specific form of it or Buddhism as a whole has been established as an official religion nbsp Bhutan The Constitution defines Buddhism as the spiritual heritage of Bhutan The Constitution of Bhutan is based on Buddhist philosophy 34 It also mandates that the Druk Gyalpo King should appoint the Je Khenpo and Dratshang Lhentshog The Commission for Monastic Affairs 35 nbsp Cambodia The Constitution declared Buddhism as the official religion of the country 36 About 98 of Cambodia s population is Buddhist 37 nbsp Myanmar Section 361 of the Constitution states that The Union recognizes special position of Buddhism as the faith professed by the great majority of the citizens of the Union 38 The 1961 State Religion Promotion and Support Act requires to teach Buddhist lessons in schools to give priority to Buddhist monasteries in founding of primary schools to make Uposatha days holidays during Vassa months to broadcast Buddhist sermons by State media on Uposatha days and other promotion and supports for Buddhism as State Religion 39 nbsp Sri Lanka The constitution of Sri Lanka states under Chapter II Article 9 The Republic of Sri Lanka declares Buddhism as the state religion and accordingly it shall be the duty of the Head of State and Head of Government to protect and foster the Buddha Sasana 40 In some countries Buddhism is not recognized as a state religion but holds special status nbsp Thailand Article 67 of the Thai constitution The State should support and protect Buddhism In supporting and protecting Buddhism the State should promote and support education and dissemination of dharmic principles of Theravada Buddhism and shall have measures and mechanisms to prevent Buddhism from being undermined in any form The State should also encourage Buddhists to participate in implementing such measures or mechanisms 41 nbsp Laos According to the Lao Constitution Buddhism is given special privilege in the country The state respects and protects all the lawful activities of Buddhism 42 nbsp Kalmykia Russia The local Government supports Buddhism and also encourages Buddhist teachings and traditions It also builds various Buddhist temples and sites Various efforts are taken by the Government for the revival of Buddhism in the republic 43 44 45 Christianity edit Main articles Christian state Christian republic Christianity and politics Christian democracy Christian nationalism and Christendom The following states recognize some form of Christianity as their state or official religion or recognize a special status for it by denomination Non denominational Christianity edit nbsp Samoa In June 2017 Parliament voted to amend the wording of Article 1 of the constitution thereby making Christianity the state religion Part 1 Section 1 3 reads Samoa is a Christian nation founded on God the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit The status of the religion had previously only been mentioned in the preamble which Prime Minister Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi considered legally inadequate 46 47 nbsp Zambia The preamble to the Zambian Constitution of 1991 declares Zambia to be a Christian nation while also guaranteeing freedom of religion 48 Catholicism edit Jurisdictions where Catholicism has been established as a state or official religion nbsp Costa Rica Article 75 of the Constitution of Costa Rica confirms that The Catholic and Apostolic Religion is the religion of the State which contributes to its maintenance without preventing the free exercise in the Republic of other forms of worship that are not opposed to universal morality or good customs 49 nbsp Holy See It is an elective theocratic or sacerdotal absolute monarchy ruled by the Pope who is also the Vicar of Christ 50 The highest state functionaries are all Catholic clergy of various national origins It is the sovereign territory of the Holy See Latin Sancta Sedes and the location of the Pope s official residence referred to as the Apostolic Palace nbsp Liechtenstein The Constitution of Liechtenstein describes the Catholic Church as the state religion and enjoying the full protection of the State The constitution does however ensure that people of other faiths shall be entitled to practice their creeds and to hold religious services to the extent consistent with morality and public order 51 nbsp Malta Article 2 of the Constitution of Malta declares that the religion of Malta is the Catholic and Apostolic Religion 52 nbsp Monaco Article 9 of the Constitution of Monaco describes the Catholic and apostolic religion as the religion of the state 53 Jurisdictions that give various degrees of recognition in their constitutions to Roman Catholicism without establishing it as the State religion nbsp Andorra 54 nbsp Argentina Article 2 of the Constitution of Argentina explicitly states that the government supports the Roman Catholic Apostolic Faith but the constitution does not establish a state religion 55 Before its 1994 amendment the Constitution stated that the President of the Republic must be a Roman Catholic nbsp East Timor While the Constitution of East Timor enshrines the principles of freedom of religion and separation of church and state in Section 45 Comma 1 it also acknowledges the participation of the Catholic Church in the process of national liberation in its preamble although this has no legal value 56 nbsp El Salvador Although Article 3 of the Constitution of El Salvador states that no restrictions shall be established that are based on differences of nationality race sex or religion Article 26 states that the state recognizes the Catholic Church and gives it legal preference 57 58 nbsp Guatemala The Constitution of Guatemala recognises the juridical personality of the Catholic Church Other churches cults entities and associations of religious character will obtain the recognition of their juridical personality in accordance with the rules of their institution 59 nbsp Italy The Constitution of Italy does not establish a state religion but recognizes the state and the Catholic Church as independent and sovereign each within its own sphere 60 The Constitution additionally reserves to the Catholic faith singular position in regard to the organization of worship as opposed to all other confessions 61 nbsp Panama The Constitution of Panama recognizes Catholicism as the religion of the majority of citizens but does not designate it as the official state religion 62 nbsp Paraguay The Constitution of Paraguay recognizes the Catholic Church s role in the nation s historical and cultural formation 63 nbsp Peru The Constitution of Peru recognizes the Catholic Church as an important element in the historical cultural and moral formation of Peru and lends it its cooperation 64 nbsp Poland The Constitution of Poland states that The relations between the Republic of Poland and the Roman Catholic Church shall be determined by international treaty concluded with the Holy See and by statute 65 nbsp Spain The Constitution of Spain of 1978 abolished Catholicism as the official state religion while recognizing the role it plays in Spanish society 66 Eastern Orthodoxy edit nbsp Greece The Church of Greece is recognized by the Greek Constitution as the prevailing religion in Greece 67 and is the only country in the world where Eastern Orthodoxy is clearly recognized as a state religion 68 69 However this provision does not give exclusivity of worship to the Church of Greece while all other religions are recognized as equal and may be practiced freely 70 The jurisdictions below give various degrees of recognition in their constitutions to Eastern Orthodoxy but without establishing it as the state religion nbsp Bulgaria In the Bulgarian Constitution Eastern Orthodoxy is recognized as the traditional religion of the Bulgarian people but the state itself remains secular 71 nbsp Cyprus The Constitution of Cyprus states The Autocephalous Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus shall continue to have the exclusive right of regulating and administering its own internal affairs and property in accordance with the Holy Canons and its Charter in force for the time being and the Greek Communal Chamber shall not act inconsistently with such right 72 c nbsp Finland Both the Finnish Orthodox Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland are national churches 73 74 nbsp Georgia The Georgian Orthodox Church has a constitutional agreement with the state the constitution recognizing the special role of the Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Georgia in the history of Georgia and its independence from the state 75 See also Concordat of 2002 Protestantism edit The following states recognize some form of Protestantism as their state or official religion The Commonwealth edit Anglicanism edit The Anglican Church of England is the established church in England as well as all three of the Crown Dependencies nbsp England The Church of England is the established church in England but not in the United Kingdom as a whole 76 It is the only established Anglican church worldwide The Anglican Church in Wales the Scottish Episcopal Church and the Church of Ireland are not established churches and they are independent of the Church of England The British monarch is the titular Supreme Governor of the Church of England The 26 most senior bishops in the Church of England are Lords Spiritual and have seats in the House of Lords of the Parliament of the United Kingdom nbsp Guernsey The Church of England is the established church in the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the leader of the Church of England in the territory is the Dean of Guernsey 77 nbsp Isle of Man The Church of England is the established church on the Isle of Man The Bishop of Sodor and Man is an ex officio member of the Legislative Council the upper house of Tynwald 78 nbsp Jersey The Church of England is the established church in Jersey and the leader of the church on the island is the Dean of Jersey a non voting member of the States of Jersey Calvinism edit nbsp Scotland The Church of Scotland is the national church but not the United Kingdom as a whole 79 Whilst it is the national church it is not State controlled and the monarch is not the supreme governor as in the Church of England 79 nbsp Tuvalu The Church of Tuvalu is the state religion although in practice this merely entitles it to the privilege of performing special services on major national events 80 The Constitution of Tuvalu guarantees freedom of religion including the freedom to practice the freedom to change religion the right not to receive religious instruction at school or to attend religious ceremonies at school and the right not to take an oath or make an affirmation that is contrary to his religion or belief 81 Nordic Countries edit Lutheranism edit Jurisdictions where a Lutheran church has been fully or partially established as a state recognized religion include the Nordic States nbsp Denmark Section 4 of the Constitution of Denmark confirms the Church of Denmark as the established church 82 nbsp Faroe Islands The Church of the Faroe Islands is the state church of the Faroe Islands an autonomous administrative division within the Danish Realm 83 nbsp Greenland The Church of Denmark is the state church of Greenland an autonomous administrative division within the Danish Realm 84 nbsp Iceland The Constitution of Iceland confirms the Church of Iceland as the state church of Iceland 85 nbsp Norway Until 2017 the Church of Norway was not a separate legal entity from the government It was disestablished and became a national church a legally distinct entity from the state with special constitutional status The King of Norway is required by the Constitution to be a member of the Church of Norway and the church is regulated by special canon law unlike other religions 86 Jurisdictions that give various degrees of recognition in their constitutions to Lutheranism without establishing it as the state religion nbsp Finland The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland has a special relationship with the Finnish state its internal structure being described in a special law the Church Act 73 The Church Act can be amended only by a decision of the synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and subsequent ratification by the Parliament of Finland The Church Act is protected by the Constitution of Finland and the state cannot change the Church Act without changing the constitution The church has the power to tax its members The state collects these taxes for the church for a fee On the other hand the church is required to give a burial place for everyone in its graveyards 73 The President of Finland also decides the themes for intercession days The church does not consider itself a state church as the Finnish state does not have the power to influence its internal workings or its theology although it has a veto in those changes of the internal structure which require changing the Church Act Neither does the Finnish state accord any precedence to Lutherans or the Lutheran faith in its own acts nbsp Sweden The Church of Sweden was the state church of Sweden between 1527 when King Gustav Vasa broke all ties with Rome and 2000 when the state officially became secular Much like in Finland it does have a special relation to the Swedish state unlike any other religious organizations For example there is a special law that regulates certain aspects of the church 87 and the members of the royal family are required to belong to it in order to have a claim to the line of succession A majority of the population still belongs to the Church of Sweden 88 Other mixed edit nbsp Armenia The Armenian Apostolic Church has a constitutional agreement with the State The Republic of Armenia shall recognise the exclusive mission of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church as a national church in the spiritual life of the Armenian people in the development of their national culture and preservation of their national identity 89 nbsp Dominican Republic The constitution of the Dominican Republic specifies that there is no state church and provides for freedom of religion and belief A concordat with the Holy See designates Catholicism as the official religion and extends special privileges to the Catholic Church not granted to other religious groups These include the legal recognition of church law use of public funds to underwrite some church expenses and complete exoneration from customs duties 90 nbsp Haiti While Catholicism has not been the state religion since 1987 a 19th century concordat with the Holy See continues to confer preferential treatment to the Catholic Church in the form of stipends for clergy and financial support to churches and religious schools The Catholic Church also retains the right to appoint certain amounts of clergy in Haiti without the government s consent 91 92 nbsp Hungary The preamble to the Hungarian Constitution of 2011 describes Hungary as part of Christian Europe and acknowledges the role of Christianity in preserving nationhood while Article VII provides that the State shall cooperate with the Churches for community goals However the constitution also guarantees freedom of religion and separation of church and state 93 nbsp Nicaragua The Nicaraguan Constitution of 1987 states that the country has no official religion but defines Christian values as one of the principles of the Nicaraguan nation 94 nbsp Portugal Although Church and State are formally separate the Catholic Church in Portugal still receives certain privileges 95 Islam edit Many Muslim majority countries have constitutionally established Islam or a specific form of it as a state religion Proselytism converting people away from Islam is often illegal in such states 96 97 98 99 nbsp Afghanistan Officially Afghanistan has continuously been an Islamic state under various constitutions since at least 1987 100 nbsp Algeria Islam shall be the religion of the State 101 102 nbsp Bangladesh Article 2A of the Constitution of Bangladesh declares Islam is the state religion of the republic 103 nbsp Bahrain The religion of the State is Islam 104 105 nbsp Brunei Article 3 of the Constitution of Brunei The official religion of Brunei Darussalam shall be the Islamic Religion 106 nbsp Djibouti Article 1 of the Constitution of Djibouti Islam is the Religion of the State 107 nbsp Egypt Article 2 of the Egyptian Constitution of 2014 Islam is the religion of the State 108 nbsp Iran Article 12 of the Constitution of Iran The official religion of Iran is Islam and the Twelver Ja fari school in usul al Din and fiqh and this principle will remain eternally immutable 109 Islam has been Iran s state religion since 1501 dating back to the Safavid dynasty and has continued ever since excluding the period of breaks in the Pahlavi dynasty nbsp Iraq Article 2 of the Constitution of Iraq Islam is the official religion of the State and is a foundation source of legislation 110 nbsp Jordan Article 2 of the Constitution of Jordan Islam is the religion of the State and Arabic is its official language 111 nbsp Kuwait Article 2 of the Constitution of Kuwait The religion of the State is Islam and Islamic Law shall be a main source of legislation 112 nbsp Libya Article 1 of the Libyan interim Constitutional Declaration Islam is the Religion of the State and the principal source of legislation is Islamic Jurisprudence Shari a 113 nbsp Malaysia Article 3 of the Federal Constitution of Malaysia Islam is the religion of the Federation but other religions may be practised in peace and harmony in any part of the Federation 114 nbsp Maldives Article 10 of the Maldives s Constitution of 2008 The religion of the State of the Maldives is Islam Islam shall be the one of the bases of all the laws of the Maldives 115 nbsp Mauritania Article 5 of the Constitution of Mauritania Islam is the religion of the people and of the State 116 nbsp Morocco Article 3 of the Constitution of Morocco Islam is the religion of the State which guarantees to all the free exercise of beliefs cultes 117 nbsp Oman Article 2 of the Constitution of Oman The religion of the State is Islam and Islamic Sharia is the basis for legislation 118 nbsp Pakistan Article 2 of the Constitution of Pakistan Islam shall be the State religion of Pakistan 119 nbsp Palestine Article 4 of the Basic Law of the State of Palestine Islam is the official religion in Palestine Respect and sanctity of all other heavenly religions shall be maintained 120 nbsp Qatar Article 1 of the Constitution of Qatar Qatar is an independent sovereign Arab State Its religion is Islam and Shari a law shall be a main source of its legislations 121 nbsp Saudi Arabia Article 1 of the Basic Law of Saudi Arabia The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a sovereign Arab Islamic State Its religion is Islam 122 nbsp Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic Article 2 of the Constitution of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic declares that Islam is the state religion and law origin 3 nbsp Somalia Article 2 of the Provisional Constitution of the Federal Republic of Somalia Islam is the religion of the State 123 nbsp United Arab Emirates Article 7 of the Constitution of the United Arab Emirates Islam shall be the official religion of the Union 124 nbsp Yemen Article 2 of the Constitution of Yemen Islam is the religion of the state and Arabic is its official language 125 In some countries Islam is not recognized as a state religion but holds special status nbsp Tajikistan Although there is a separation of religion from politics certain aspects of law also privilege Islam One such law declares Islam to be a traditional religion of Tajikistan with more rights and privileges given to Islamic organizations than to religious groups of non Muslim origin 126 nbsp Tunisia Article 5 of the Constitution declares that Tunisia is part of the Muslim world and the state alone must work to achieve the goals of pure Islam in preserving honourable life of religious freedom Although Islam has been given special privileges by the Constitution though it is no longer the state religion 127 128 nbsp Turkmenistan The Constitution claims to uphold a secular system in which religious and state institutions are separate However in Turkmenistan the state actively privileges a form of traditional Islam The culture including Islam is a key facet contributes to the Turkmen national identity The state encourages the conceptualization of Turkmen Islam 129 nbsp Uzbekistan Since independence Islam has taken on an altogether new role in the nation building process in Uzbekistan The government affords Islam in special status and declared it as a national heritage and a moral guideline 130 Judaism edit See also Jewish state nbsp Israel Although is defined in several of its laws as a Jewish and democratic state medina yehudit ve demokratit However the term Jewish is a polyseme that can describe the Jewish people as either an ethnic or a religious group The debate about the meaning of the term Jewish and its legal and social applications is one of the most profound issues with which Israeli society deals The problem of the status of religion in Israel even though it is relevant to all religions usually refers to the status of Judaism in Israeli society Thus even though from a constitutional point of view Judaism is not the state religion in Israel its status nevertheless determines relations between religion and state and the extent to which religion influences the political center 131 The Law of Return was passed on 5 July 1950 gives the global diaspora Jews the right to relocate to Israel and acquire Israeli citizenship Section 1 of that law declares that Every Jew has the right to come to this country as an Oleh Immigrant In the Law of Return the State of Israel gave effect to the Zionist movement s credo which called for the establishment of Israel as a Sovereign Jewish state with Democratic setups ideals and values 132 The State of Israel supports religious institutions particularly Orthodox Jewish ones and recognizes the religious communities as carried over from those recognized under the British Mandate in turn derived from the pre 1917 Ottoman system of millets These are Jewish and Christian Eastern Orthodox Latin Catholic Gregorian Armenian Armenian Catholic Syriac Catholic Chaldean Melkite Catholic Maronite Catholic and Syriac Orthodox The fact that the Muslim population was not defined as a religious community does not affect the rights of the Muslim community to practice their faith At the end of the period covered by the 2009 U S International Religious Freedom Report several of these denominations were pending official government recognition however the Government has allowed adherents of not officially recognized groups the freedom to practice In 1961 legislation gave Muslim Shari a courts exclusive jurisdiction in matters of personal status Three additional religious communities have subsequently been recognized by Israeli law the Druze prior under Islamic jurisdiction the Evangelical Episcopal Church and followers of the Bahaʼi Faith 133 Political religions edit In some countries there is a political ideology sponsored by the government that may be called political religion 134 Multiple religion recognition edit nbsp China The government of China officially espouses state atheism 135 and officially recognizes only five religions Buddhism Taoism Islam Christianity Catholicism and Protestantism 136 Despite limitations on certain forms of religious expression and assembly religion is not banned and religious freedom is nominally protected under the Chinese constitution Among the general Chinese population there are a wide variety of religious practices 137 The Chinese government s attitude to religion is one of skepticism and non promotion 137 138 139 140 nbsp France The local law in Alsace Moselle accords official status to four religions in this specific region of France Judaism Roman Catholicism Lutheranism and Calvinism The law is a remnant of the Napoleonic Concordat of 1801 which was abrogated in the rest of France by the law of 1905 on the separation of church and state However at the time Alsace Moselle had been annexed by Germany The Concordat therefore remained in force in these areas and it was not abrogated when France regained control of the region in 1918 Therefore the separation of church and state part of the French concept of Laicite does not apply in this region 141 nbsp Indonesia is officially a presidential republic and a unitary state that does not declare or designate a state religion Officially the government recognizes six religions Islam Protestantism Catholicism Buddhism Hinduism and Confucianism 142 as well as traditional and indigenous believes 143 Pancasila comes from the Jakarta Charter whose first article was changed from Divinity with the obligation to carry out Islamic law for its adherents to the One Divinity to respect other religions The Constitution of Indonesia guarantees freedom of religion and the practice of other religions and beliefs including traditional animistic beliefs Indonesians who are practicing other unrecognized religions such as Sikhs and Jains are often counted as Hindu while Indonesians practicing Orthodoxy are often counted as Christian for governmental purposes citation needed Atheism although not prosecuted is discouraged by the state ideology of Pancasila In addition the province of Aceh receives a special status and a higher degree of autonomy in which it may enact laws qanuns based on the Sharia and enforce it especially to its Muslim residents nbsp Lebanon There are 18 officially recognized religious groups in Lebanon each with its own family law legislation and set of religious courts 144 Under the terms of an agreement known as the National Pact between the various political and religious leaders of Lebanon the president of the country must be a Maronite the Prime Minister must be a Sunni and the Speaker of Parliament must be a Shia 145 nbsp Luxembourg is a secular state but the Grand Duchy recognizes and supports several denominations including the Catholic Church Greek Orthodox Russian Orthodox Romanian Orthodox Serbian Orthodox Anglican and some Protestantism denominations as well as to Jewish congregations 146 nbsp Nepal is a secular nation and secularism in Nepal under the interim constitution Part 1 Article 4 is defined as religious and cultural freedom along with the protection of religion and culture handed down from time immemorial That is the state government is bound for protecting and fostering Hindu religion while maintaining religious and cultural freedom throughout the nation as fundamental rights nbsp Russia Though a secular state under the constitution Russia is often said to have Russian Orthodoxy as the de facto national religion despite other minorities The Russian Orthodox Church is de facto privileged religion of the state claiming the right to decide which other religions or denominations are to be granted the right of registration 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 Islam in Russia is recognized under the law and by Russian political leaders as one of Russia s traditional religions Islam is a part of Russian historical heritage and is subsidized by the Russian government 154 The position of Islam as a major Russian religion alongside Orthodox Christianity dates from the time of Catherine the Great who sponsored Islamic clerics and scholarship through the Orenburg Assembly 155 nbsp Singapore is officially a secular country and does not have a state religion and has been named in one study as the most religiously diverse nation in the world with no religious group forming a majority 156 However the government gives official recognition to ten different religions namely Buddhism Christianity Islam Hinduism Taoism Sikhism Judaism Zoroastrianism Jainism and the Bahaʼi Faith 157 and Singapore s penal code explicitly prohibits wounding religious feelings The Jehovah s Witnesses and Unification Church are also banned in Singapore as the government deems them to be a threat to national security nbsp Switzerland is officially secular at the federal level but 24 of the 26 cantons support both the Swiss Reformed Church and the Roman Catholic Church in various ways nbsp Turkey The Republic of Turkey is officially a secular country None of the past and the latest constitutions recognizes an official religion nor promotes any 158 But the Directorate of Religious Affairs an official state institution established by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in 1924 159 expresses opinions only on religious matters regarding Sunni institutions 160 The directorate regulates the operation of the country s hundreds of thousands of registered mosques and employs local and provincial imams who are civil servants who are appointed and paid by the state 161 whilst other sects of Islam with a sizeable minority such as Alevism are not being regulated nor being funded by the directorate 162 In addition the Treaty of Lausanne explicitly guarantees the security and protection of both Greek and Armenian Orthodox Christian minorities and the Turkish Jews Their religious institutions are being recognized officially by the state 163 164 nbsp Vietnam is officially atheist 165 although sometimes also referred as atheist Buddhist 166 167 but recognizes only 38 religious organizations and one dharma practice 168 Former state religions editSee also Secular state Roman religion and Christianity edit Main articles Roman imperial cult and Christianity as the Roman state religion In Rome the office of Pontifex Maximus came to be reserved for the Emperor who was occasionally 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 citation needed In 311 Emperor Galerius on his deathbed declared a religious indulgence to Christians throughout the Roman Empire focusing on the ending of anti Christian persecution Constantine I and Licinius the two Augusti by the Edict of Milan of 313 enacted a law allowing religious freedom to everyone within the Roman Empire Furthermore the Edict of Milan cited that Christians may openly practice their religion unmolested and unrestricted and provided that properties taken from Christians be returned to them unconditionally Although the Edict of Milan allowed religious freedom throughout the Empire it did not abolish nor disestablish the Roman state cult Roman polytheistic paganism The Edict of Milan was written in such a way as to implore the blessings of the deity citation needed Constantine called up the First Council of Nicaea in 325 although he was not a baptized Christian until years later Despite enjoying considerable popular support Christianity was still not the official state religion in Rome although it was in some neighboring states such as Armenia Iberia and Aksum citation needed Roman religion Neoplatonic Hellenism was restored for a time by the Emperor Julian from 361 to 363 Julian does not appear to have reinstated the persecutions of the earlier Roman emperors citation needed Catholic Christianity as opposed to Arianism and other ideologies deemed heretical was declared to be the state religion of the Roman Empire on 27 February 380 169 by the decree De fide catolica of Emperor Theodosius I 170 Han dynasty Confucianism edit In China the Han dynasty 206 BCE 220 CE advocated Confucianism as the de facto state religion establishing tests based on Confucian texts as an entrance requirement into government service although in fact the Confucianism advocated by the Han emperors may be more properly termed a sort of Confucian Legalism or State Confucianism This sort of Confucianism continued to be regarded by the emperors with a few notable exceptions as a form of state religion from this time until the collapse of the Chinese monarchy in 1912 Note however there is a debate over whether Confucianism including Neo Confucianism is a religion or purely a philosophical system 171 Yuan dynasty Buddhism edit During the Mongol led Yuan dynasty of China 1271 1368 CE Tibetan Buddhism was established as the de facto state religion by the Kublai Khan the founder of the Yuan dynasty The top level department and government agency known as the Bureau of Buddhist and Tibetan Affairs Xuanzheng Yuan was set up in Khanbaliq modern Beijing to supervise Buddhist monks throughout the empire Since Kublai Khan only esteemed the Sakya sect of Tibetan Buddhism other religions became less important Before the end of the Yuan dynasty 14 leaders of the Sakya sect had held the post of Imperial Preceptor Dishi thereby enjoying special power 172 Golden Horde and Ilkhanate edit The Mongol rulers Ghazan of Ilkhanate and Uzbeg of Golden Horde converted to Islam in 1295 CE because of the Muslim Mongol emir Nawruz and in 1313 CE because of Sufi Bukharan sayyid and sheikh Ibn Abdul Hamid respectively Their official favoring of Islam as the state religion coincided with a marked attempt to bring the regime closer to the non Mongol majority of the regions they ruled In Ilkhanate Christian and Jewish subjects lost their equal status with Muslims and again had to pay the poll tax Buddhists had the starker choice of conversion or expulsion 173 Former state churches in British North America edit Main article Separation of church and state in the United States State churches in British North America prior to the Revolution Other states edit The State of Deseret was an unrecognised provisional state of the United States proposed in 1849 by Mormon settlers in Salt Lake City The provisional state existed for slightly over two years but attempts to gain recognition by the United States government floundered for various reasons The Utah Territory which was then founded was under Mormon control and repeated attempts to gain statehood met resistance in part due to concerns that the principle of separation of church and state conflicted with the practice of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints placing their highest value on following counsel in virtually all matters relating to their church centered lives The state of Utah was eventually admitted to the union on 4 January 1896 after the various issues had been resolved 174 nbsp Kingdom of Hawaii From 1862 to 1893 the Church of Hawaii an Anglican body was the official state and national church of the Kingdom of Hawaii citation needed nbsp Japanese Empire see details in the State Shintō article nbsp Netherlands Article 133 of the 1814 Constitution stipulated the Sovereign Prince should be a member of the Reformed Church this provision was dropped in the 1815 Constitution 175 The 1815 Constitution also provided for a state salary and pension for the priesthood of established religions at the time Protestantism Catholicism and Judaism This settlement nicknamed de zilveren koorde the silver cord was abolished in 1983 176 177 178 nbsp Nepal was the world s only Hindu state until 2015 when the new constitution declared it a secular state Proselytizing remains illegal 179 180 nbsp Ottoman Empire the Millet system Turkish millet Arabic م ل ة was the independent court of law pertaining to personal law under which a confessional community a group abiding by the laws of Muslim Sharia Christian Canon law or Jewish Halakha was allowed to rule itself under its own laws nbsp Spain Spain formelly is a catholic confesional state under Francisco Franco currently is a non confesional state nbsp Sudan had Islam as the official religion during the rule of Omar al Bashir according to the Constitution of Sudan of 2005 181 It was declared a secular state in September 2020 182 nbsp Tokugawa shogunate sanctioned Buddhism and Confucianism as the state religions 183 184 Buddhism became an arm of the shogunate and temples were used to resident registration Distinctive schools of Japanese Buddhism such as Zen Pure Land and Nichiren structured Japanese religious life until the 19th century 185 Confucian Zhu Xi s teaching became a major intellectual force and the Four Books became available to virtually every educated person 186 Established churches and former state churches editThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources State religion news newspapers books scholar JSTOR March 2023 Learn how and when to remove this template message Country Church Denomination Disestablished Anhalt Evangelical State Church of Anhalt united Protestant 1918 Armenia Armenian Apostolic Church Oriental Orthodox 1921 Austria Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1918 Baden Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1918 United Evangelical Protestant State Church of Baden united Protestant 1918 Bavaria Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1918 Protestant State Church in the Kingdom of Bavaria right of the Rhine Lutheran and Reformed 1918 United Protestant Evangelical Christian Church of the Palatinate united Protestant 1918 Barbados Church of England Anglican 1968 Bolivia Roman Catholic Church Catholic 2009 Brazil d Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1890 Brunswick Evangelical Lutheran State Church in Brunswick Lutheran 1918 Bulgaria Bulgarian Orthodox Church Eastern Orthodox 1946 Central African Empire Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1979 Chile Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1925 Colombia Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1936 187 Cuba Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1902 Cyprus Church of Cyprus Eastern Orthodox 1977 following the death of the Ethnarch Makarios III Czechoslovakia Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1920 Denmark Church of Denmark Lutheran Current England Church of England Anglican Current Ethiopia Ethiopian Orthodox Church Oriental Orthodox 1974 Faroe Islands Church of the Faroe Islands Lutheran Elevated from a diocese of the Church of Denmark in 2007 the two remain in close cooperation Finland Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland Lutheran 1867 Finnish Orthodox Church Eastern Orthodox 1917 France Cult of Reason N A 1794 established 1793 Cult of the Supreme Being N A 1794 officially banned in 1802 Roman Catholic Church e Catholic 1905 Georgia Georgian Orthodox Church Eastern Orthodox 1921 Greece Church of Greece Eastern Orthodox 67 The Church of Greece is recognized by the Greek Constitution as the prevailing religion in Greece 67 However this provision does not give official status to the Church of Greece while all other religions are recognized as equal and may be practiced freely 70 Greenland Church of Denmark Lutheran Under discussion to be elevated from The Diocese of Greenland in the Church of Denmark to a state church for Greenland along the lines the Faroese Church took in 2007 Guatemala Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1871 Haiti Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1987 Hawaii Church of Hawaii Anglican 1893 Hesse Evangelical Church in Hesse united Protestant 1918 Hungary f Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1946 Iceland Lutheran Evangelical Church Lutheran Current Ireland g Church of Ireland Anglican 1871 Italy Roman Catholic Church Catholic 18 February 1984 into force 25 April 1985 194 Liechtenstein Roman Catholic Church 51 Catholic Current Lippe Church of Lippe Reformed 1918 Lithuania Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1940 Lubeck Evangelical Lutheran Church in the State of Lubeck Lutheran 1918 Luxembourg Roman Catholic Church Catholic Not an official state church 195 Malta Roman Catholic Church Catholic Current Mecklenburg Schwerin Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Mecklenburg Schwerin Lutheran 1918 Mecklenburg Strelitz Mecklenburg Strelitz State Church Lutheran 1918 Mexico Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1857 reestablished between 1864 and 1867 Monaco Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1999 reestablished again in 2020 present Netherlands Dutch Reformed Church Reformed 1795 Nicaragua Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1939 196 North Macedonia Macedonian Orthodox Church Eastern Orthodox 1921 Norway Church of Norway Lutheran As of 2012 the Constitution of Norway no longer names Lutheranism as the official religion of the state and in 2017 the church became an independent legal entity 197 198 199 but article 16 says that The Church of Norway will remain the National Church of Norway and will as such be supported by the State 200 As of 1 January 2017 the Church of Norway is a legal entity independent of the state 197 201 Oldenburg Evangelical Lutheran Church of Oldenburg Lutheran 1918 Panama Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1904 Paraguay Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1992 202 Peru Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1993 Philippines h Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1898 Poland i Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1947 Portugal j Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1910 1976 Prussiapre 1866 provinces Evangelical State Church of Prussia s older Provinces with nine ecclesiastical provinces united Protestant 1918 PrussiaProvince of Hanover Evangelical Reformed State Church of the Province of Hanover Reformed 1918 Prussia Province of Hanover Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Hanover Lutheran 1918 Prussia Province of Hesse Nassau partially Evangelical State Church of Frankfurt upon Main united Protestant 1918 Prussia Province of Hesse Nassau partially Evangelical Church of Electoral Hesse united Protestant 1918 Prussia Province of Hesse Nassau partially Evangelical State Church in Nassau united Protestant 1918 Prussia Province of Schleswig Holstein Evangelical Lutheran Church of Schleswig Holstein Lutheran 1918 Romania Romanian Orthodox Church Eastern Orthodox 1947 Russia Russian Orthodox Church Eastern Orthodox 1917 Saxony Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Saxony Lutheran 1918 Schaumburg Lippe Evangelical State Church of Schaumburg Lippe Lutheran 1918 Scotland 203 Church of Scotland Presbyterian Remains the national church state control disclaimed since 1638 Formally recognised as not an established church by the Church of Scotland Act 1921 Serbia Serbian Orthodox Church Eastern Orthodox 1920 Spain Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1978 Sweden Church of Sweden Lutheran 2000 Thuringia church bodies in principalities which merged in Thuringia in 1920 Lutheran 1918 Tuvalu Church of Tuvalu Reformed Current Uruguay Roman Catholic Church Catholic 1918 into effect in 1919 United States k none since 1776 which was made explicit in the Bill of Rights in 1792 none n a some state legislatures required all citizens in those states to be members of a church and some had official churches such as Congregationalism in some New England states such as Massachusetts This eventually ended in 1833 when Massachusetts was the last state to disestablish its church Waldeck Evangelical State Church of Waldeck and Pyrmont united Protestants 1918 Wales l Church of England Anglican 1920 Wurttemberg Evangelical State Church in Wurttemberg Lutheran 1918Former confessional states editNote This only includes states that abolished their state religion themselves not states with a state religion that were conquered fell apart or otherwise disappeared Buddhism edit Country Denomination Disestablished Laos Theravada Buddhism 1975 208 Siam Theravada Buddhism 1932 Tokugawa Shogunate Japanese Buddhism 1868 Hinduism edit Country Disestablished Nepal 2008 de facto 209 2015 de jure 209 Islam edit Country Denomination Disestablished Sudan Sunni Islam 2020 210 Tunisia Sunni Islam 2022 127 Turkey Sunni Islam 1928 m Shamanism edit Country Denomination Disestablished Silla Korean Shamanism 527 CE Shinto edit Country Denomination Disestablished Japan State Shinto 1947 de facto 212 See also editBlasphemy law Ceremonial deism Church tax Civil religion Confessional state Divine rule Elite religion Institutional theory Major religious groups Nonsectarian Religious education Religious law Religious toleration Secular religion Secularism Secularity Secularization Separation of church and state Sociology of religion State atheism Status of religious freedom by country Secular stateNotes edit Bhutan 1 Mauritania 2 Western Sahara via Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic 3 and Morocco 4 which divide control Morocco 4 Tunisia 5 Egypt 6 England 7 Jordan 8 Iraq 9 Pakistan 10 Bangladesh 11 United Arab Emirates 12 Oman 13 Yemen 14 Maldives 15 Iran 16 Algeria 17 Saudi Arabia 18 Sri Lanka 19 Afghanistan 20 Somalia 21 Malaysia 22 Brunei 23 Greece 24 Denmark 25 Costa Rica 26 Zambia 27 See also here The headship was administrative and jurisdictional but did not include the potestas ordinis the right to preach ordain administer the sacraments and rites of the Church which were reserved to the clergy 30 The Constitution also states that Any matter relating to divorce judicial separation or restitution of conjugal rights or to family relations of the members of the Greek Orthodox Church shall be cognizable by family courts each of which is composed For a divorce trial of three judges one of which is a lawyer ecclesiastical officer appointed by the Greek Orthodox Church and presides over the Court and the other two of high professional and moral standard belonging to the Greek Orthodox Church are appointed by the Supreme Court among lawyers If no ecclesiastical officer is appointed as above the Supreme Court appoints the President of the Court as well 72 Brazilian Laws the Federal Constitution The Organization of State V brazil com Retrieved 5 May 2012 Brazil had Roman Catholicism as the state religion from the country s independence in 1822 until the fall of the Brazilian Empire The new Republican government passed in 1890 Decree 119 A Decreto 119 A Prohibits federal and state authorities to intervene on religion granting freedom of religion still in force instituting the separation of church and state for the first time in Brazilian law Positivist thinker Demetrio Nunes Ribeiro urged the new government to adopt this stance The 1891 Constitution the first under the Republican system of government abolished privileges for any specific religion reaffirming the separation of church and state This has been the case ever since the 1988 Constitution of Brazil currently in force does so in its Nineteenth Article The Preamble to the Constitution does refer to God s protection over the document s promulgation but this is not legally taken as endorsement of belief in any deity In France the Concordat of 1801 made the Roman Catholic Calvinist Lutheran churches and Judaism state sponsored religions until 1905 French law on the Separation of the Churches and the State In Hungary the constitutional laws of 1848 declared five established churches on equal status the Roman Catholic Calvinist Lutheran Eastern Orthodox and Unitarian Church In 1868 the law was ratified again after the Ausgleich In 1895 Judaism was also recognized as the sixth established church In 1948 every distinction between the different denominations were abolished 188 189 In the Kingdom of Ireland the Church of Ireland was established in the Reformation 190 The Act of Union 1800 created the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland with the United Church of England and Ireland established outside Scotland The Irish Church Act 1869 demerged and disestablished the Church of Ireland 190 and the island was partitioned in 1922 The Republic of Ireland s 1937 constitution prohibits an established religion 191 Originally it recognized the special position of the Roman Catholic Church as the guardian of the Faith professed by the great majority of the citizens and recognized the Church of Ireland the Presbyterian Church in Ireland the Methodist Church in Ireland the Religious Society of Friends in Ireland as well as the Jewish Congregations and the other religious denominations existing in Ireland at the date of the coming into operation of this Constitution 192 These provisions were deleted in 1973 193 The Philippines was among several possessions ceded by Spain to the United States in 1898 religious freedom was subsequently guaranteed in the archipelago This was codified in the Philippine Organic Act 1902 section 5 That no law shall be made respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof and that the free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship without discrimination or preference shall forever be allowed A similarly worded provision still exists in the present Constitution Catholicism remains the predominant religion wielding considerable political and cultural influence Article 25 of the constitution states 1 Churches and other religious organizations shall have equal rights 2 Public authorities in the Republic of Poland shall be impartial in matters of personal conviction Article 114 of the Polish March Constitution of 1921 declared the Roman Catholic Church to hold the principal position among religious denominations equal before the law in reference to the idea of first among equals The article was continued in force by article 81 of the April Constitution of 1935 The Soviet backed PKWN Manifesto of 1944 reintroduced the March Constitution which remained in force until it was replaced by the Small Constitution of 1947 Until 1910 Roman Catholic Church was considered as state religion Between 1951 and 1976 Catholic religion was considered as religion of the Portuguese Nation citation needed The First Amendment to the U S Constitution explicitly forbids the federal government from enacting any law respecting a religious establishment and thus forbids either designating an official church for the United States or interfering with State and local official churches which were common when the First Amendment was enacted It did not prevent state governments from establishing official churches Connecticut continued to do so until it replaced its colonial Charter with the Connecticut Constitution of 1818 Massachusetts retained an establishment of religion in general until 1833 204 Until its substitution by Article of Amendment XI in 1834 Article III of the Massachusetts constitution s bill of rights provided the legislature shall from time to time authorize and require the several towns parishes precincts and other bodies politic or religious societies to make suitable provision at their own expense for the institution of the public worship of God and for the support and maintenance of public Protestant teachers of piety religion and morality in all cases where such provision shall not be made voluntarily 205 The Fourteenth Amendment to the U S Constitution ratified in 1868 makes no mention of religious establishment but forbids the states to abridge the privileges or immunities of U S citizens or to deprive any person of life liberty or property without due process of law In the 1947 case of Everson v Board of Education the United States Supreme Court held that this later provision incorporates the First Amendment s Establishment Clause as applying to the States and thereby prohibits state and local religious establishments The exact boundaries of this prohibition are still disputed and are a frequent source of cases before the U S Supreme Court especially as the Court must now balance on a state level the First Amendment prohibitions on government establishment of official religions with the First Amendment prohibitions on government interference with the free exercise of religion See school prayer for such a controversy in contemporary American politics All current State constitutions do mention a Creator but include guarantees of religious liberty parallel to the First Amendment The constitutions of eight states Arkansas Maryland Mississippi North Carolina Pennsylvania South Carolina Tennessee and Texas also contain clauses that prohibit atheists from holding public office 206 207 However these clauses were held by the U S Supreme Court to be unenforceable in the 1961 case of Torcaso v Watkins where the court ruled unanimously that such clauses constituted a religious test incompatible with the religious test prohibition in Article 6 Section 3 of the United States Constitution The Church of Hawaii was the state church of Hawaii from 1862 1893 The Church in Wales was split from the Church of England in 1920 by Welsh Church Act 1914 at the same time becoming disestablished The Turkish Constitution of 1924 was amended for the first time on 10 April 1928 including removing inter alia Article 2 and the provision of Religion of the Turkish state is Islam 211 References edit The Inscrutable Guardian of Thunder and Silence the Dragon Druk in Himalayan Symbology Mauritania CIA World Factbook 22 November 2021 a b Shelley Toby 2004 Endgame in the Western Sahara What Future for Africa s Last Colony Zed Books p 174 ISBN 978 1 84277 341 3 a b Morocco CIA World Factbook 23 November 2021 Tunisia CIA World Factbook 24 November 2021 The 2012 Constitution of Egypt Nivien Saleh Translated by Nivien Saleh 9 February 2013 Article 2 Retrieved 2 January 2023 United Kingdom s Constitution of 1215 with Amandments through 2013 Jordan CIA World Factbook 24 November 2021 Iraq CIA World Factbook 22 November 2021 Pakistan CIA World Factbook 30 November 2021 Bangladesh CIA World Factbook 16 November 2021 United Arab Emirates CIA World Factbook 23 November 2021 Oman CIA World Factbook 30 November 2021 Yemen CIA World Factbook 24 November 2021 Maldives CIA World Factbook 23 November 2021 Iranian Constitution www servat unibe ch Article 12 Retrieved 2 January 2023 The official religion of Iran is Islam and the Twelver Ja fari school Algeria CIA World Factbook 18 November 2021 Basic Law of Governance Chapter one Article one saudiembassy net The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a sovereign Arab Islamic State Its religion is Islam Its constitution is Almighty God s Book The Holy Qur an and the Sunna Traditions of the Prophet PBUH Arabic is the language of the Kingdom The City of Riyadh is the capital Sri Lanka CIA World Factbook 3 October 2022 The Constitution of Afghanistan Chapter one Article two afghan web com Somalia CIA World Factbook 19 November 2021 Federal Constitution agc gov my International Business Publications USA 2007 Brunei Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu Izzaddin Waddaulah Handbook Int l Business Publications pp 133 ISBN 978 1 4330 0444 5 Greece CIA World Factbook 29 November 2021 Denmark CIA World Factbook 30 November 2021 Title VI Article 75 of The Constitution of Costa Rica costaricalaw com Zambia s Constitution of 1991 with Amendments through 2009 PDF CIA World Factbook The Journal of Ecclesiastical History p 268 by Cambridge University Press Gale Group C W Dugmore Shiffrin Steven H 26 August 2012 The Religious Left and Church State Relations Princeton University Press pp 160 161 ISBN 978 1 4008 3383 2 Bray Gerald Documents of the English Reformation James Clarke amp Cº 1994 p 114 Neill Stephen Anglicanism Penguin 1960 p 61 The concerned religious communities are the dioceses of Metz and of Strasbourg the Lutheran EPCAAL and the Reformed EPRAL and the three Israelite consistories in Colmar Metz and Strasbourg The Editors of the Encyclopedia Britannica Established church Encyclopedia Britannica Retrieved 5 January 2024 Background The Constitution of the Kingdom of Bhutan Archived from the original on 15 July 2010 Retrieved 28 January 2021 Draft of Tsa Thrim Chhenmo PDF constitution bt 1 August 2007 Archived from the original PDF on 27 November 2007 Retrieved 18 October 2007 Article 3 Spiritual Heritage Buddhism is the spiritual heritage of Bhutan which promotes the principles and values of peace non violence compassion and tolerance The Druk Gyalpo is the protector of all religions in Bhutan It shall be the responsibility of religious institutions and personalities to promote the spiritual heritage of the country while also ensuring that religion remains separate from politics in Bhutan Religious institutions and personalities shall remain above politics The Druk Gyalpo shall on the recommendation of the Five Lopons appoint a learned and respected monk ordained in accordance with the Druk lu blessed with the nine qualities of a spiritual master and accomplished in ked dzog as the Je Khenpo His Holiness the Je Khenpo shall on the recommendation of the Dratshang Lhentshog appoint monks blessed with the nine qualities of a spiritual master and accomplished in ked dzog as the Five Lopons The members of the Dratshang Lhentshog shall comprise a The Je Khenpo as Chairman b The Five Lopons of the Zhung Dratshang and c The Secretary of the Dratshang Lhentshog who is a civil servant The Zhung Dratshang and Rabdeys shall continue to receive adequate funds and other facilities from the State Bhutan s Constitution of 2008 PDF constituteproject org Retrieved 29 October 2017 Constitution of Cambodia cambodia org Retrieved 13 April 2011 Article 43 East Asia Southeast Asia Cambodia The World Factbook Central Intelligence Agency cia gov 24 November 2021 Constitution of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar 2008 Constitutional Tribunal of the Union Archived from the original on 3 February 2023 ၁၉၆၁ ခ န စ န င င တ ဘ သ သ သန ခ မ က ထ က ပ ရ အက ဥပဒ 1961 year State Religion Promotion and Support Act Constitutional Tribunal of the Union Law Library Archived from the original on 25 October 2022 Retrieved 25 October 2022 Sri Lanka Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand PDF ConstitutionNet Retrieved 29 October 2017 Section 67 The State should support and protect Buddhism In supporting and protecting Buddhism the State should promote and support education and dissemination of dharmic principles of Theravada Buddhism and shall have measures and mechanisms to prevent Buddhism from being undermined in any form The State should also encourage Buddhists to participate in implementing such measures or mechanisms Lao People s Democratic Republic s Constitution of 1991 with Amendments through 2003 PDF constituteproject org Retrieved 29 October 2017 Article 9 The State respects and protects all lawful activities of Buddhists and of followers of other religions and mobilises and encourages Buddhist monks and novices as well as the priests of other religions to participate in activities that are beneficial to the country and people Sinclair Tara 2008 Tibetan Reform and the Kalmyk Revival of Buddhism Inner Asia 10 2 241 259 doi 10 1163 000000008793066713 ISSN 1464 8172 JSTOR 23615096 Buddhism in Russia challenges and choices in the post Soviet period ResearchGate Retrieved 3 February 2021 Kalmykia few complaints over Kalmykia s state support for Buddhism english religion info Retrieved 3 February 2021 Wyeth Grant 16 June 2017 Samoa Officially Becomes a Christian State The Diplomat Feagaimaali i Luamanu Joyetter 8 June 2017 Constitutional Amendment Passes Samoa Officially Becomes Christian State Pacific Islands Report Archived from the original on 11 November 2020 Retrieved 16 June 2017 Constitution of Zambia Retrieved 19 October 2016 Costa Rica Constitution in English Constitutional Law Costa Rica Legal Topics costaricalaw com Archived from the original on 6 September 2015 Vatican City Catholic Pages com Retrieved 12 August 2013 a b Constitution Religion at the Wayback Machine archived 26 March 2009 archived from the original on 2009 03 26 Constitution of Malta Article 2 mjha gov mt permanent dead link Constitution de la Principaute at the Wayback Machine archived 27 September 2011 French Art 9 Principaute De Monaco Ministere d Etat archived from the original on 2011 09 27 Temperman Jeroen 2010 State Religion Relationships and Human Rights Law Towards a Right to Religiously Neutral Governance Brill ISBN 978 9004181496 guarantees the Roman Catholic Church free and public exercise of its activities and the preservation of the relations of special co operation with the state in accordance with the Andorran tradition The Constitution recognizes the full legal capacity of the bodies of the Roman Catholic Church which have legal status in accordance with their own rules Argentina s Constitution of 1853 Reinstated in 1983 with Amendments through 1994 PDF constituteproject org Argentina Religion argentina gob ar Archived from the original on 8 October 2014 Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Timor Leste PDF Governo de Timor Leste Google Translate Retrieved 18 March 2015 Constitution of the Republic of El Salvador as Amended to 2003 PDF 3 January 2015 Archived from the original PDF on 3 January 2015 Guatemala s Constitution of 1985 with Amendments through 1993 PDF Constitution Project The juridical personality of the Catholic Church is recognized The other churches cults entities and associations of religious character will obtain the recognition of their juridical personality in accordance with the rules of their institution and the Government may not deny it aside from reasons of public order The State will extend to the Catholic Church without any cost the titles of ownership of the real assets which it holds peacefully for its own purposes as long as they have formed part of the patrimony of the Catholic Church in the past The property assigned to third parties or those Constitution of the Italian Republic PDF Senato it Retrieved 6 June 2021 The State and the Catholic Church are independent and sovereign each within its own sphere Their relations are regulated by the Lateran pacts Amendments to such Pacts which are accepted by both parties shall not require the procedure of constitutional amendments Constitution of the Italian Republic PDF Senato it Retrieved 6 June 2021 All religious denominations are equally free before the law Denominations other than Catholicism have the right to self organisation according to their own statutes provided these do not conflict with Italian law Their relations with the State are regulated by law based on agreements with their respective representatives Executive Summary Panama 2013 Report on International Religious Freedom United States Department of State Constitution of the Republic of Paraguay The role played by the Catholic Church in the historical and cultural formation of the Republic is hereby recognized Constitution of the Republic of Peru PDF Archived from the original PDF on 24 July 2015 Retrieved 28 October 2009 Within an independent and autonomous system the State recognizes the Catholic Church as an important element in the historical cultural and moral formation of Peru and lends it its cooperation The State respects other denominations and may establish forms of collaboration with them The Constitution of the Republic of Poland 2 April 1997 The relations between the Republic of Poland and the Roman Catholic Church shall be determined by international treaty concluded with the Holy See and by statute The relations between the Republic of Poland and other churches and religious organizations shall be determined by statutes adopted pursuant to agreements concluded between their appropriate representatives and the Council of Ministers Constitucion espanola PDF BOE Vol 311 29 December 1978 art 14 16 amp 27 3 BOE A 1978 31229 Retrieved 26 April 2024 No religion shall have a state character The public authorities shall take into account the religious beliefs of Spanish society and shall consequently maintain appropriate cooperation relations with the Catholic Church and other confessions a b c Constitution of Greece www hri org Section II Relations of Church and State Article 3 Retrieved 2 January 2023 Enyedi Zsolt Madeley John T S 2004 Church and State in Contemporary Europe Routledge p 228 ISBN 978 1135761417 Both as a state church and as a national church the Orthodox Church of Greece has a lot in common with Protestant state churches and even with Catholicism in some countries Meyendorff John 1981 The Orthodox Church Its Past and Its Role in the World Today St Vladimir s Seminary Press p 155 ISBN 978 0913836811 Greece therefore is today the only country where the Orthodox Church remains a state church and plays a dominant role in the life of the country a b Constitution of Greece www hri org Part Two Individual and Social Rights Article 13 Retrieved 2 January 2023 The Bulgarian Constitution Parliament of Bulgaria Retrieved 20 December 2011 a b Cyprus s Constitution of 1960 with Amendments through 2013 PDF Constitution Project a b c LL M Prof Dr Axel Tschentscher Finland Constitution International Constitutional Law ICL Section 76 The Church Act Retrieved 2 April 2024 Salla Korpela May 2005 The Church in Finland today Finland Promotion Board Produced by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs Department for Communications and Culture Constitution of Georgia Article 9 1 amp 2 and 73 1a1 The History of the Church of England The Archbishops Council of the Church of England Archived from the original on 21 February 2010 Retrieved 24 May 2006 About Guernsey Deanery Church of England Gell Sir James Gell on Manx Church Isle of Man Online IOM Online Retrieved 7 February 2017 a b Our structure The Church of Scotland 22 February 2010 Retrieved 7 April 2021 Refugees United Nations High Commissioner for Refworld 2010 Report on International Religious Freedom Tuvalu Retrieved 23 February 2017 Constitution of Tuvalu article 23 Denmark Constitution www servat unibe ch Section 4 State Church Retrieved 2 January 2023 Juergensmeyer Mark Roof Wade Clark 2011 Encyclopedia of Global Religion Sage Publications p 390 ISBN 978 1 4522 6656 5 Constitution of Denmark Section IV PDF Archived PDF from the original on 1 March 2016 Retrieved 22 September 2016 The Evangelical Lutheran Church shall be the Established Church of Denmark and as such it shall be supported by the State Constitution of the Republic of Iceland www government is Article 62 Retrieved 2 January 2023 International Humanist and Ethical Union State and Church move towards greater separation in Norway 26 June 2012 Retrieved 18 March 2015 Riksdagsforvaltningen Lag 1998 1591 om Svenska kyrkan Svensk forfattningssamling 1998 1998 1591 t o m SFS 2009 1234 Riksdagen www riksdagen se in Swedish Retrieved 23 June 2021 Riksdagsforvaltningen Successionsordning 1810 0926 Svensk forfattningssamling 1810 1810 0926 Riksdagen www riksdagen se in Swedish Retrieved 23 June 2021 National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia parliament am 2011 Report on International Religious Freedom Dominican Republic Refworld Retrieved 2 January 2023 Haiti State gov 14 September 2007 Retrieved 4 January 2014 International Religious Freedom Report for 2015 US State Department Bureau of Democracy Human Rights and Labor Retrieved 2 January 2023 Hungary s Constitution of 2011 Retrieved 9 February 2016 Nicaragua s Constitution of 1987 with Amendments through 2014 PDF Constitute Project Retrieved 21 July 2022 Concordat Watch Portugal Concordat 2004 text concordatwatch eu Saudi Arabia imposes death sentence for Bible smuggling 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ANP 15 September 2015 Nepal scheidt hindoe en staat Nepal separates Hindu and state Trouw in Dutch Retrieved 24 March 2023 Michael Atit 4 September 2020 Sudan s Government Agrees to Separate Religion and State Voice of America Retrieved 8 September 2020 beykent edu tr TC Anayasalari 1921 1924 1961 ve 1982 Anayasalarini karsilastirilmasi Archived 24 February 2020 at the Wayback Machine in Turkish sjinto Encarta Encyclopedie Winkler Prins in Dutch Microsoft Corporation Het Spectrum 2002 Further reading editRowlands John Henry Lewis 1989 Church State and Society 1827 1845 the Attitudes of John Keble Richard Hurrell Froude and John Henry Newman Worthing Eng P Smith of Churchman Publishing Folkestone Eng distr by Bailey Book Distribution ISBN 1850931321External links editMcConnell Michael W April 2003 Establishment and Disestablishment at the Founding Part I Establishment of Religion William and Mary Law Review 44 5 2105 Archived from the original on 4 June 2011 Retrieved from https en 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