The head of the Church of England, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams has reignited the debate over the separation of church and state in England, and he said in a recent interview that “it would not be the end of the world if the established church disappeared”.

I didn’t actually know that church and state were not separate in England, but that got me thinking, what is the difference really if there is separation between the church and the state, and if there is none.

Most of the countries in Europe, most of the countries in the world do not have a state church. Even highly religious countries like Spain, Italy and Poland have abolished the state church tens of years ago. But what is different in those countries, compared to before?

It’s a nice statement for a country to say that there is no state religion and all people are free to practice whatever religion they find comfortable. But does a state church really violate this principle? No, it doesn’t.

State religion, in practice, is not declared by law, but by the religion of the majority. And so are Christmas and Easter national holidays in most of the countries in the world where dominant religion is Christianity (no matter which denomination), Eid ul-Fitr a national holiday in countries where dominant religion is Islam, etc. And, the minorities in those countries do not usually get a national holiday for their religious celebrations.

In countries where most of the people are Christians, the state officials go to the church on 25th of December, no matter if they belong to the domination or are religious at all. The services and masses are broadcast across the country and it’s a traditional practice for the countries. No state church, but majority rules.

Of course, in developed countries statesmen sometimes go to celebrations of other religions. So it has become a tradition in many countries for a state or city leader lighting the Hanukkah menorah, for example. It’s a beautiful tradition, but it’s also understandable that all the people do not get the whole eight days off. If it’s important, one can take a vacation for the period.

Dr. Williams is right, nothing would happen and it would not be the end of the world if Church of England and the state were separated, but on the other hand we have to ask if it really is necessary. England is a very multireligious country with million of Muslims and hundreds of thousands of people representing other religions, and everyone’s right for practicing their religion is guaranteed. Would it be really reasonable to break a functioning system, if we pretty well know that actually nothing would change anyway and, more importantly, there actually is no need for change?

Countries are defined by the majorities. And state church or no state church, in practice it is always defined by the tradition and majority.

Similar Posts:

• Tories send “politically correct” Christmas cards with no mention to Christmas
• Religion is a private matter
• Poll results, new poll
• Sarkozy pushes for burqa ban in France
• What is taught in an atheist summer camp for children?

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...