From “Holy Chaos: Creating Connections in Divisive Times” by Amanda Henderson – Chalice Press
Four primary relationships between religion and politics can be seen historically and to this day: (1) theocracy, (2) state religion, (3) the secular state (separation of church and state), and (4) state hostility toward religious institutions. The most common form of government tied to religion in early civilization were theocracies. In a theocracy, a religious institution is the source of all authority in the government, and a religious ruler rules in the name of a god. Most countries in the West ended theocratic rule after the Enlightenment. Today, theocratic governments remain in places such as Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Vatican City. A theocratic rule can be tempting because it is efficient, as it has little tolerance for diversity or debate. A theocratic government can also be oppressive, likewise, because there is little tolerance for diversity or debate.
State religions are government-sanctioned establishments of a religion, but the state does not need to be under the control of the religion (as in a theocracy), nor is the state-sanctioned religion necessarily under the power of the state. The state religion is a religion officially endorsed by the state, and it can take multiple forms. Most monarchies have some level of state religion. State religions can simply be an endorsement of a particular religion with no doctrinal or financial exchange, or they can involve financial support, including state funding of religious houses of worship or salaries for clergy people paid by tax dollars. Germany, for example, to this day collects taxes directly from people who identify as Luthern and pays the salaries of Lutheran pastors out of these taxes.
Some countries with state-sanctioned religions allow other faiths to practice, and support religious diversity within the country, such as modern England, Germany, Malaysia, and Morocco. There are Jewish states, such as Israel, and Islamic states, such as Egypt, Bahrain, and Jordan, that have a state-designated religion, but allow the practice of other religions. According to Pew Research Center, more than four in ten countries around the world endorse or favor a specific religion. Islam is endorsed by twenty-seven countries, and thirteen endorse Christianity. Forty countries favor a particular religion, mostly Christianity. Favoring a religion, means there is not a legal endorsement, but there are legal and cultural assumptions that favor one particular religion. In contrast, some countries are hostile to non-state religions and religious freedom – such as North Korea, Somalia, and Syria – and they prohibit the practice of any competing religion and/or actively persecute followers of other sects.
Secular states are, in theory, countries that have not claimed an official state religion or favored religion. Most secular states allow freedom of religious practice, and most work to prevent state entanglement with one religion over another. The U.S. is a secular state with freedom of religion, though in reality this is clearly in constant negotiation. Compared to formal relationships between political and religious institutions, the facts on the ground may be very different from the ideals in each of the various relational agreements. For example, although the U.S. was founded on an idea of religious pluralism and diversity, some people argue that the U.S. is a Christian nation, and there are people who believe that the culture should be defined religiously even if it is not named as such constitutionally. Of course, this raises questions as to which version of Christianity that state would follow. All of this is important information: It is helpful to know where we came from, who we want to be, and who we don’t want to be.