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 or support 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 are examples of how different nations handle the idea of a state religion in their own ways.

Types

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

In Europe during the 1500s, different groups of Christians, called Catholic and Protestant, competed 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, either a specific form of it, or Buddhism as a whole, has been established as an official religion include:

• Bhutan: The Constitution defines Tibetan Buddhism as the "spiritual heritage of Bhutan". It also requires the King to appoint certain religious leaders.
• Cambodia: The Constitution declared Theravada Buddhism as the official religion. About 98% of Cambodia's population practices this form of Buddhism.
• Sri Lanka: The constitution states that the government should protect and support Buddhism while also respecting other religions.

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

• Thailand: The Constitution states that the government should support and protect Buddhism.
• Laos: The Constitution gives Buddhism special privilege and the government respects its activities.
• Mongolia: Buddhist symbols appear on the country’s emblem and currency, and Buddhist holidays are celebrated as public holidays.
• Myanmar: The Constitution recognizes the important role of Theravada Buddhism and requires the government to support it.
• Kalmykia (Russia): The local government supports Tibetan Buddhism and encourages Buddhist teachings and traditions.

Christianity

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

Non-denominational Christianity

• Papua New Guinea: The Constitution was amended to acknowledge God as the Creator and Sustainer.
• Samoa: The constitution states that Samoa is a Christian nation founded on God.
• Zambia: The Constitution declares Zambia to be "a Christian nation" while also guaranteeing freedom of religion.

Catholicism

Countries where Catholicism is the state or official religion include:

• Costa Rica: The Constitution confirms Catholicism as the religion of the State.
• 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 describes the Catholic Church as the state religion.
• Malta: The Constitution declares that the religion of Malta is the Catholic and Apostolic Religion.
• Monaco: The Constitution describes the Catholic, and apostolic religion as the religion of the state.

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

Eastern Orthodoxy

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

Protestantism

Countries that recognize 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 has been established as a state-recognized religion include Denmark, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands. Other countries that give special recognition to Lutheranism without establishing it as 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 Muslim-majority countries have constitutionally established 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 recognized as a state religion but holds special status include Bangladesh, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Judaism

Israel is defined as a "Jewish and democratic state" in its laws. While Judaism is not the official state religion, it plays a significant role in the country's laws and society. The Law of Return allows people of Jewish descent to relocate to Israel and acquire citizenship. The country supports religious institutions, particularly Orthodox Jewish ones, and recognizes several religious communities.

Multiple religion recognition

Countries that recognize multiple religions include China, France (in the region of Alsace-Moselle), Indonesia, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Nepal, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland, Turkey, and Vietnam. These countries may give official recognition to various religions or have special relationships 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 used to have a special religion that was supported by the government. These are called former state churches. They were endorsed by the government, which could help them in different ways, like spending money on their buildings and leaders. However, the government was not always controlled by religious leaders.

Listed by order of admission to the American Union:

Former confessional states

This section lists states that used to have 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