Separation of Church and State

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Introduction

The fusion or separation of church (or in greater sense, religion) from the affairs of the state (nation) is an issue whose relative importance in any society cannot be overemphasized. This stems from the impact of having state affairs directly influenced by religious beliefs and practices in the case of the fusion of the state and religion. Better still the separation of the state from the clutches of religious beliefs has the propensity to significantly affect way of life as well as the rate of development in a society.

In my opinion however, I sincerely believe that the church (by extension, religion) should be separated from the secular state. This is especially important in heterogeneous societies where citizens practice different kinds of religions and a choice of any as the official state religion would constitute significant inequality and tension. As evident in the multifaceted history of Europe, the eventual separation of the secular state from the church was inevitable although it took until the eighteenth century for that to effectively take place.

Europe: the Separation of the Church from and the Secular State

The church, specifically the Roman Catholic Church had for several centuries been the focal point of authority in Europe partly due to the spread of Christianity all over Europe early on in the ensuing centuries after the death of Christ Jesus and also because of the enormous power it acquired over time as the dominant religious institution of the day. The church became so powerful that it virtually became the dynastic ruling class in Europe for over fourteen centuries.

However, the vicissitudes of the sixteenth and seventeenth century that started with the “Reformation movement” led by the Ge...

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...like to point out categorically that the separation of the church and state as it emanated in sixteenth century Europe has done more good than harm to Europe and the world at large over the last half a millennium. Modern society as we know it today would be unimaginable if the separation of the state from the church had not taken place. This is especially so in the light of the achievements recorded in the sciences as well as in technology which most definitely would have remain stiffened by the church had it been the state was still under its complete control.

Works Cited

Matthews, Roy and DeWitt Platt The Western Humanities: the Renaissance to the Present. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2001.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_church_and_state

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_church_and_state_in_the_United_States

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran

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