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?

Theocracy: Church and state power are combined

Iran: Supreme leader is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Secular StateChina

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 DemocraciesCanadaFollows 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.