What does the church mean separate from the state? In society, the degree of political separation between the church and the civil state is determined by legal structures and the prevailing legal views that determine the correct relationship between an organized religion and the state. The “outstretched hand” principle offers a relationship in which two political actors interact as organizations that are independent of each other’s power. The strict application of the laïcité (“secular”) principle is used in France, while secular societies (for example, in Denmark and Great Britain) support a form of constitutional recognition of the official state religion. If in the country the church is separated from the state, then it is considered to be “secular”.
In philosophy
What does it mean that the church is separated from the state in philosophy? The philosophy of separating the church from the civil state coincides with the philosophy of secularism, disunity, religious freedom and religious pluralism, thanks to which European states took on some of the social roles of the church, the welfare state. This is a social shift that spawned the cultural and secular population and the public sphere. In practice, the separation of church and state ranges from the complete separation prescribed by the country's political constitution, as in India and Singapore, to the state religion, as in the Maldives. Is the church in Russia separated from the state or not?
In late antiquity and medieval Europe
An important contributor to the discussion of the right relationship between the Church and the state was St. Augustine, who, in the City of God (Book XIX, Chapter 17), explored the ideal relationship between the “earthly city” and the “city of God.” In this work, Augustine established that between the “earthly city” and the “city of God” the main points of intersection must be found, especially when people must live together and in a certain territory on earth. Thus, Augustine believed that the work of the “temporary city” was to make it possible to create a “heavenly city” on earth
For centuries, monarchs ruled over the idea of divine law. Sometimes it was used by the monarch to support the idea that the king ruled both his own kingdom and the church, within its borders, a theory known as Caesaropapism. On the other hand, there was a Catholic doctrine in that the pope, as the vicar of Christ on earth, must have final authority over the church and indirectly over the state. Moreover, throughout the Middle Ages, on the other hand, there was a Catholic doctrine. The pope declared his right to overthrow the Catholic kings of Western Europe, and tried to use it (sometimes successfully, sometimes not), as was the case with Henry VIII in England and Henry III of Navarre. After that, people wondered if the church should be separated from the state.
In the West, the problem of separation of church and state in the medieval period was focused on monarchs who ruled in the secular segment, but encroached on the rule of the church in the spiritual sphere. This unresolved contradiction in the ultimate control of the church led to a power struggle and leadership crises, especially in the investment dispute, which was settled in Concordat in 1122. By this Concordat, the emperor renounced the right to endow clergy with a ring and a cross, symbols of their spiritual strength, guaranteed election according to the canons of the cathedral or abbey and free consecration.
Reformation Age
At the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther formulated the doctrine of the two kingdoms. According to James Madison, who is perhaps one of the most important followers of the principle of separation of the state, Luther's work on the two kingdoms laid the foundation for the modern structure of the secular state.
Representatives of the Radical Reformation (Anabaptists) used Luther's ideas in a new direction. They were used in the writings of Michael Suttler (1490-1527), who agreed with Luther that there are two kingdoms, but disagreed that the two kingdoms should be separate. Consequently, baptized believers should not vote, serve in the public service, or participate in any other way in the "kingdom of the world." In the very first days of the radical reformation, there were many views; over time, Sattler's vision became the normative position for most Anabaptists in the following centuries. Anabaptists came to teach that religion should never be forced by state power, approaching the issue of church-state relations primarily from the standpoint of protecting the church from the state.
In the 1530s, Henry VIII, indignant at the refusal of Pope Clement VII, decided to annul his marriage with Catherine of Aragon and appoint himself ruler of the Church of England. The monarchs of Great Britain have retained church authority in the Church of England since the time of Henry VIII, and today they have the title of Supreme Governor of the Church of England.
At that time, the church persecution of King Henry continued, due to which the Catholics tried to limit his power. This ultimately led to:
- non-conformism;
- English Protestants and anti-Catholicism of Oliver Cromwell appeared;
- created the Commonwealth of England;
- Catholics and others who did not join the Anglican Church were charged.
A church separated from the state is called a separated church. And the state is secular.
One result of the persecution in England was that some people fled from the UK to be able to worship as they wanted. But they did not seek religious freedom, and the early North American colonies were generally intolerant of religious dissent, like England. For example, Puritan Massachusetts did not allow standard worship of the Church of England. Some of these people voluntarily went to American colonies specifically for this purpose. After the American colonies rebelled against George III of the United Kingdom, the United States Constitution was specifically amended to prohibit Congress from establishing religion. After that, people in the USA realized that the church should be separated from the state.
In the Enlightenment
The concept of separation of church and state is often attributed to the works of the British scholar John Locke (1631–1705). According to his social contract principle, Locke argued that the government lacked authority in the area of individual conscience, because it was that rational people could not yield to the government for control. For Locke, this created a natural right to freedom of conscience, which, in his opinion, should remain protected from any state power. These views on religious tolerance and the importance of individual conscience, along with his social contract, have become particularly influential in the American colonies and the drafting of the US Constitution.
In the same period of the XVII century, Pierre Bayeux and some fideists began to precede the separation of the church from the state, arguing that faith cannot be dependent on consciousness. Throughout the eighteenth century, the ideas of Locke and Bale, in particular the separation of state and church, became more famous, promoted by many philosophers of the Enlightenment. Montesquieu already wrote in 1722 what “religious tolerance” is and the degree of separation of religion and state. Voltaire defended a certain level of separation, but ultimately subordinated the church to the needs of the state. IN while Denis Didro, for example, was a supporter of the strict separation of the Church from the state, saying that "the distance between the throne and the altar can never be too great."
Jefferson and Bill of Rights
In English, the exact term is an offshoot of the phrase: “The wall of separation of church and state,” as written in a letter from Thomas Jefferson to the Danberian Baptist Association in 1802. This letter refers to the First Amendment to the State Constitution, Jefferson writes:
Believing with you that religion is a question that lies exclusively between a person and his God, that he is not obliged to explain his faith or worship to anyone else, that the legitimate authority of the government can only be achieved through actions, not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence the act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should not "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between church and g sudarstvom.
Jefferson told the Baptists that the U.S. Bill of Rights prevents the creation of a national church, and they don’t need to fear government interference in their right to express a religious conscience. The Bill of Rights, adopted in 1791 as ten amendments to the United States Constitution, was one of the first political expressions of religious freedom. Is the church in Russia separated from the state?
Church Department in Russia
In Soviet Russia, the separation of church and state was proclaimed by decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR of January 24 (February 6), 1919, the content of which, however, was much wider.
The decree proclaimed that the state would not be dependent on the church, guaranteed freedom of religion of any religion. But at the same time, any religious education and enlightenment was prohibited everywhere, in all public places belonging to the state, where general subjects are taught. Also, this law robbed all religious organizations of any legal rights, as well as all property belonging to religious organizations, passes into the rights of the people. And this means that the church is separated from the state.
According to historian Richard Pipes, despite declarative declarations of religious freedom, the actual meaning of the decree meant the death sentence to church institutions. It is noted that official assessments of the decree during Soviet times were invariably positive.
In the modern Russian Federation
In the constitution of the Russian Federation, the church is separated from the state in accordance with article 141. Russia is a completely secular state. There can be no state or compulsory religion on the territory of this country. All religious communities have the same rights as all citizens. And this means that the church is separated from the state.
Russia has been granted the status of a secular power, according to the first paragraph of article 14 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. The second paragraph considers the complete separation of church and state. According to this law, the Russian Federation is an exclusively secular power. Religion cannot be established as law. Schools are also separate from the church. Is the church separated from the state in Russia? Under the Constitution, this is undoubtedly true.
How is the church separated in other countries?
Countries have varying degrees of separation between government and religious institutions. Since the 1780s, a number of countries have established clear barriers between the church and the state. The degree of actual separation between government and religion or religious institutions varies greatly. In some countries, the two institutions are still closely interlinked. In the post-communist world, new conflicts appear.
Countries with state religion
Numerous differences in separation can be seen in some countries with a high degree of religious freedom and tolerance, combined with highly secular political cultures that still maintain state churches or financial ties with certain religious organizations in the 21st century. In England there is a constitutionally established state religion, but other religions are also allowed. The British monarch is the High Governor of the Church of England, and 26 bishops (spiritual lords) sit in the upper house of government, the House of Lords.
In other kingdoms, by law, the head of government, or the head of state, or other senior officials may be required to be members of this faith. The authority to appoint senior members of state churches also often rests with worldly governments. However, these powers may be slightly anachronistic or superficial, and mask the true level of religious freedom a nation possesses. In the case of Andorra, there are two heads of state, and not one of them is an indigenous Andorran. One of them is the Roman Catholic bishop of Seu de Urgell, a city located in northern Spain. He has the title of Episcopal Cooprins (another Cooprins is the head of the French state). The co-princes enjoy political power to ratify the law and appoint the Constitutional Court.
United States Church Office
In the first constitutional amendment, the church is separated from the state. It was ratified in 1791. It states that the US Congress cannot legislate on religion and its practice. However, the phrase "separation of church and state" does not appear in the US Constitution.
Jefferson's phrase (mentioned above) was cited by the U.S. Supreme Court, first in 1878, and then in a number of cases starting in 1947. The Supreme Court did not address the issue of how this applies to states until 1947. When they did this, the court included a provision on the institution, determining that it applied to the states and that the law allowed reimbursement of travel expenses to all schools (including parish). From this moment, according to the Constitution, the church is already officially separated from the state.
Prior to its incorporation, unsuccessful attempts were made to amend the Constitution in order to explicitly apply the institution provision in the 1870s and 1890s.
This concept was laid down by Roger Williams, who escaped from religious oppression in the Massachusetts Gulf colony to establish the Rhode Island colony and Providence plantations on the basis of state neutrality in matters of faith.
Williams was guided by the historical abuse of state power, and believed that the government should distance itself from everything that relates to the relationship of people with God. He advocated a “wall of separation between the Church Garden and the Wilderness of the world” to keep the church clean.
Thanks to his work, the Rhode Island Charter was approved by King Charles II of England, who explicitly stated that no one should be offended, punished, disturbed, or questioned for any differences of opinion on religious matters.
Williams is credited with helping shape church and state debates in England and influencing people like John Milton and, especially, John Locke, whose work has been carefully studied by Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and other U.S. Constitution writers. Williams theologically derived his views mainly from Scripture, and his motives are considered religious, but Jefferson’s defense of religious freedom is seen as political and social. That is why the church is separated from the state in the USA.
Aggressive and friendly separation
Scientists distinguish between what can be called the "friendly" and "hostile" separation of church and state. The friendly type limits the intervention of the church in the affairs of the state, but also limits the interference of the state in the affairs of the church. A hostile separation, on the contrary, is trying to make sure that religion does not go beyond the boundaries of the house or church, and is also not taught anywhere.
A hostile model of secularism arose during the French Revolution and was illustrated by the Mexican Revolution, its Constitution, the First Portuguese Republic of 1910 and the Spanish Constitution of 1932. The enemy’s separation from the state is very similar in structure to the religion associated with politics in totalitarian states.
The French branch of 1905 and the Spanish branch of 1931 were described as the two most hostile in the 20th century, although current church-state relations in both countries are generally considered friendly. Nevertheless, the former president of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, at the beginning of his term considered the current state of affairs in his country to be “negative politics” and wanted to develop a “positive politics” more open to religion. Some believe that the state’s concern for religion is one of the causes of the civil war in Spain and Mexico. These are the main problems in powers where the church is not separated from the state.
The French Catholic philosopher and drafter of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Jacques Maritain, noted the difference between the models of France and the United States of America. He believed that the American model of that time was more amicable, since it had a “sharp difference and real cooperation” between the church and the state. He called this model a “historical treasure”.
Alexis de Tocqueville, another observer from France, noted that from the very beginning in the United States, religion and government were in commonwealth, and this continues to this day.