Separation of church and state

Reflecting a concept often credited in its original form to the English political philosopher John Locke , the phrase separation of church and state is generally traced to the letter written by Thomas Jefferson in 1802 to the Danbury Baptists , in which he referred to the First Amendment to the United States Constitution as creating a "wall of separation" between church and state. The phrase was quoted by the United States Supreme Court first in 1878, and then in a series of cases starting in 1947. This led to increased popular and political discussion of the concept. The concept has since been adopted in a number of countries, to varying degrees depending on the applicable legal structures and prevalent views toward the proper role of religion in society. A similar principle of laïcité has been applied in France and Turkey , while some socially secularized countries such as Norway have maintained constitutional recognition of an official state religion. The concept parallels various other international social and political ideas, including secularism , disestablishment , religious liberty , and religious pluralism . Farrar, Straus and Giroux, pg. 29 ("It took John Locke to translate the demand for liberty of conscience into a systematic argument for distinguishing the realm of government from the realm of religion.") Jefferson's Letter to the Danbury Baptists (June 1998) - Library of Congress Information Bulletin

Religious persecution Traditional African religions Serers Atheism Baháʼí Faith Buddhism Christianity Christophobia post–Cold War era Catholicism Catholic Church Mormonism Jehovah's Witness Eastern Orthodox Christianity Oriental Orthodox Christianity Protestantism Falun Gong Hinduism ( Anti-Hindu sentiment ) Islam Sunni Shi'a Ahmadiyya Alevism Sufis Islamophobia Persecution of non-believers Judaism Antisemitism Anti-Judaism Religious antisemitism New religious movements Christian countercult movement Neopaganism Rastafari Zoroastrianism Religion portal v t e Power ideology Power structure Related Politics portal v t e The separation of church and state is a description for the distance in the relationship between organized religion and the nation state . It may refer to creating a secular state , with or without explicit reference to such separation, or to changing an existing relationship of church involvement in a state (disestablishment). Although the concept of separation has been adopted in a number of countries, there are varying degrees of separation depending on the applicable legal structures and prevalent views toward the proper relationship between religion and politics. While a country's policy may be to have a definite distinction in church and state, there may be an " arm's length distance " relationship in which the two entities interact as independent organizations. A similar but typically stricter principle of laïcité has been applied in France and Turkey, while some socially secularized countries such as Denmark and the United Kingdom have maintained constitutional recognition of an official state religion. The concept parallels various other international social and political ideas, including secularism , disestablishmentarianism , religious liberty , and religious pluralism . Whitman (2009) observes that in many European countries, the state has, over the centuries, taken over the social roles of the church, leading to a generally secularized public sphere. The degree of separation varies from total separation mandated by a constitution , as in India and Singapore ; to an official religion with total prohibition of the practice of any other religion, as in the Maldives . Princeton University WordNet reads: "separationism: advocacy of a policy of strict separation of church and state."

Religious persecution Traditional African religions Serers Atheism Baháʼí Faith Buddhism Christianity Christophobia post–Cold War era Catholicism Catholic Church Mormonism Jehovah's Witness Eastern Orthodox Christianity Oriental Orthodox Christianity Protestantism Falun Gong Hinduism ( Anti-Hindu sentiment ) Islam Sunni Shi'a Ahmadiyya Alevism Sufis Islamophobia Persecution of non-believers Judaism Antisemitism Anti-Judaism Religious antisemitism New religious movements Christian countercult movement Neopaganism Rastafari Zoroastrianism Religion portal v t e The separation of church and state is a philosophic and jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the state . Conceptually, the term refers to the creation of a secular state (with or without legally explicit church–state separation) and to disestablishment, the changing of an existing, formal relationship between the church and the state. Although the concept is older, the exact phrase "separation of church and state" is derived from "wall of separation between church and state", a term coined by Thomas Jefferson . In a society, the degree of political separation between the church and the civil state is determined by the legal structures and prevalent legal views that define the proper relationship between organized religion and the state. The arm's length principle proposes a relationship wherein the two political entities interact as organizations each independent of the authority of the other. The strict application of the secular principle of laïcité ( secularity ) is used in France , while secular societies such as Norway , Denmark , and England maintain a form of constitutional recognition of an official state religion . The philosophy of the separation of the church from the civil state parallels the philosophies of secularism , disestablishmentarianism , religious liberty , and religious pluralism , by way of which the European states assumed some of the social roles of the church, the welfare state , a social shift that produced a culturally secular population and public sphere . In practice, church–state separation varies from total separation, mandated by the country's political constitution , as in India and Singapore , to a state religion, as in the Maldives .

Principle to separate religious and civil institutions "Church and state" redirects here. Religious persecution Traditional African religions Serers Atheism Baháʼí Faith Buddhism Christianity Christophobia post–Cold War era Catholicism Catholic Church Mormonism Jehovah's Witness Eastern Orthodox Christianity Oriental Orthodox Christianity Protestantism Falun Gong Hinduism ( Anti-Hindu sentiment ) Islam Sunni Shi'a Ahmadiyya Alevism Sufis Islamophobia Persecution of non-believers Judaism Antisemitism Anti-Judaism Religious antisemitism New religious movements Christian countercult movement Neopaganism Rastafari Zoroastrianism Religion portal v t e The separation of church and state is a philosophical and jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the state . Conceptually, the term refers to the creation of a secular state (with or without legally explicit church-state separation) and to disestablishment , the changing of an existing, formal relationship between the church and the state. Although the concept is older, the exact phrase "separation of church and state" is derived from "wall of separation between church and state", a term coined by Thomas Jefferson . The concept was promoted by Enlightenment philosophers such as John Locke . In a society, the degree of political separation between the church and the civil state is determined by the legal structures and prevalent legal views that define the proper relationship between organized religion and the state. The arm's length principle proposes a relationship wherein the two political entities interact as organizations each independent of the authority of the other. The strict application of the secular principle of laïcité is used in France, while secular societies such as Denmark and England maintain a form of constitutional recognition of an official state religion . The philosophy of the separation of the church from the civil state parallels the philosophies of secularism , disestablishmentarianism , religious liberty , and religious pluralism . By way of these philosophies, the European states assumed some of the social roles of the church and the welfare state , a social shift that produced a culturally secular population and public sphere . In practice, church–state separation varies from total separation, mandated by the country's political constitution , as in India and Singapore , to a state religion, as in the Maldives .

Principle to separate religious and civil institutions "Church and state" redirects here. Religious persecution Traditional African religions Serers Atheism Baháʼí Faith Buddhism Christianity Christophobia post–Cold War era Catholicism Catholic Church Mormonism Jehovah's Witness Eastern Orthodox Christianity Oriental Orthodox Christianity Protestantism Falun Gong Hinduism ( Anti-Hindu sentiment ) Islam Sunni Shi'a Ahmadiyya Alevism Sufis Islamophobia Persecution of non-believers Judaism Antisemitism Anti-Judaism Religious antisemitism New religious movements Christian countercult movement Neopaganism Rastafari Zoroastrianism Religion portal v t e The separation of church and state is a philosophical and jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the state . Conceptually, the term refers to the creation of a secular state (with or without legally explicit church-state separation) and to disestablishment , the changing of an existing, formal relationship between the church and the state. The concept originated among early Baptists in America. In 1644, Roger Williams , a Baptist minister and founder of the state of Rhode Island and the First Baptist Church in America , was the first public official to call for "a wall or hedge of separation" between "the wilderness of the world" and "the garden of the church." Although the concept is older, the exact phrase "separation of church and state" is derived from "wall of separation between Church & State," a term coined by Thomas Jefferson in his 1802 letter to members of the Danbury Baptist Association in the state of Connecticut. The concept was promoted by Enlightenment philosophers such as John Locke . In a society, the degree of political separation between the church and the civil state is determined by the legal structures and prevalent legal views that define the proper relationship between organized religion and the state. The arm's length principle proposes a relationship wherein the two political entities interact as organizations each independent of the authority of the other. The strict application of the secular principle of laïcité is used in France. In contrast, societies such as Denmark and England maintain the constitutional recognition of an official state church ; similarly, other countries have a policy of accommodationism , with religious symbols being present in the public square. The philosophy of the separation of the church from the civil state parallels the philosophies of secularism , disestablishmentarianism , religious liberty , and religious pluralism . By way of these philosophies, the European states assumed some of the social roles of the church in form of the welfare state , a social shift that produced a culturally secular population and public sphere . In practice, church–state separation varies from total separation, mandated by the country's political constitution , as in India and Singapore , to a state religion, as in the Maldives .