State religion

A state religion (also called an official religion) is a religion or creed that a sovereign state officially supports. This means the government may give special help to that religion. For example, it might spend money to care for religious buildings or support religious leaders. However, having a state religion does not always mean the government is completely controlled by religious leaders, which would be called a theocracy.

Official religions have existed for a very long time, in many different cultures. One of the earliest was the Armenian Apostolic Church, started in 301 CE. In places like the Middle East, many countries with mostly Muslim people have Islam as their official religion. Some of these countries, like Saudi Arabia and Iran, have strong ties between religion and government rules.

In other places, like Denmark, England, and Iceland, there is an official religion, but it does not strongly control daily life for everyone. These countries show how different nations handle the idea of a state religion in their own ways.

Types

The amount of support a government gives to a chosen religion can vary. Sometimes, the government supports one religion but lets people follow other religions freely. In other cases, the government may not allow any other religions and may treat followers of those religions unfairly.

In Europe during the 1500s, different groups of Christians, called Catholic and Protestant, wanted to be the official religion of their countries. This led to a rule called “Cuius regio, eius religio” meaning “the ruler decides the religion,” which was part of the Peace of Augsburg treaty in 1555. In England, King Henry VIII decided to break away from the Catholic Church in 1534 and become the leader of the Church of England.

In some places, a region may support and pay for several religions. This happens in Alsace-Moselle in France because of special rules that started before 1905, similar to practices in Germany.

State churches

A state church is a religion that a government sets up just for its own use. When a government controls a state church, it has full power over it. But when a country has an official religion that isn’t a state church, the religion might be led by a group outside the country, like the Vatican for Catholics.

Disestablishment

Further information: Secular state

Current states with a state religion

Buddhism

Governments where Buddhism is the official religion include:

• Bhutan: The Constitution says Tibetan Buddhism is the country's spiritual heritage. The King must appoint some religious leaders.
• Cambodia: The Constitution names Theravada Buddhism as the official religion. Most people in Cambodia practice this form of Buddhism.
• Sri Lanka: The constitution says the government should protect and support Buddhism while respecting other religions.

Some countries do not name Buddhism as the state religion but give it special support:

• Thailand: The Constitution says the government should support and protect Buddhism.
• Laos: The Constitution gives Buddhism special support and the government respects its activities.
• Mongolia: Buddhist symbols appear on the country’s emblem and money, and Buddhist holidays are public holidays.
• Myanmar: The Constitution says the government must support Theravada Buddhism.
• Kalmykia (Russia): The local government supports Tibetan Buddhism and encourages Buddhist teachings.

Christianity

Some countries name Christianity as their state or official religion, or give it special status:

Non-denominational Christianity

• Papua New Guinea: The Constitution says God is the Creator and Sustainer.
• Samoa: The constitution says Samoa is a Christian nation founded on God.
• Zambia: The Constitution says Zambia is "a Christian nation" but also guarantees freedom of religion.

Catholicism

Countries where Catholicism is the state or official religion include:

• Costa Rica: The Constitution names Catholicism as the state's religion.
• Vatican City State: It is ruled by the Pope, who is also the Vicar of Christ, and all high-ranking officials are Catholic clergy.
• Liechtenstein: The Constitution names the Catholic Church as the state religion.
• Malta: The Constitution says Malta's religion is the Catholic and Apostolic Religion.
• Monaco: The Constitution names the Catholic and apostolic religion as the state's religion.

Countries that recognize Catholicism in their constitutions without naming it the state religion include Andorra, Argentina, El Salvador, Guatemala, Italy, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Spain, and Timor-Leste.

Eastern Orthodoxy

Countries that name Eastern Orthodoxy as their state or official religion include Greece. Other countries that recognize Eastern Orthodoxy in their constitutions without naming it the state religion include Bulgaria, Cyprus, Finland, and Georgia.

Protestantism

Countries that name some form of Protestantism as their state or official religion include England, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey, Scotland and Tuvalu.

Nordic countries

Countries where a Lutheran church is the state-recognized religion include Denmark, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands. Other countries that give special recognition to Lutheranism without naming it the state religion include Finland, Norway, and Sweden.

Other/mixed

Other countries with special recognition for Christianity include Armenia, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Hungary, Nicaragua, and Portugal.

Islam

Many countries with a majority Muslim population have named Islam as a state religion. Examples include Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Brunei, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

Countries where Islam is not the state religion but has special status include Bangladesh, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Judaism

Israel is described as a "Jewish and democratic state" in its laws. While Judaism is not the official state religion, it plays an important role in the country's laws and society. The Law of Return lets people of Jewish descent move to Israel and become citizens. The country supports religious institutions, especially Orthodox Jewish ones, and recognizes several religious groups.

Multiple religion recognition

Countries that recognize more than one religion include China, France (in the region of Alsace-Moselle), Indonesia, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Nepal, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland, Turkey, and Vietnam. These countries may officially recognize different religions or have special ties with certain religious groups.

Former state religions

See also: Secular state

Roman religion and Christianity

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

In 380, the Roman Empire chose one type of Christianity as its official religion. This decision was made by Emperor Theodosius I.

Han dynasty Confucianism

In ancient China, during the Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE), the government supported Confucianism. They used Confucian ideas in tests for people wanting government jobs.

Yuan dynasty Buddhism

When the Yuan dynasty ruled China (1271–1368 CE), Tibetan Buddhism became important. The leader Kublai Khan created a special office to oversee Buddhist monks.

Golden Horde and Ilkhanate

Some Mongol leaders, like Ghazan and Uzbeg, chose Islam as their official religion in the late 1200s and early 1300s. This helped them connect better with the people they ruled.

Former state churches in British North America

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

Other states

• Bolivia had a state religion until 2009.
• The State of Deseret was proposed in 1849 by Mormon settlers but was not recognized.
• The Kingdom of Hawaii had an official church from 1862 to 1893.
• The Japanese Empire had State Shintō.
• The Netherlands had rules about religion in its constitutions.
• Nepal was a Hindu state until 2015.
• The Ottoman Empire had a system called the Millet system.
• Spain was traditionally a Catholic state.
• Sudan had Islam as its official religion under Omar al-Bashir but became secular in 2020.
• Tunisia has special respect for Islam but is not an Islamic state.
• The Tokugawa shogunate supported Buddhism and Confucianism.

Former state churches

Some countries once had a special religion supported by the government. These are called former state churches. The government helped these religions in different ways, like paying for buildings and leaders. But the government was not always controlled by religious leaders.

Listed by order of admission to the American Union:

Former confessional states

This section lists countries that once had an official religion but later stopped. It only includes countries that chose to end their state religion themselves, not those that stopped because they were taken over or disappeared.

Buddhism

Confucianism

Hinduism

Islam

Shinto