[[File:Map of State Religions.svg|thumb|

|300x300px]]

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 a confessional state), while not a secular state, is not necessarily a theocracy. State religions are subject to advantageous treatment by official or government-sanctioned establishments of them, ranging from incentivising citizens to recognise and practice them through government endorsement to having public spending on the maintenance of religious property and clergy be unrestricted, but the state does not need to be under the legislative control of the clergy as it would be in a theocracy. Generally, these religions have more rights and fewer restrictions in the country than other religions in a country.

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 (). The first state-sponsored Christian denomination was the Armenian Apostolic Church, established in 301 CE. 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

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. 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. The official religion of England continued to be "Catholicism without the Pope" until after his death in 1547.

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.

State churches

thumb|upright|[[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.

Disestablishment

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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.

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:

  • Bhutan: The Constitution of Bhutan defines Tibetan Buddhism as the "spiritual heritage of Bhutan". The Constitution is based on Buddhist philosophy. It also mandates that the Druk Gyalpo (King) should appoint the Je Khenpo and Dratshang Lhentshog (The Commission for Monastic Affairs).
  • Cambodia: The Constitution declared Theravada Buddhism as the official religion of the country. About 98% of Cambodia's population is Buddhist.
  • Sri Lanka: The constitution of Sri Lanka states under Chapter II, Article 9, "The Republic of Sri Lanka shall give to Buddhism the foremost place and accordingly it shall be the duty of the State to protect and foster the Buddha Sasana, while assuring to all religions the rights granted by Articles 10 and 14(1)(e)".

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

  • Thailand: Article 67 of the Constitution of Thailand states: 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.
  • Laos: According to the Constitution of Laos, Buddhism is given special privilege in the country. The state respects and protects all the lawful activities of Buddhism.
  • Myanmar: Section 361 of the Constitution states that "The Union recognizes the special position of Theravada Buddhism as the faith professed by the great majority of the citizens of the Union." The 1961 State Religion Promotion and Support Act requires the government 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 otherwise promote and support Buddhism as State Religion.
  • Kalmykia (Russia): The Kalmyk local government supports Tibetan 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 Tibetan Buddhism in the republic.

Christianity

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

  • : On 12 March 2025, Parliament voted to amend the Constitution of Papua New Guinea to include in its preamble the words "[We] acknowledge and declare God, the Father; Jesus Christ, the Son; and Holy Spirit, as our Creator and Sustainer of the entire universe and the source of our powers and authorities, delegated to the people and all persons within the geographical jurisdiction of Papua New Guinea."
  • : In June 2017, Parliament voted to amend the wording of Article1 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.
  • : The preamble to the Zambian Constitution of 1991 declares Zambia to be "a Christian nation", while also guaranteeing freedom of religion.

Catholicism

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

  • : 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."
  • : It is an elective, theocratic (or episcopal), absolute monarchy ruled by the Pope, who is also the Vicar of Christ. The highest state functionaries are all Catholic clergy of various national origins. It is the sovereign territory of the Holy See () and the location of the Pope's official residence, referred to as the Apostolic Palace.
  • : 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".
  • : Article 2 of the Constitution of Malta declares that "the religion of Malta is the Catholic and Apostolic Religion".
  • : Article 9 of the Constitution of Monaco describes the "Catholic, and apostolic religion" as the religion of the state.

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

  • : The Constitution of Andorra allows the Roman Catholic Church to practice freely and openly, and keeps a special relationship between the Church and the government, based on tradition. It also recognizes the Church’s organizations as legal entities, according to their own rules.The government appoints the Roman Catholic Bishop of Urgell, based in Catalonia, Spain, as one of two heads of state, alongside the President of France. Following the revised Education Law of April 2022, the Constitution bans the use of conspicuous religious symbols in public schools and is an attempt to secularize public education.
  • : 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. Before its 1994 amendment, the Constitution stated that the President of the Republic must be a Roman Catholic.
  • : 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.
  • : 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.
  • : 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". The Constitution additionally reserves to the Catholic faith singular position in regard to the organization of worship, as opposed to all other confessions.
  • : The Constitution of Panama recognizes Catholicism as "the religion of the majority" of citizens but does not designate it as the official state religion.
  • : The Constitution of Paraguay recognizes the Catholic Church's role in the nation's historical and cultural formation.
  • : 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.
  • : 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."
  • : The Constitution of Spain of 1978 abolished Catholicism as the official state religion, while recognizing the role it plays in Spanish society. The State allocates the 0.7% of the personal income tax corresponding to taxpayers who express their will to support the Catholic Church.
  • : While the Constitution of Timor-Leste 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).

Eastern Orthodoxy

The following state recognize some form of Eastern Orthodoxy as their state or official religion:

  • : The Church of Greece is recognized by the Greek Constitution as the prevailing religion in Greece. 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.

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

  • : In the Bulgarian Constitution, Eastern Orthodoxy is recognized as "the traditional religion" of the Bulgarian people, but the state itself remains secular.
  • : 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."|| 1946

|-

| Iceland || Lutheran Evangelical Church || Lutheran || &mdash;

|-

|rowspan| Ireland|| Church of Ireland || Anglican || 1871

|-

| Italy || rowspan="2"|Roman Catholic Church || rowspan="2"|Catholic || 18 February 1984 (effective per 25 April 1985)

|-

| Liechtenstein

|-

| Malta || &mdash;

|-

| Mexico || rowspan="2"|Roman Catholic Church || rowspan="2"|Catholic || 1857 (reestablished from 1864 to 1867)

|-

| Monaco || &mdash;

|-

| Netherlands || Dutch Reformed Church || Reformed || 1795

|-

| Nicaragua || Roman Catholic Church || Catholic || 1893

|-

| Norway || Church of Norway ||Lutheran || 2012 (effective per 1 January 2017)

|-

| Panama || rowspan="6"|Roman Catholic Church || rowspan="6"|Catholic || 1904

|-

| Paraguay || 1992

|-

| Peru ||1979

|-

| Philippines|| 1898

|-

| Poland|| 1947

|-

| Portugal|| 1910 and 1976

|-

| Romania || Romanian Orthodox Church || rowspan="2"|Eastern Orthodox || 1947

|-

| Russia || Russian Orthodox Church || 1917

|-

| Spain || Roman Catholic Church || Catholic || 1978

|-

| Sweden || Church of Sweden || Lutheran || 2000

|-

| Tuvalu || Church of Tuvalu || Reformed || &mdash;

|-

| Uruguay || Roman Catholic Church || Catholic || 1918 (effective since 1919)

|-

| United States<br>(Federal government)

|| none since 1776, which was made explicit in the Bill of Rights in 1792 || N/A || N/A

|-

| Venezuela || Roman Catholic Church || Catholic || 1961

|-

| Yugoslavia || Serbian Orthodox Church || Eastern Orthodox || 1921

|-

|}

States of the German Empire

{| class="sortable wikitable"

|-

! States

! Church

! Denomination

! Disestablished

|-

| Anhalt || Evangelical State Church of Anhalt || rowspan="3"| United Protestant || rowspan="25"|1918

|-

|rowspan="2"| Baden

|-

| United Evangelical Protestant State Church of Baden

|-

|rowspan="3"| Bavaria || Roman Catholic Church || Catholic

|-

| Protestant State Church in the Kingdom of Bavaria right of the Rhine || Lutheran and Reformed

|-

| United Protestant Evangelical Christian Church of the Palatinate United Protestant || United Protestant

|-

| Brunswick || Evangelical Lutheran State Church in Brunswick || Lutheran

|-

| Hesse || Evangelical Church in Hesse || United Protestant

|-

| Lippe || Church of Lippe || Reformed

|-

| Lübeck || Evangelical Lutheran Church in the State of Lübeck || rowspan="4"|Lutheran

|-

| Mecklenburg-Schwerin || Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

|-

| Mecklenburg-Strelitz || Mecklenburg-Strelitz State Church

|-

| Oldenburg || Evangelical Lutheran Church of Oldenburg

|-

|-

| Prussia<br />(pre-1866 provinces) || Evangelical State Church of Prussia's older Provinces (nine ecclesiastical provinces) || United Protestant

|-

| rowspan="2"|Prussia<br />(Province of Hanover) || Evangelical Reformed State Church of the Province of Hanover || Reformed

|-

| Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Hanover || Lutheran

|-

| rowspan="3"|Prussia<br />(Province of Hesse-Nassau, partially)|| Evangelical State Church of Frankfurt upon Main || rowspan="3"|United Protestant

|-

| Evangelical Church of Electoral Hesse

|-

| Evangelical State Church in Nassau

|-

| Prussia<br />(Province of Schleswig-Holstein) || Evangelical Lutheran Church of Schleswig-Holstein || Lutheran

|-

| Saxony || Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Saxony || rowspan="3"|Lutheran

|-

| Schaumburg-Lippe || Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Schaumburg-Lippe

|-

| Thuringia || Church bodies in principalities which merged in Thuringia in 1920

|-

| Waldeck || Evangelical State Church of Waldeck and Pyrmont || United Protestant

|-

| Württemberg || Evangelical State Church in Württemberg || Lutheran

|}

States of the United States of America

Listed by order of admission to the American Union:

{|class="sortable wikitable" style="align:left"

! colspan=2 |State

! Church

! Denomination

! Disestablished

|-

|data-sort-value="Delaware"|1

|

|Never had a state church, even in colonial times

|N/A

|N/A

|-

|data-sort-value="Pennsylvania"|2

|

|Never had a state church, even in colonial times

|N/A

|N/A

|-

|data-sort-value="New Jersey"|3

|

|Never had a state church, even in colonial times

|N/A

|N/A

|-

|data-sort-value="Georgia"|4

|

|Church of England (1732-1785)<br>Episcopal Church (1785-1789)

|Anglican

|1789

|-

|data-sort-value="Connecticut"|5

|

|Established Congregational Churches

|Reformed

|1818

|-

|data-sort-value="Massachusetts"|6

|

|Established Congregational Churches

|Reformed

|1780 (state funding suspended in 1833)

|-

|data-sort-value="Maryland"|7

|

|Roman Catholic Church (1632-1701)<br>Church of England (1701-1776)

|Catholic (1632-1701)<br>Anglican (1701-1776)

|1776

|-

|data-sort-value="South Carolina"|8

|

|Church of England (1732-1785)<br>Episcopal Church (1785-1790)

|Anglican

|1790

|-

|data-sort-value="New Hampshire"|9

|

|Established Congregational Churches

|Reformed

|1790

|-

|data-sort-value="Virginia"|10

|

|Church of England (1732-1785)<br>Episcopal Church (1785-1786)

|Anglican

|1786

|-

|data-sort-value="New York"|11

|

|Church of England

|Anglican

|1777

|-

|data-sort-value="North Carolina"|12

|

|Church of England

|Anglican

|1776

|-

|data-sort-value="Rhode Island"|13

|

|Never had a state church, even in colonial times

|N/A

|N/A

|-

|data-sort-value="Vermont"|14

|

|Never had a state church, even before joining the American Union

|N/A

|N/A

|-

|data-sort-value="Kentucky"|15

|

|Never had a state church

|N/A

|N/A

|-

|data-sort-value="Tennessee"|16

|

|Never had a state church

|N/A

|N/A

|-

|data-sort-value="Ohio"|17

|

|Never had a state church

|N/A

|N/A

|-

|data-sort-value="Louisiana"|18

|

|Roman Catholic Church

|Catholic

|1805 (year of the Louisiana Purchase)

|-

|data-sort-value="Indiana|19

|

|Never had a state church

|N/A

|N/A

|-

|data-sort-value="Mississippi"|20

|

|Never had a state church

|N/A

|N/A

|-

|data-sort-value="Illinois"|21

|

|Never had a state church

|N/A

|N/A

|-

|data-sort-value="Alabama"|22

|

|Never had a state church

|N/A

|N/A

|-

|data-sort-value="Maine"|23

|

|Never had a state church

|N/A

|N/A

|-

|data-sort-value="Missouri"|24

|

|Never had a state church

|N/A

|N/A

|-

|data-sort-value="Arkansas"|25

|

|Never had a state church

|N/A

|N/A

|-

|data-sort-value="Michigan"|26

|

|Never had a state church

|N/A

|N/A

|-

|data-sort-value="Florida"|27

|

|Roman Catholic Church

|Catholic

|1822 (year that joined the United States as a territory)

|-

|data-sort-value="Texas"|28

|

|Roman Catholic Church

|Catholic

|1834 (Texas Revolution)

|-

|data-sort-value="Iowa"|29

|

|Never had a state church

|N/A

|N/A

|-

|data-sort-value="Wisconsin"|30

|

|Never had a state church

|N/A

|N/A

|-

|data-sort-value="California"|31

|

|Roman Catholic Church

|Catholic

|1848 (year that joined the United States as part of the Mexican Cession)

|-

|data-sort-value="Minnesota"|32

|

|Never had a state church

|N/A

|N/A

|-

|data-sort-value="Oregon"|33

|

|Never had a state church

|N/A

|N/A

|-

|data-sort-value="Kansas"|34

|

|Never had a state church

|N/A

|N/A

|-

|data-sort-value="West Virginia"|35

|

|Never had a state church

|N/A

|N/A

|-

|data-sort-value="Nevada"|36

|

|Roman Catholic Church

|Catholic

|1848 (year that joined the United States as part of the Mexican Cession)

|-

|data-sort-value="Nebraska"|37

|

|Never had a state church

|N/A

|N/A

|-

|data-sort-value="Colorado"|38

|

|Never had a state church

|N/A

|N/A

|-

|data-sort-value="North Dakota"|39

|

|Never had a state church

|N/A

|N/A

|-

|data-sort-value="South Dakota"|40

|

|Never had a state church

|N/A

|N/A

|-

|data-sort-value="Montana"|41

|

|Never had a state church

|N/A

|N/A

|-

|data-sort-value="Washington"|42

|

|Never had a state church

|N/A

|N/A

|-

|data-sort-value="Idaho"|43

|

|Never had a state church

|N/A

|N/A

|-

|data-sort-value="Wyoming"|44

|

|Never had a state church

|N/A

|N/A

|-

|data-sort-value="Utah"|45

|

|Roman Catholic Church (before 1848)<br><br>The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1849-1850, in the State of Deseret, never recognized by the US federal govenment)

|Catholic (before 1848)<br><br>Mormon (1849-1850)

|1848 (year that joined the United States as part of the Mexican Cession)<br>1850 (Utah Territory created)

|-

|data-sort-value="Oklahoma"|46

|

|Never had a state church

|N/A

|N/A

|-

|data-sort-value="New Mexico"|47

|

|Roman Catholic Church

|Catholic

|1848 (year that joined the United States as part of the Mexican Cession)

|-

|data-sort-value="Arizona"|48

|

|Roman Catholic Church

|Catholic

|1848 (year that joined the United States as part of the Mexican Cession)

|-

|data-sort-value="Alaska"|49

|

|Russian Orthodox Church

|Eastern Orthodox

|1867 (year that joined the United States as a territory)

|-

|data-sort-value="Hawaii"|50

|

|Church of Hawaii

|Anglican

|1893

|}

Constituent Countries of the United Kingdom

{| class="sortable wikitable"

|-

! Constituent Countries

! Church

! Denomination

! Disestablished

|-

| England || Church of England || Anglican || &mdash;

|-

| Scotland || Church of Scotland || Presbyterian || "The Kirk" remains the national church, with state control disclaimed since 1638. Not an established faith per the Church of Scotland Act 1921.

|-

| Wales|| Church of England || Anglican || 1920

|}

Constituent Countries of the Danish Realm

{| class="sortable wikitable"

|-

! Constituent Countries

! Church

! Denomination

! Disestablished

|-

| Denmark || Church of Denmark || rowspan="3"|Lutheran || &mdash;

|-

| Faroe Islands || Church of the Faroe Islands || Elevated from a diocese of the Church of Denmark in 2007 (the two remain in close cooperation).

|-

| Greenland || Church of Denmark || Under discussion to be elevated from the Diocese of Greenland in the Church of Denmark to a state church for Greenland, similar to the Faroese Church.

|}

Former confessional states

The list of former confessional states only includes states that abolished their state religion themselves, not states with a state religion that were conquered, fell apart or otherwise disappeared.

Buddhism

{| class="sortable wikitable"

|-

! Country

! Denomination

! Disestablished

|-

| Buthan

| Mahayana Buddhism

|

|-

| Cambodia

| Theravada Buddhism

| (1975-1991)

|-

|China

|Mahayana Buddhism (Gelug school)

|1912

|-

| Laos

| Theravada Buddhism

| 1975

|-

| Mongolia

| Mahayana Buddhism

| 1924

|-

| Myanmar

| Theravada Buddhism

| (1961-2008)

|-

| Thailand (Siam)

| Theravada Buddhism

| 1932

|-

| Japan

| Japanese Buddhism

| 1868

|}

Confucianism

{| class="sortable wikitable"

|-

! Country

! Disestablished

|-

|China

|1912

|}

Hinduism

{| class="sortable wikitable"

|-

! Country

! Disestablished

|-

| Nepal

|

|}

Shinto

{| class="sortable wikitable"

|-

! Country

! Denomination

! Disestablished

|-

| Japan

| State Shinto

| 1947 (de facto)

|}

See also

  • Constitutional references to God
  • Blasphemy law
  • Ceremonial deism
  • Church tax
  • Civil religion
  • Confessional state
  • Divine rule
  • Elite religion
  • Institutional theory
  • List of national legal systems
  • Major religious groups
  • Nonsectarian
  • Phyletism
  • Religious education
  • Religious law
  • Religious toleration
  • Religious intolerance
  • Religious supremacism
  • Secular religion
  • Secularism
  • Secularity
  • Secularization
  • Separation of church and state
  • Sociology of religion
  • State atheism
  • Status of religious freedom by country
  • Secular state

Notes

References

Further reading

  • 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.
  • Professor Andreas TAKIS: "A State Religion Is Problematic for Both Church and State" — Caucasian Journal, 09.09.2024.