Ethics and Religion Talk: Is it Good to be the Official Religion of a Country?, part 1

Some panelists can point to countries where their religion is the “official” one. There, the line between Church and State is a bit more blurred than here in the US. I’m curious if each of you enjoys living in a pluralistic nation, as opposed to somewhere that has not only a majority of your co-religionists, but also favors your faith above others.

Fred Stella, the Pracharak (Outreach Minister) for the West Michigan Hindu Temple, responds:

Currently, there is no country where Hinduism has official status. In modern times the only nation that was a Hindu “theocracy” was Nepal. It became officially secular in 2008. Prior to that it was actually a monarchy, but many of the governed subscribed to the absurd notion that the royal family was made up of gods and goddesses. It didn’t end well. 

Many people assume that India is or was an officially Hindu state. It never was. Born in 1947, it has remained a secular democracy. And over the decades it has offered special minority status with perks to all religions other that Hinduism. There is now a strong movement to abolish such programs as subsidizing pilgrimages to Mecca or allowing polygamy. 

Yes, I do love living in a pluralistic nation. If there was an officially Hindu country I doubt I’d be attracted to live there. I do enjoy the diversity of faith that the USA offers. That said, if such a nation existed, I suspect that those who did worship differently would be treated with great respect. Prior to independence and after, India has been a refuge for those seeking religious freedom.

The Reverend Colleen Squires, minister at All Souls Community Church of West Michigan, a Unitarian Universalist Congregation, responds:

Unitarian Universalist congregations can be found on every continent around the world but there is not one country where it is the primary religion of the state. The largest concentration of UUs is in the New England states with Boston being the home to our headquarters. Unitarian Universalism is a pluralistic religion, so we do enjoy living in a pluralistic country. We are troubled when one religion is held up as more important than all the rest. We strongly believe in separation of church and state. I think many people forget that the United States should not hold one religion’s beliefs over all others.

Imam Kip Curnutt, Director of Religious Education and Associate Imam of Masjid At-Tawheed in Grand Rapids, responds:

This is a bit of tricky question for Muslims in the modern world. To begin with, in Islam we do not have the same kind of idea of separation of church and state as you find in western countries. This is because we believe our purpose in life is to worship God and to live according to a certain code or path that leads to Him. An ideal society for such an individual is one where everything is geared towards that purpose, such that one's religious journey is not merely a personal matter but an endeavor that we are all working together for as a society and is facilitated by the nature of the Government. This heritage is still influential today. You will find that many Muslim countries have it enshrined in their constitution that Islam is the official state religion and many Muslims want their governments to play that facilitating role in the religious life of the society. However, in reality many governments in the modern Muslim world for the last 50 years have put forward a primarily Secular Nationalist project run by Military Dictatorships. This was true of Jamal Abdul Nasir in Egypt, Sadam Hussein in Iraq, and the Assad regime in Syria. These governments tend to be totalitarian and violent against any opposition. This opposition often times comes from the religious sector of society and frequently these governments become openly hostile against displays of Islam that are viewed as a symbol of disloyalty to the regime. For that reason, ironically, many Muslims find it easier to practice their religion in the secular but pluralistic West rather than in these officially Muslim countries run by Secular Nationalist dictators.

My response:

If I am going to live in a country in which Jews are a minority, I appreciate the blessing of living in a country which does not have an official State religion and which has a separation of religion and state. This approach has allowed religion to blossom. When government is associated with supporting a particular religion or choosing the kind of religions it will support, the overwhelming result is that a greater number of people are turned off of religion. And when government tries to pick and choose which traditions to support, inevitably it will leave off some expressions of religion that it decides, rightly or wrongly, are not legitimate and not worthy of support. For this reason, Judaism has flourished in the United States more than in any other Western democratic country. Jews have had the opportunity to be more openly Jewish and Jewish movements have found fertile ground to experiment and grow.

However, I am also drawn to the State of Israel, which was founded on a piece of land historically associated with Judaism to normalize Jews as a people with a language and a land and the capacity for self-rule. In Israel, Hebrew, the language of the Bible and rabbinic literature, has once again become a living language for self-expression. The rhythm of the week, month, and year follows the Jewish calendar, as the Jewish sabbath and Jewish holidays are publicly recognized. Israel is also a democracy in which both Islam and Christianity are officially recognized religions. There are multiple tracks in the public school system, depending on which religious tradition you’d like your children to be educated in. It is not without pitfalls. The liberal denominations in Judaism are not completely recognized by the all of the official government agencies. Despite this, the culture of Israel has provided fertile ground for kinds of Jewish expression not possible outside of a Jewish state.

Check in again next week for responses from our Christian panelists.