FEW beliefs or ideologies pose a direct challenge to state authority in the same way religion does. That some religious beliefs are older than most countries is a known fact and this often causes a struggle for them to fit into these new national identities and constitutions.It is also no secret that some countries perceive religion as something outdated to be controlled, managed or avoided.Religious leaders, the world over, have made no secret of the struggle for relevance in the modern world. How different nations handle this emotive issue can be a masterclass on legislative reconciliations or over-extensions, on one hand, and an uneasy harmony, on the other.The State-and-Religion debate belies an ancient and evolving compromise between two competing authorities that are usually in conflict, in the lives of citizens.For example, in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, God (or Allah for the latter) is a sovereign deity that pre-exists all creation and thus all nations; believers […]
RELIGION AND THE STATE
