Tags: Church & state
Head of Russian Orthodox Church says secularization in Europe has reached “apocalyptic dimensions,” calls for “Christian values”
Posted: Tue, 25 Nov 2014
Patriarch Kirill said Europe has abandoned its "Christian identity" and that the "process of secularization" has reached "apocalyptic dimensions". Read More »
Turkish President restates his belief that Muslims discovered America
Posted: Thu, 20 Nov 2014
Christopher Columbus has been removed from the Turkish school's syllabus after President Erdogan claimed Muslim sailors discovered the Americas in the 12th century. Read More »
Glasgow University investigates impact and extent of religious privilege
Posted: Fri, 14 Nov 2014
Researchers in the history and law departments of Glasgow University are beginning a research project to map the historical and current religious privileges in Scotland's laws. Read More »
Catholic Church in Norway secretly registered thousands as Catholics to illegally secure government funds
Posted: Wed, 05 Nov 2014
For four years the Catholic Church in Norway has been illegally registering immigrants as Catholics in order to secure increased government funding. Read More »
Significant minority of Anglican clergy favour disestablishment
Posted: Mon, 03 Nov 2014
A new YouGov poll conducted among Anglican clergy shows a significant minority of them would support separating the Church from the state. Read More »
Judges' religious service criticised by secular lawyers
Posted: Wed, 01 Oct 2014
Secular lawyers have called for a separation of the Church of England from judicial affairs after judges marked the start of the legal year with an Anglican service. Read More »
PM reaffirms Britain is a “Christian country” – British Social Attitudes figures suggest otherwise
Posted: Wed, 18 Jun 2014
Prime Minister David Cameron has again stood by his assertion that Britain is a "Christian country", saying he believes "very deeply that we should be confident in that status as a nation". Read More »
Secular marriage law proposed in Guernsey
Posted: Fri, 30 May 2014
A campaigning group for LGBTQ rights in Guernsey has announced that it has secured a commitment from the Guernsey government to introduce secular marriage legislation, removing religious references from laws related to marriage. Read More »
NSS welcomes Lib Dem leader’s calls for separation of church and state
Posted: Thu, 24 Apr 2014
Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg has called for the "eventual" disestablishment of the Church of England. Read More »
Prime Minister calls on Christians to be more "evangelical"
Posted: Thu, 17 Apr 2014
In his most recent effort to highlight his strong Christian faith and the importance of Christianity within the UK, David Cameron has called for Christians to be more "evangelical". Read More »
Bishop wants to withhold communion from Catholic MPs who vote against doctrine
Posted: Fri, 21 Mar 2014
The Bishop of Portsmouth, Philip Egan, has said in an interview that Catholic politicians who voted for same-sex marriage should be denied Communion. Read More »
Finland: Citizens’ initiative launched calling for separation of church and state
Posted: Tue, 21 Jan 2014
A citizens' initiative has been launched in Finland calling for legislative revisions to abolish the state church and to establish a state unbiased toward all religious convictions. Read More »
Majority of Britons believe state and church should be separate
Posted: Thu, 12 Dec 2013
A new Yougov poll has found that the majority of people in Britain think the Church of England should be separated from the state. Read More »
Leader of Russian Orthodox Church says it is dangerous to unite state and church while Putin declares Russia a secular state
Posted: Tue, 26 Nov 2013
Patriarch Kirill, leader of the Russian Orthodox Church has said that there is no question of the church and state uniting in Russia. Read More »
NSS members challenge judicial church service that reinforces links between church and state
Posted: Thu, 26 Sep 2013
Two members of the National Secular Society have written to the Justice Secretary, Chris Grayling, asking that he end the Anglican Church service in Westminster Abbey that marks the opening of the judicial year on 1 October. Read More »
Parliamentary report published on relationship between local authorities and faith groups
Posted: Mon, 10 Jun 2013
The All Party Parliamentary Group, Christians in Parliament, has published a report, Faith in the Community, which looks at the relationship between local authorities and churches. Read More »
Majority of Europeans favour separation of church and state, but Islam has an uphill battle for acceptance in Germany
Posted: Thu, 02 May 2013
A major new study of attitudes towards religion around the world has been conducted by the Bertelsmann Foundation – and finds that the majority of people in all the 13 nations surveyed favour a clear separation between religion and the state. Read More »
Secularist attempt to strip Austrian churches of financial privileges fails
Posted: Fri, 26 Apr 2013
The Catholic Church in Austria has reacted "with satisfaction" at the failure of a referendum that sought to strip churches of their many privileges. Read More »
Austrian referendum seeks to end church privileges
Posted: Fri, 12 Apr 2013
A referendum is being held in Austria aimed at ending the 1933 concordat that regulates church-state relations. Read More »
LibDem MP wants to separate marriage registration from religion
Posted: Wed, 10 Apr 2013
A Liberal Democrat MP, Greg Mulholland, has tabled an amendment to the proposed same-sex marriage bill proposing a complete separation of state marriage and religious weddings. Mr Mulholland argues that separating state and religious marriage is the only way to ensure equality and freedom of religion. Read More »
