State religion

 ( Religion And Politics ) 

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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 church 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.

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 Cult and the state was discussed by the Ancient Rome 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. The Journal of Ecclesiastical History. p. 268 by Cambridge University Press, Gale Group, C.W. Dugmore 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 Muslims 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).

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.The concerned religious communities are the dioceses of Metz and of Strasbourg, the Lutheran EPCAAL and the Reformed EPRAL and the three Israelite consistories in Colmar, Metz and Strasbourg.

• 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).

Article 3, Spiritual Heritage

#Buddhism is the spiritual heritage of Bhutan, which promotes the principles and values of peace, non-violence, compassion and tolerance.

#The Druk Gyalpo is the protector of all religions in Bhutan.

#It shall be the responsibility of religious institutions and personalities to promote the spiritual heritage of the country while also ensuring that religion remains separate from politics in Bhutan. Religious institutions and personalities shall remain above politics.

#The Druk Gyalpo shall, on the recommendation of the Five Lopons, appoint a learned and respected monk ordained in accordance with the Druk-lu, blessed with the nine qualities of a spiritual master and accomplished in ked-dzog, as the Je Khenpo.

#His Holiness the Je Khenpo shall, on the recommendation of the Dratshang Lhentshog, appoint monks blessed with the nine qualities of a spiritual master and accomplished in ked-dzog as the Five Lopons.

#The members of the Dratshang Lhentshog shall comprise:
(a) The Je Khenpo as Chairman;
(b) The Five Lopons of the Zhung Dratshang; and
(c) The Secretary of the Dratshang Lhentshog who is a civil servant.

#The Zhung Dratshang and Rabdeys shall continue to receive adequate funds and other facilities from the State.

• Cambodia: The Constitution declared Theravada Buddhism as the official religion of the country. (Article 43). About 98% of Cambodia's population is Buddhist.
• 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 kyaung 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.
• Sri Lanka: The constitution of Sri Lanka states under Chapter II, Article 9, "The Republic of Sri Lanka declares Theravada Buddhism as the state religion and accordingly it shall be the duty of the Head of State and Head of Government to protect and foster the Buddha Sasana".

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 Lao Constitution, Buddhism is given special privilege in the country. The state respects and protects all the lawful activities of Buddhism.
• Mongolia: The Emblem of Mongolia has multiple Tibetan Buddhist symbols, including a dharmachakra, a lotus, and the Three Jewels. The Buddha's Birthday is also a public holiday in Mongolia. Moreover, the 100 tögrög coin depicts Janraisig Temple, a Tibetan Buddhist monastery, on its obverse.
• 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.

• : 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. Constitution of Zambia. Retrieved 19 October 2016.

• : 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, Theocracy (or episcopal), absolute monarchy ruled by the Pope, who is also the Vicar of Christ. The highest state functionaries are all Catholic Church 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". (archived from the original on 2009-03-26).
• : 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. (French): Art. 9., Principaute De Monaco: Ministère d'Etat (archived from the original on 2011-09-27).

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.
  (2025). 9789004181496, Brill. ISBN 9789004181496
  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. Executive Summary – Panama, 2013 Report on International Religious Freedom, United States Department of State.
• : 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 Catholic Church 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).

• : 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.
• : 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 Orthodoxy 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."
• : Both the Finnish Orthodox Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland have judicial ties to the state.
• : The Georgian Orthodox Church has a constitutional agreement with the state, the constitution recognizing "the special role of the Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Georgia in the history of Georgia and its independence from the state". Constitution of Georgia Article 9 (1&2) and 73 (1a) (See also Concordat of 2002)

• : The Church of England is the established church in England, but not in the United Kingdom as a whole. It is the only established Anglican church worldwide. The Anglican Church in Wales, the Scottish Episcopal Church and the Church of Ireland are not established churches and they are independent of the Church of England. The British monarchy is the titular Supreme Governor of the Church of England. The 26 most senior bishops in the Church of England are Lords Spiritual and have seats in the House of Lords of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
• : The Church of England is the established church in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, and the leader of the Church of England in the territory is the Dean of Guernsey.
• : The Church of England is the established church on the Isle of Man. The Bishop of Sodor and Man is an ex officio member of the Legislative Council (the upper house of Tynwald).
• : The Church of England is the established church in Jersey, and the leader of the church on the island is the Dean of Jersey, a non-voting member of the States of Jersey.

• : The Church of Scotland is the national church, but not of the United Kingdom as a whole. While it is the national church, it 'is not State controlled' and the monarch is not the 'supreme governor' as in the Church of England.
• : The Church of Tuvalu is the state religion, although in practice this merely entitles it to "the privilege of performing special services on major national events". The Constitution of Tuvalu guarantees freedom of religion, including the freedom to practice, the freedom to change religion, the right not to receive religious instruction at school or to attend religious ceremonies at school, and the right not to "take an oath or make an affirmation that is contrary to his religion or belief".Constitution of Tuvalu, article 23.

• : Section 4 of the Constitution of Denmark confirms the Church of Denmark as the established church.
• : The Church of the Faroe Islands is the state church of the Faroe Islands, an autonomous administrative division within the Danish Realm.
  (2025). 9781452266565, Sage Publications. . ISBN 9781452266565
• : The Church of Denmark is the state church of Greenland, an autonomous administrative division within the Danish Realm.
• : The Constitution of Iceland confirms the Church of Iceland as the state church of Iceland.

Jurisdictions that give various degrees of recognition in their constitutions to Lutheranism without establishing it as the state religion:

• : The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland has a special relationship with the Finnish state, its internal structure being described in a special law, the Church Act. The Church Act can be amended only by a decision of the synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and subsequent ratification by the Parliament of Finland. The Church Act is protected by the Constitution of Finland and the state cannot change the Church Act without changing the constitution. The church has the power to tax its members. The state collects these taxes for the church, for a fee. On the other hand, the church is required to give a burial place for everyone in its graveyards. The President of Finland also decides the themes for intercession days. The church does not consider itself a state church, as the Finnish state does not have the power to influence its internal workings or its theology, although it has a veto in those changes of the internal structure which require changing the Church Act. Neither does the Finnish state accord any precedence to Lutherans or the Lutheran faith in its own acts.
• : Until 2012, the Church of Norway was not a separate legal entity from the government. It was disestablished and became a national church, a legally distinct entity from the state with special constitutional status. The King of Norway is required by the Constitution to be a member of the Church of Norway, and the church is regulated by special canon law, unlike other religions.
• : The Church of Sweden was the state church of Sweden between 1527 when King Gustav Vasa broke all ties with Rome and 2000 when the state officially became secular. Much like in Finland, it does have a special relation to the Swedish state unlike any other religious organizations. For example, there is a special law that regulates certain aspects of the church and the members of the royal family are required to belong to it in order to have a claim to the line of succession. A majority of the population still belongs to the Church of Sweden.

• : The Armenian Orthodox Church has a constitutional agreement with the Armenia: "The Republic of Armenia shall recognise the exclusive mission of the Armenian Orthodox Holy Church, as a national church, in the spiritual life of the Armenian people, in the development of their national culture and preservation of their national identity."
• : The constitution of the Dominican Republic specifies that there is no state church and provides for freedom of religion and belief. A concordat with the Holy See designates Catholicism as the official religion and extends special privileges to the Catholic Church not granted to other religious groups. These include the legal recognition of church law, use of public funds to underwrite some church expenses, and complete exoneration from customs duties.
• : While Catholicism has not been the state religion since 1987, a 19th-century concordat with the Holy See continues to confer preferential treatment to the Catholic Church, in the form of stipends for clergy and financial support to churches and religious schools. The Catholic Church also retains the right to appoint certain amounts of clergy in Haiti without the government's consent.
• : The preamble to the Hungarian Constitution of 2011 describes Hungary as "part of Christian Europe" and acknowledges "the role of Christianity in preserving nationhood", while Article VII provides that "the State shall cooperate with the Churches for community goals." However, the constitution also guarantees freedom of religion and separation of church and state. Hungary's Constitution of 2011. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
• : The Nicaraguan Constitution of 1987 states that the country has no official religion, but defines "Christian values" as one of the "principles of the Nicaraguan nation".
• : Although Church and State are formally separate, the Catholic Church in Portugal still receives certain privileges.

• Afghanistan: Officially, Afghanistan has continuously been an Islamic state under various constitutions since at least 1987. Since 2021, the Taliban has made Sunni Islam according to the Hanafi school official, and has discriminated systematically against the Shia minority.
• Algeria: "Islam shall be the religion of the State."Article 2 of the Algerian Constitution of 2016
• Bangladesh: Article (2A) of the Constitution of Bangladesh declares: "The state religion of the Republic is Islam, but the State shall ensure equal status and equal right in the practice of the Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and other religions."
• Bahrain: "The religion of the State is Islam."Article 2 of the Constitution of Bahrain:
• Brunei: Article 3 of the Constitution of Brunei: "The official religion of Brunei Darussalam shall be the Islamic Religion..."
• Djibouti: Article 1 of the Constitution of Djibouti: "Islam is the Religion of the State."
• Egypt: Article 2 of the Egyptian Constitution of 2014: "Islam is the religion of the State". Unofficial translation of the 2014 constitution
• Iran: Article 12 of the Constitution of Iran: "The official religion of Iran is Islam and the Twelver Ja'fari school in, and this principle will remain eternally immutable." Islam has been Iran's state religion since 1501 dating back to the Safavid dynasty and has continued ever since, excluding the period of breaks in the Pahlavi dynasty.
• Iraq: Article 2 of the Constitution of Iraq: "Islam is the official religion of the State and is a foundation source of legislation..."
• Jordan: Article 2 of the Constitution of Jordan: "Islam is the religion of the State and Arabic is its official language."
• Kuwait: Article 2 of the Constitution of Kuwait: "The religion of the State is Islam and Islamic Law shall be a main source of legislation."
• Libya: Article 1 of the Libyan interim Constitutional Declaration: "Islam is the Religion of the State and the principal source of legislation is Islamic Jurisprudence (Shari'a)."
• Malaysia: Article 3 of the Federal Constitution of Malaysia: "Islam is the religion of the Federation; but other religions may be practised in peace and harmony in any part of the Federation."
• Maldives: Article 10 of the Maldives's Constitution of 2008: "The religion of the State of the Maldives is Islam. Islam shall be thesic one of the bases of all the laws of the Maldives."
• Mauritania: Article 5 of the Constitution of Mauritania: "Islam is the religion of the people and of the State."
• Morocco: Article 3 of the Constitution of Morocco: "Islam is the religion of the State, which guarantees to all the free exercise of beliefs cultes."
• Oman: Article 2 of the Constitution of Oman: "The religion of the State is Islam and Islamic Sharia is the basis for legislation."
• Pakistan: Article 2 of the Constitution of Pakistan: "Islam shall be the State religion of Pakistan."
• Palestine: Article 4 of the Basic Law of the State of Palestine: "Islam is the official religion in Palestine. Respect and sanctity of all other heavenly religions shall be maintained."
• Qatar: Article 1 of the Constitution of Qatar: "Qatar is an independent sovereign Arab State. Its religion is Islam and Shari'a law shall be a main source of its legislations."
• Saudi Arabia: Article 1 of the Basic Law of Saudi Arabia: "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a sovereign Arab Islamic State. Its religion is Islam."
• : Article 2 of the Constitution of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic declares that Islam is the state religion and law origin.
  Toby Shelley (2025). 9781842773413, Zed Books. . ISBN 9781842773413
• Somalia: Article 2 of the Provisional Constitution of the Federal Republic of Somalia: "Islam is the religion of the State."
• United Arab Emirates: Article 7 of the Constitution of the United Arab Emirates: "Islam shall be the official religion of the Union."
• Yemen: Article 2 of the Constitution of Yemen: "Islam is the religion of the state, and Arabic is its official language."

• Syria: The 2025 Interim Constitution of Syria carries much of the same context of religion as prior constitutions, albeit with a slight wording change regarding the influence of Islamic jurisprudence on legislation. The new constitution however does not explicitly designate a State Religion in the same way as various other Middle Eastern countries do. Article 3 states "The religion of the President of the Republic is Islam; Fiqh is the principal source of legislation.
• Tajikistan: Although there is a separation of religion from politics, certain aspects of law also privilege Islam. One such law declares "Islam to be a traditional religion of Tajikistan, with more rights and privileges given to Islamic organizations than to religious groups of non-Muslim origin".
• Tunisia: Article 5 of the Constitution declares that "Tunisia is part of the Muslim world, and the state alone must work to achieve the goals of pure Islam in preserving honourable life of religious freedom". Islam has been given special privileges by the Constitution, though it is no longer the state religion.
• Turkmenistan: The Constitution claims to uphold a secular system in which religious and state institutions are separate. However, in Turkmenistan, the state actively privileges a form of traditional Islam. The culture, including Islam, is a key facet, contributes to the Turkmen national identity. The state encourages the conceptualization of "Turkmen Islam".
• Uzbekistan: Since independence, Islam has taken on an altogether new role in the nation-building process in Uzbekistan. The government affords Islam in special status and declared it as a national heritage and a moral guideline.

• : Since the Proclamation of Israeli independence in 1948, Israel is defined in several of its laws as a "Jewish and democratic state" ( medina yehudit ve-demokratit). However, the term "" is a Polysemy that can describe the Jewish people as either an ethnic or a religious group. The debate about the meaning of the term "Jewish" and its legal and social applications is one of the most profound issues with which Israeli society deals. The problem of the status of religion in Israel, even though it is relevant to all religions, usually refers to the status of Judaism in Israeli society. Thus, even though from a constitutional point of view Judaism is not the state religion in Israel, its status nevertheless determines relations between religion and state and the extent to which religion influences the political center. Trouble in Utopia: The Overburdened Polity of Israel, by Dan Horowitz and Moshe Lissak, pp. 51–52 The Law of Return, passed on 5 July 1950, gives the global Jewish diaspora the right to relocate to Israel and acquire Israeli citizenship. Section - (1) of that law declares that "Every Jew has the right to come to this country as an Oleh"('immigrant'). In the Law of Return, the State of Israel gave effect to the Zionism's "credo" which called for the establishment of Israel as a Sovereign Jewish state with Democracy setups, ideals and values.International Commission of Jurists

• : The government of China officially espouses state atheism, and officially recognizes only five religions: Chinese Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Christianity (Catholicism and Protestantism).Rowan Callick. Party Time: Who Runs China and How. Black Inc, 2013. p. 112 Despite limitations on certain forms of religious expression and assembly, religion is not banned, and religious freedom is nominally protected under the Chinese constitution. Among the general Chinese population there is a wide variety of religious practices. The Chinese government's attitude to religion is one of skepticism and non-promotion.
• : The local law in Alsace-Moselle accords official status to four religions in this specific region of France: Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Lutheranism and Calvinism. The law is a remnant of the Napoleonic Concordat of 1801, which was abrogated in the rest of France by the law of 1905 on the separation of church and state. However, at the time, Alsace-Moselle had been Alsace-Lorraine. The Concordat, therefore, remained in force in these areas, and it was not abrogated when France regained control of the region in 1918. Therefore, the separation of church and state, part of the French concept of Laïcité, does not apply in this region.
• is officially a presidential republic and a unitary state that does not declare or designate a state religion. Officially, the government recognizes six religions: Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Confucianism, as well as traditional and indigenous beliefs. Pancasila comes from the Jakarta Charter whose first article was changed from "Divinity, with the obligation to carry out Islamic law for its adherents" to "the One Divinity", to respect other religions. The Constitution of Indonesia guarantees freedom of religion and the practice of other religions and beliefs, including traditional animistic beliefs. Atheism, although not prosecuted, is discouraged by the state ideology of Pancasila. In addition, the province of Aceh receives a special status and a higher degree of autonomy, in which it may enact laws ( qanuns) based on the Sharia and enforce it to its Muslim residents.
• : There are 18 officially recognized religious groups in Lebanon, each with its own family law legislation and set of religious courts."Women in Personal Status Laws". Retrieved 26 March 2013. Under the terms of an agreement known as the National Pact between the various political and religious leaders of Lebanon, the president of the country must be a Maronite, the Prime Minister must be a Sunni, the Speaker of Parliament must be a Shia, and the Deputy Prime Minister must be Greek Orthodox.
  R. Rabil (2025). 9780230339255, Palgrave Macmillan US. . ISBN 9780230339255
• is a secular state, but the Grand Duchy recognizes and supports several denominations, including the Catholic Church, Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Romanian Orthodox, Serbian Orthodox, Anglican and some Protestantism denominations as well as to Judaism congregations.
  Jeroen Temperman (2025). 9789004181489, Brill. . ISBN 9789004181489
• is a secular nation, and secularism in Nepal under the interim constitution (Part 1, Article 4) is defined as "religious and cultural freedom, along with the protection of religion and culture handed down from time immemorial". That is, "the state government is bound for protecting and fostering Hindu religion" while maintaining "religious" and "cultural" freedom throughout the nation as fundamental rights.
• : Though a secular state under the constitution, Russia is often said to have Russian Orthodoxy as the de facto national religion, despite other minorities: "The Russian Orthodox Church is de facto privileged religion of the state, claiming the right to decide which other religions or denominations are to be granted the right of registration".
  Michael Bourdeaux (2025). 9781857431377, Taylor and Francis. ISBN 9781857431377
  Brian P. Bennett (2025). 9781136736131, Routledge. . ISBN 9781136736131
  Islam in Russia is recognized under the law and by Russian political leaders as one of Russia's traditional religions, Islam is a part of Russian historical heritage, and is Subsidy by the Russian government.
  Bell, I (2025). 9781857431377, Taylor & Francis. . ISBN 9781857431377
  The position of Islam as a major Russian religion, alongside Orthodox Christianity, dates from the time of Catherine the Great, who sponsored Ulama and scholarship through the Orenburg Assembly.Azamatov, Danil D. (1998), "The Muftis of the Orenburg Spiritual Assembly in the 18th and 19th Centuries: The Struggle for Power in Russia's Muslim Institution", in Anke von Kugelgen; Michael Kemper; Allen J. Frank, Muslim culture in Russia and Central Asia from the 18th to the early 20th centuries, vol. 2: Inter-Regional and Inter-Ethnic Relations, Berlin: Klaus Schwarz Verlag, pp. 355–384,

• is officially a secular country and does not have a state religion, and has been named in one study as the "most religiously diverse nation in the world", with no religious group forming a majority. However, the government gives official recognition to twelve different religions, namely Buddhism, Confucianism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Taoism, Sikhism, Shinto, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Jainism, and the Baháʼí Faith, and Singapore's penal code explicitly prohibits "wounding religious feelings". The Jehovah's Witnesses and Unification Church are also banned in Singapore, as the government deems them to be a threat to national security.
• is officially secular at the federal level but 24 of the 26 cantons support both the Swiss Reformed Church and the Roman Catholic Church in various ways.
• Turkey: The Republic of Turkey is officially a secular country. None of the past and the latest constitutions recognizes an official religion nor promotes any. But; the Directorate of Religious Affairs, an official state institution established by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in 1924, expresses opinions only on religious matters regarding Sunni Islam institutions. The directorate regulates the operation of the country's hundreds of thousands of registered mosques and employs local and provincial imams (who are civil servants) who are appointed and paid by the state, whilst other sects of Islam with a sizeable minority such as Alevism are not being regulated nor being funded by the directorate. In addition, the Treaty of Lausanne explicitly guarantees the security and protection of both Greek and Armenian Orthodox Christian minorities and the Turkish-Jews. Their religious institutions are recognized officially by the state.

• is officially State atheism (although sometimes also referred as atheist-Buddhist), but recognizes only 38 religious organizations and one dharma practice.

• The State of Deseret was an unrecognised provisional state of the United States, proposed in 1849, by Mormon settlers in Salt Lake City. The provisional state existed for slightly over two years, but attempts to gain recognition by the United States government floundered for various reasons. The Utah Territory which was then founded was under Mormon control, and repeated attempts to gain statehood met resistance, in part due to concerns that the principle of separation of church and state conflicted with the practice of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints placing their highest value on "following counsel" in virtually all matters relating to their church-centered lives. The state of Utah was eventually admitted to the union on 4January 1896, after the various issues had been resolved. Struggle For Statehood Edward Leo Lyman, Utah History Encyclopedia
• : From 1862 to 1893 the Church of Hawaii, an Anglican body, was the official state and national church of the Kingdom of Hawaii.
• : see details in the State Shintō article.
• : Article 133 of the 1814 Constitution stipulated the Sovereign Prince should be a member of the Reformed Church; this provision was dropped in the 1815 Constitution. The 1815 Constitution also provided for a state salary and pension for the priesthood of established religions at the time (Protestantism, Catholicism and Judaism). This settlement, nicknamed de zilveren koorde (the silver cord), was abolished in 1983.
• was the world's only Hindu state until 2015, when the new constitution declared it a secular state. Proselytizing remains illegal.
• : the Millet system (; ) was the independent court of law pertaining to "personal law" under which a confessional community (a group abiding by the laws of Muslim Sharia, Christian Canon law, or Jewish Halakha) was allowed to rule itself under its own laws.
• : Spain was traditionally a Catholic confessional state with the exception of the 1st and 2nd Republics, and currently is a non-confessional state.
• had Islam as the official religion during the rule of Omar al-Bashir according to the Constitution of Sudan of 2005.Constitution of Sudan, Article 5, paragraph 1. It was declared a secular state in September 2020.
• Tunisia: Article 5 of the Constitution declares that "Tunisia is part of the Muslim world, and the state alone must work to achieve the goals of pure Islam in preserving honorable life of religious freedom". Although Islam has been given special privileges by the Constitution, it is no longer the state religion.
• sanctioned Buddhism and Confucianism as the state religions.
  Keiko Yamagishi (2025). 9781409436003, Routledge. . ISBN 9781409436003
  Steven Gow Calabresi (2025). 9780190075750, Oxford University Press. . ISBN 9780190075750
  Buddhism became an arm of the shogunate, and temples were used for population registration. Distinctive schools of Japanese Buddhism such as Zen, Pure Land, and Nichiren structured Japanese religious life until the 19th century. Confucian Zhu Xi's teaching became a major intellectual force, and the Four Books became available to virtually every educated person.

• 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

• 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.