210 likes | 1.22k Views
Separation of Church and State. What do we mean by separation of church and state?. Church refers to the influence of religion on government affairs, or state. Questions Can a state have a state religion? Should religion class be taught in public schools?.
E N D
What do we mean by separation of church and state? • Church refers to the influence of religion on government affairs, or state. • Questions • Can a state have a state religion? • Should religion class be taught in public schools?
Theocracy: Church and state power are combined Iran: Supreme leader is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Secular State China Religion is privately allowed, but strictly absent from public life.
Western Democracies France Follows separation of church and state in THEORY AND PRACTICE. Eg. People not allowed to wear religious face coverings in public areas: schools, hospitals, government offices
Western Democracies United States Follows separation of church and state in THEORY BUT NOT IN PRACTICE. EG. All Presidents have been openly Christian, though prayer and religious activities have been absent from schools since the 1960’s. Religious leaders are not allowed to encourage parishioners to vote for a particular candidate.
Western Democracies Canada Follows separation of church more in practice than in theory, except for some Catholic school systems. Eg. Ontario is the only western democratic jurisdiction that exclusively publicly funds a single religion’s education. Why? Canadian leaders are not expected to have religious belief.