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Showing posts from July, 2020

State and Religion

In recent times many countries are taking a right turn. Right-wing politics has been rising globally since some time, and this has increased discussions and debates on the role of religion in a state.  Traditionalists claim a country has a religious identity irrespective it is secular or not. They feel this religious identity has to be sealed with a proclamation of a state religion. Supporters of state religion claim that nothing would change and minorities will continue to live normally as they have been living till now. But its critiques misinterpret it as a theocracy. Hence during a debate, each side is not able to convince the other why they oppose the idea, as their imagination of a state religion is different from the person differing. So to clarify, let me explain the types of state concerning religion. Broadly, let's bifurcate states into two types: Religious State, and Non-Religious State. Each type has three sub-types, which can cause confusion. Religious State: Cultural