9781422274163

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN THE UNITED STATES

Religion has always been an emotional subject, and it has been an important part of most cultures throughout history. Until relatively recently, religious beliefs and governmental activities have always been tightly woven together. Even today, many countries have an official state religion. For example, most

countries in North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia recognize Islam as the state region. Israel is defined in its laws as a “democratic Jewish state.” And some countries, like Costa Rica, Malta, and Monaco, still declare a Christian denomination to be the official religion. ORIGINS OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM Until relatively recently, most of the countries in the world had a state religion . In Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire, this was usually the form of Christianity that was followed by the person or family who ruled that territory. For hundreds of years, most people in western Europe were subjects of the Roman Catholic Church, headed by the pope in Rome. People in eastern Europe followed the teaching of the Eastern Orthodox churches, such as the Greek, Russian,

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