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]] A state religion (also called an '''official religion''', '''established church''' or '''state church''') is a Religious body or Creed officially endorsed by the State . Practically, a state without a state religion is called a Secular State . The term ''state church'' is associated with Christianity , and is sometimes used to denote a specific national branch of Christianity. Closely related to state churches are what Sociologists call Ecclesiae , though the two are slightly different. State religions are examples of the official or government-sanctioned Establishment Of Religion , as distinct from Theocracy . It is also possible for a National Church to become established without being under state control. TYPES OF STATE CHURCHES The degree and nature of state backing for denomination or creed designated as a state religion can vary. It can range from mere endorsement and financial support, with freedom for other faiths to practice, to prohibiting any competing religious body from operating and to persecuting the followers of other sects. In Europe, competition between Catholic and Protestant denominations for state sponsorship in the 16th century evolved the principle '' Cuius Regio Eius Religio '' ("states follow the religion of the ruler") embodied in the text of the Treaty that marked the Peace Of Augsburg , 1555 . In England the monarch imposed Protestantism in 1533, with himself taking the place of the Pope, while in Scotland the Church Of Scotland became the established Kirk in opposition to the religion of the ruler. In some cases, a state may have a set of state-sponsored religious denominations that it funds; such is the case in Alsace-Moselle in France , following the pattern in Germany . In some Communist State s, notably the People's Republic Of China , the state sponsors religious organizations, and activities outside those state-sponsored religious organizations are met with various degrees of official disapproval. In these cases, state religions are widely seen as efforts by the state to prevent alternate sources of authority. State church vs state religion There is also a difference between a "state church" and "state religion". A "state church" is created by a monarch, as in the cases of the Anglican Church , created by Henry VIII or the Church Of Sweden , created by Gustav Vasa . An example of "state religion" is Argentina's acceptance of Catholicism as its religion. In the case of the former, the state has absolute control over the church, but in the case of the latter, in this example, the Vatican has control over the church. Sociology of state churches Sociologists refer to mainstream non-state religions as Denominations . State religions tend to admit a larger variety of opinion within them than denominations. Denominations encountering major differences of opinion within themselves are likely to split; this option is not open for most state churches, so they tend to try to integrate differing opinions within themselves. However, state churches have divided, with the dissidents losing the advantages of state support. The Church Of Scotland has split several times in the past for doctrinal reasons, including the meaning and acceptability of state support. Attempts by the monarch to impose Bishop s on the Kirk led to the splitting off of the non-established Scottish Episcopal Church . Its largest offshoots from a Later Disruption were the Free Church Of Scotland and later the United Free Church Of Scotland . These offshoots lost the established status of their parent, but since 1929 the (partially) reunited Church of Scotland has considered itself to be a " National Church " rather than an established church, as it is entirely independent of state control in matters spiritual. Legally, it remains established. Many sociologists now consider the effect of a state church as analogous to a chartered Monopoly in religion. Where state religions exist, it is usually true the majority of residents are officially considered adherents; however, much of this support is little more than nominal; many members of the church rarely attend it. But the population's allegiance towards the state religion is often strong enough to prevent them from joining competing religious groups. A denomination's status as official religion does not always imply that the jurisdiction prohibits the existence or operation of other sects or religious bodies. It all depends upon the government and the level of tolerance the citizens of that country have for each other. Some countries with official religions have laws that guarantee the freedom of worship, full liberty of conscience, and places of worship for all citizens; and implement those laws than other countries that do not have an official or established state religion. DISESTABLISHMENT Disestablishment is the process of divesting a church of its status as an organ of the state. In England there was a campaign by Liberals , Dissenter s and Nonconformists to disestablish the Church Of England in the late 19th century; it failed in England , but demands for the measure persist to this day. The Church Of Ireland was disestablished in 1869 and the Church of England was disestablished in Wales in 1920, the Church In Wales becoming separated from the Church of England in the process - it had formerly effectively been the Church of England and Wales. Those who wish to continue with an established church take a position of Antidisestablishmentarianism . The First Amendment to the US Constitution explicitly forbids the U.S. 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 Government s from establishing official churches. Connecticut continued to do so until it replaced its colonial Charter with the Connecticut Constitution Of 1818 ; Massachusetts did not disestablish its official church until 1833, more than forty years after the ratification of the First Amendment; and local official establishments of religion persisted even later. The Fourteenth Amendment to the US 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 US Supreme Court — especially as the court must now reconcile this post-1947 view with the original First Amendment clause that explicitly prohibits any restraint on the free exercise of religion. |
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