State religion

[[Image:State Religions.png|right|thumb|400px|Nations with state religions: ]]

A state religion (also called an official religion, established church or state church) is a religious body or creed officially endorsed by the state. Practically, a state without a state religion is called a secular state. The term state church is associated with Christianity, historically the State church of the Roman Empire, and is sometimes used to denote a specific modern national branch of Christianity. Closely related to state churches are what sociologists call ecclesiae, though the two are slightly different. State religions are examples of the official or government-sanctioned establishment of religion, as distinct from theocracy. It is also possible for a national church to become established without being under state control. The first national church was the Armenian Orthodox Church which was established in 301 A.D.

Types of state churches

The degree and nature of state backing for denomination or creed designated as a state religion can vary. It can range from mere endorsement and financial support, with freedom for other faiths to practice, to prohibiting any competing religious body from operating and to persecuting the followers of other sects. In Europe, competition between Catholic and Protestant denominations for state sponsorship in the 16th century evolved the principle cuius regio eius religio ("states follow the religion of the ruler") embodied in the text of the treaty that marked the Peace of Augsburg, 1555. In England the monarch imposed Protestantism in 1533, with himself taking the place of the Pope, while in Scotland the Church of Scotland opposed the religion of the ruler.

In some cases, a state may have a set of state-sponsored religious denominations that it funds; such is the case in Alsace-Moselle in France under its local law, following the pattern in Germany.

In some communist states, notably in North Korea and Cuba, the state sponsors religious organizations, and activities outside those state-sponsored religious organizations are met with various degrees of official disapproval. In these cases, state religions are widely seen as efforts by the state to prevent alternate sources of authority.

State church vs state religion

There is also a difference between a "state church" and "state religion". A "state church" is created by the state, as in the cases of the Anglican Church, created by Henry VIII or the Church of Sweden, created by Gustav Vasa. An example of "state religion" is Argentina's acceptance of Roman Catholicism as its religion. However, these clauses have been held by the U.S. Supreme Court to be unenforceable in the 1961 case of Torcaso v. Watkins, where the court ruled unanimously that such clauses constituted a religious test incompatible with the religious test prohibition in Article 6 Section 3 of the United States Constitution.

Predominant (more than 90 percent of the population) religion in secular states

Roman Catholic – Italy, Luxembourg, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Philippines, Peru, Venezuela, and East Timor

Lutheran – Sweden and Finland

Islam – Azerbaijan, Gambia, Mali, Senegal, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan

Hinduism – India and Nepal

Buddhism – Burma

Present state religions

Currently, the following religions are recognized as state religions in some countries: some form of Christianity, Islam and Buddhism.

Christian countries

The following states recognize some form of Christianity as their state or official religion (by denomination):

Roman Catholic

Jurisdictions which recognize Roman Catholicism as their state or official religion: Costa Rica Liechtenstein Malta Monaco

Vatican City (Holy See)

A number of countries, including Andorra, Argentina, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Italy, Indonesia, Haiti, Honduras, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, and Spain, give a special recognition to Catholicism in their constitution despite not making it the state religion.

Eastern Orthodox

Jurisdictions which recognize one of the Eastern Orthodox Churches as their state religion: Greece (Church of Greece) Finland: Finnish Orthodox Church has a special relationship with the Finnish state. The internal structure of the church is described in the Orthodox Church Act. The church has a power to tax its members and corporations if a majority of shareholders are members. The church does not consider itself a state church, as the state does not have the authority to affect its internal workings or theology.

Protestantism

Lutheran Jurisdictions which recognize a Lutheran church as their state religion: Denmark (Church of Denmark) Iceland (Church of Iceland) Norway (Church of Norway) Finland: Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland has a special relationship with the Finnish state, its internal structure being described in a special law, the Church Act. The Finnish president also decides the themes for the intercession days. The church does not consider itself a state church, as the Finnish state does not have the power to influence its internal workings or its theology, although it has a veto in those changes of the internal structure which require changing the Church Act. Neither does the Finnish state accord any precedence to Lutherans or the Lutheran faith in its own acts.

Anglican

Jurisdictions that recognise an Anglican church as their state religion:

England (Church of England)

Reformed

Jurisdictions which recognize a Reformed church as their state religion:

* Tuvalu (Church of Tuvalu)

Muslim countries

Although the separation of church and state was first theorized by Averroes, many Muslim-majority countries recognize Islam as their state religion.

Sunni Islam

Afghanistan (Theocratic state)

Algeria (De-facto secular)

Bahrain (Freedom of religion is protected by the law)

Brunei

Comoros

Egypt

Acheh Province, Indonesia (Secularism constitution-guaranteed, only applies to Acheh Province)

Jordan (De-facto secular)

Maldives

Saudi Arabia (Islamic kingdom, state-sanctioned)

Shi'a Islam

Iran (Theocratic state)

Iraq (Constitution ammended, Islam inscribed as state religion circa 2003)

Buddhism as state religion

Governments which recognize Buddhism, either a specific form of, or the whole, as their official religion:

* Bhutan (Drukpa Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism) Cambodia (Theravada Buddhism)

Kalmykia, a republic within the Russian Federation (Tibetan Buddhism – sole Buddhist entity in Europe)

Sri Lanka (Theravada Buddhism) – The constitution accords Buddhism the "foremost place," but Buddhism is not recognized as the state religion.

Thailand (Theravada Buddhism)

Tibet Government in Exile (Tibetan Buddhism)

Additional notes

Israel is defined in several of its laws as a "Jewish and democratic state" (medina yehudit ve-demokratit). However, the term "Jewish" is a polyseme that can relate equally to the Jewish people or religion (see: Who is a Jew?). The debate about the meaning of the term Jewish and its legal and social applications is one of the most profound issues with which Israeli society deals. At present, there is no specific law or official statement establishing the Jewish religion as the state's religion. However, the State of Israel supports religious institutions, particularly Orthodox Jewish ones, and recognizes the "religious communities" as carried over from those recognized under the British Mandate. These are: Jewish and Christian (Eastern Orthodox, Latin [Catholic], Gregorian-Armenian, Armenian-Catholic, Syrian [Catholic], Chaldean [Uniate], Greek Catholic Melkite, Maronite, and Syrian Orthodox). The fact that the Muslim population was not defined as a religious community is a vestige of the Ottoman period during which Islam was the dominant religion and does not affect the rights of the Muslim community to practice their faith. At the end of the period covered by this report, several of these denominations were pending official government recognition; however, the Government has allowed adherents of not officially recognized groups freedom to practice. In 1961, legislation gave Muslim Shari'a courts exclusive jurisdiction in matters of personal status. Three additional religious communities have subsequently been recognized by Israeli law – the Druze (prior under Islamic jurisdiction), the Evangelical Episcopal Church, and the Bahá'í. These groups have their own religious courts as official state courts for personal status matters (see millet system). The structure and goals of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel are governed by Israeli law, but the law does not say explicitly that it is a state Rabbinate. Non-recognition of other streams of Judaism is the cause of some controversy. As of 2010, there is no civil marriage in Israel, although there is recognition of marriages performed abroad.

* Nepal was once the world's only Hindu state, but has ceased to be so following a declaration by the Parliament in 2006.

* The Philippines is constituted as a de facto Roman Catholic-state with religious freedom guarantees. In one region of the country is the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which composed of all the country's predominantly Muslim provinces, the Regional Assembly is empowered to legislate on matters covered by the Shari'ah. Such legislation, however, applies only to Muslims.

* Many countries indirectly fund the activities of different religious denominations by granting tax-exempt status to churches and religious institutions which qualify as charitable organizations. However, these religions are not established as state religions.

Ancient state religions

Egypt and Sumer

The concept of state religions was known as long ago as the empires of Egypt and Sumer, when every city state or people had its own god or gods. Many of the early Sumerian rulers were priests of their patron city god. Some of the earliest semi-mythological kings may have passed into the pantheon, like Dumuzid, and some later kings came to be viewed as divine soon after their reigns, like Sargon the Great of Akkad. One of the first rulers to be proclaimed a god during his actual reign was Gudea of Lagash, followed by some later kings of Ur, such as Shulgi. Often, the state religion was integral to the power base of the reigning government, such as in Egypt, where Pharaohs were often thought of as embodiments of the god Horus.

Sassanid Empire

Zoroastrianism was the state religion of the Sassanid dynasty which lasted until 651, when Persia was conquered by the forces of Islam. However, it persisted as the state religion of the independent state of Hyrcania until the 15th century.

The tiny kingdom of Adiabene in northern Mesopotamia converted to Judaism around 34 AD.

Greek city-states

Many of the Greek city-states also had a 'god' or 'goddess' associated with that city. This would not be the 'only god' of the city, but the one that received special honors. In ancient Greece the city of Athens had Athena, Sparta had Ares, Delphi had Apollo and Artemis, Olympia had Zeus, Corinth had Poseidon and Thebes had Demeter.

Roman religion and Christianity

In Rome, the office of Pontifex Maximus came to be reserved for the emperor, who was often declared a 'god' posthumously, or sometimes during his reign. Failure to worship the emperor as a god was at times punishable by death, as the Roman government sought to link emperor worship with loyalty to the Empire. Many Christians and Jews were subject to persecution, torture and death in the Roman Empire, because it was against their beliefs to worship the emperor.

In 311, Emperor Galerius, on his deathbed, declared a religious indulgence to Christians throughout the Roman Empire, focusing on the ending of anti-Christian persecution. Constantine I and Licinius, the two Augusti, by the Edict of Milan of 313, enacted a law allowing religious freedom to everyone within the Roman Empire. Furthermore, the Edict of Milan cited that Christians may openly practice their religion unmolested and unrestricted, and provided that properties taken from Christians be returned to them unconditionally. Although the Edict of Milan allowed religious freedom throughout the empire, it did not abolish nor disestablish the Roman state cult (Roman polytheistic paganism). The Edict of Milan was written in such a way as to implore the blessings of the deity.

Constantine called up the First Council of Nicaea in 325, although he was not a baptised Christian until years later. Despite enjoying considerable popular support, Christianity was still not the official state religion in Rome, although it was in some neighboring states such as Armenia and Aksum.

Roman Religion (Neoplatonic Hellenism) was restored for a time by Julian the Apostate from 361 to 363. Julian does not appear to have reinstated the persecutions of the earlier Roman emperors.

Catholic Christianity, as opposed to Arianism and other ideologies deemed heretical, was declared to be the state religion of the Roman Empire on February 27, 380 by the decree De Fide Catolica of Emperor Theodosius I.

Han Dynasty Confucianism

In China, the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) advocated Confucianism as the de facto state religion, establishing tests based on Confucian texts as an entrance requirement into government service—although, in fact, the "Confucianism" advocated by the Han emperors may be more properly termed a sort of Confucian Legalism or "State Confucianism". This sort of Confucianism continued to be regarded by the emperors, with a few notable exceptions, as a form of state religion from this time until the overthrow of the imperial system of government in 1911. Note however, there is a debate over whether Confucianism (including Neo-confucianism) is a religion or purely a philosophical system.

Modern era

Empire of Japan

From the Meiji era to the first part of the Showa era, Koshitsu Shinto was established in Japan as the national religion. According to this, the emperor of Japan was an arahitogami, an incarnate divinity and the offspring of goddess Amaterasu. As the emperor was, according to the constitution, "head of the empire" and "supreme commander of the Army and the Navy", every Japanese citizen had to obey his will and show absolute loyalty.

States/Countries without any state religion

These states do not profess any state religion, and are generally secular or laique. Countries which officially decline to establish any religion include:

* Albania

Armenia (Article 8.1 of the Armenian Constitution)

Australia (Forbidden under the Constitution of Australia)

Azerbaijan

Brazil all states since 1988 – (Article 19 of the Brazilian Constitution)

People's Republic of China

Republic of China (Taiwan)

East Timor

Estonia

Hungary

Israel (which considers itself a "a Jewish and democratic state", although "Jewish" might be construed to refer to the people rather than the religion)

Italy

Jamaica

Japan (Shinto until end of WWII)

Kosovo (Independence partially recognised)

Laos

Lebanon (although by custom the president is a Maronite Catholic, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim and the speaker of the parliament a Shi'a Muslim.)

Mauritius

Mexico

Montenegro

Nepal (declared a secular state on May 18, 2006, by the newly resumed House of Representatives)

Netherlands

New Zealand

Nigeria (federally secular, but allowing for the institutionalization of Islam and sharia in the predominantly-Muslim northern states)

North Korea

Philippines (forbidden explicitly under Article III Section 5 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution)

Poland

Slovenia

Sweden (Lutheran (Church of Sweden) until December 31, 1999.)

Syria (though the constitution requires the president be Muslim and establishes Sharia as the official source of legislation)

Turkey

United Republic of Tanzania – The father of the Nation Mwalimu Julius K. Nyerere said the state doesn't have the religion but the people of the United Republic of Tanzania have, and each one is allowed to practice their religion freely as long as it doesn't cause harm to the other.

United States (forbidden explicitly under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, and implicitly in Article VI of the same document.)

Puerto Rico (forbidden explicitly under Article II Section III of the Constitution of Puerto Rico. Also forbidden explicitly under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, as well as implicitly in Article VI of the same document. Puerto Rico is a Commonwealth of the United States).

Uruguay

Venezuela

Vietnam

Established churches and former state churches

Former state churches in British North America

Protestant colonies

The colonies of Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay, New Haven, and New Hampshire were founded by Puritan Calvinist Protestants.

The colonies of New York, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia were officially Church of England.

Catholic colonies

When New France was transferred to Great Britain in 1763, the Roman Catholic Church remained under toleration, but Huguenots were allowed entrance where they had formerly been banned from settlement by Parisian authorities.

The Colony of Maryland was founded by a charter granted in 1632 to George Calvert, secretary of state to Charles I, and his son Cecil, both recent converts to Roman Catholicism. Under their leadership many English Catholic gentry families settled in Maryland. However, the colonial government was officially neutral in religious affairs, granting toleration to all Christian groups and enjoining them to avoid actions which antagonized the others. On several occasions low-church dissenters led insurrections which temporarily overthrew the Calvert rule. In 1689, when William and Mary came to the English throne, they acceded to demands to revoke the original royal charter. In 1701 the Church of England was proclaimed, and in the course of the eighteenth century Maryland Catholics were first barred from public office, then disenfranchised, although not all of the laws passed against them (notably laws restricting property rights and imposing penalties for sending children to be educated in foreign Catholic institutions) were enforced, and some Catholics even continued to hold public office.

Spanish Florida was ceded to Great Britain in 1763, the British divided Florida into two colonies. Both East and West Florida continued a policy of toleration for the Catholic Residents.

Colonies with no established church

The Province of Pennsylvania was founded by Quakers, but the colony never had an established church.

The Province of New Jersey, without official religion, had a significant Quaker lobby, but Calvinists of all stripes also had a presence.

Delaware Colony had no established church, but was contested between Catholics and Quakers.

The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, founded by religious dissenters forced to flee the Massachusetts Bay colony, is widely regarded as the first polity to grant religious freedom to all its citizens, although Catholics were barred intermittently. Baptists, Seekers/Quakers and Jews made this colony their home.

Tabular summary

In several colonies, the establishment ceased to exist in practice at the Revolution, about 1776; this is the date of permanent legal abolition.

in 1789 the Georgia Constitution was amended as follows: "Article IV. Section 10. No person within this state shall, upon any pretense, be deprived of the inestimable privilege of worshipping God in any manner agreeable to his own conscience, nor be compelled to attend any place of worship contrary to his own faith and judgment; nor shall he ever be obliged to pay tithes, taxes, or any other rate, for the building or repairing any place of worship, or for the maintenance of any minister or ministry, contrary to what he believes to be right, or hath voluntarily engaged. To do. No one religious society shall ever be established in this state, in preference to another; nor shall any person be denied the enjoyment of any civil right merely on account of his religious principles."

From 1780 Massachusetts had a system which required every man to belong to a church, and permitted each church to tax its members, but forbade any law requiring that it be of any particular denomination. This was objected to, as in practice establishing the Congregational Church, the majority denomination, and was abolished in 1833.

Until 1877 the New Hampshire Constitution required members of the State legislature to be of the Protestant religion.

The North Carolina Constitution of 1776 disestablished the Anglican church, but until 1835 the NC Constitution allowed only Protestants to hold public office. From 1835–1876 it allowed only Christians (including Catholics) to hold public office. Article VI, Section 8 of the current NC Constitution forbids only atheists from holding public office. Such clauses were held by the United States Supreme Court to be unenforceable in the 1961 case of Torcaso v. Watkins, when the court ruled unanimously that such clauses constituted a religious test incompatible with First and Fourteenth Amendment protections.

Religious tolerance for Catholics with an established Church of England was policy in the former Spanish Colonies of East and West Florida while under British rule.

In 1783 Peace of Paris, which ended the American Revolutionary War, the British ceded both East and West Florida back to Spain (see Spanish Florida).

Tithes for the support of the Anglican Church in Virginia were suspended in 1776, and never restored. 1786 is the date of the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom, which prohibited any coercion to support any religious body.

Other colonies

In both cases, these areas were disestablished and dissolved, yet their presences were tolerated by the Anglo-American government, as Foreign Protestants, whose communities were expected to observe their own ways without causing controversy or conflict for the prevalent colonists. After the Revolution, their ethno-religious backgrounds were chiefly sought as the most compatible non-British Isles immigrants.

* New Netherland was founded by Dutch Reformed Calvinists.

New Sweden was founded by Church of Sweden Lutherans.

State of Deseret

The State of Deseret was a provisional state of the United States, proposed in 1849 by Mormon settlers in Salt Lake City. The provisional state existed for slightly over two years, but attempts to gain recognition by the United States government floundered for various reasons. The Utah Territory which was then founded was under Mormon control, and repeated attempts to gain statehood met resistance, in part due to concerns over the principle of separation of church and state conflicting with the practice of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints of placing their highest value on "following counsel" in virtually all matters relating to their church-centered lives. The state of Utah was eventually admitted to the union on January 4, 1896, after the various issues had been resolved.

References

External links

Category:Religious law Category:Religion and politics Category:Separation of church and state Category:Church and state law

This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.

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Duration: 8:34
Published: 2008-04-01
Uploaded: 2010-09-24
Author: truthcaster

Watch how Bro. Eli Soriano answer this beautiful question straight from the verses of the Bible. To know more about the words of God, visit: www.truthcaster.com

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Duration: 1:48
Published: 2009-08-17
Uploaded: 2010-09-06
Author: paulocoelhoTV

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Duration: 6:20
Published: 2008-01-11
Uploaded: 2010-12-01
Author: eidolonTLP

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Published: 2008-03-27
Uploaded: 2010-12-16
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Duration: 3:29
Published: 2010-06-30
Uploaded: 2010-12-19
Author: 2oo9xBLaZe

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Duration: 4:06
Published: 2010-06-18
Uploaded: 2010-12-17
Author: TheSharkBay

Rest in paradise Nujabes. Support real hip-hop. --------------------------------------------------------------------- i let my mind mental go back to grind central it is essential that i move my pencil my credentials and my dental make it nice and simple so yall can hear it never fear it and you come and listen (listen up, listen up) cause mindstyle forever glisten makin it a mission, for rap to a be new age established religion so we gon move it in my bullpen my tabernacle will shackle any emcees that want step to me in battle im keepin it peace and order while im hittin the gavel you talkin that bullshit? you gonna hit the gravel cause im gonna do what i can, do what i must those silly motherfuckas cant rock the mic they need to hush that'll be the favorite fanatical lyrical lust feeding ya ears with grade A lyrical foods stuffs making you flush when you hear it making your spirit overjoy for these lyrics that you want to spit it honey we vivid on candid camera now im gonna scare ya like godzilla fightin gamera spreadin malaria in ya area pandemonium just a bound to CYNE hittin ya town with the musical sound and move the crowd with the graphic displays of physical waves that make you wanna lose it for days nigga we made, lyrical art and seranade impress the mind like miracles in biblical days. blessin the club with my presence forgave all of my lessons the only protection that im carryin is not a weapon gets to high steppin when you see me no man can ever beat me i sit ...

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Published: 2009-04-01
Uploaded: 2010-12-01
Author: romereports

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Duration: 18:48
Published: 2007-04-23
Uploaded: 2010-12-03
Author: LifeBlissFoundation

From the works of Enlightenened master Paramahamsa Nithyananda. In this talk Nithyananda describes how Mahavira has established the fact that Non Violence is the supreme religion. He discusses how the importance of establishing one in non violence is a foundation to establish in truth as non violence itself can bring love. Like always, with powerful examples, Nithyananda delivers the truth from the Jain Sutras in these lectures delivered Los Angeles in March 2007.

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Duration: 10:05
Published: 2010-05-04
Uploaded: 2010-12-12
Author: ChocolatierRob

The Entire plot of the second game in Ubisoft Montreal's Prince of Persia trilogy. All of the cutscenes, boss fights and Dahaka chases with plenty more gameplay to fill in the edges. 2:28 The Prince certainly likes to show off, any sane man would have just used her momentum to push her through while she was off balance but Noo /he/ has to vault over her first. In this fight Kaileena uses her own power to slow time which needs to be countered by doing it yourself. I've included both endings to this game as they are both mentioned at the start of the next. To achieve this I reverse all the action of the bad ending back to the point where the two endings diverge. Its not a power used by the Prince and has no canonicity to the story I just used it as a bridge. To achieve the effect however I had to download a 30 day trial version of Sony Vegas Pro, I have no intention of paying £500 for a programme to needlessly complicate my life, Windows Movie Maker is good enough for my purposes as I have no plans to rewind video again. Zoroastrianism pt2 - The Vision of Zoroaster When Zoroaster was thirty years old, he went into the Daiti river to draw water for a Haoma ceremony, when he emerged, he received a vision of Voluh Manah. After this Voluh Manah took him to the other six Amesha Spentas where he received the completion of his vision. This vision radically transformed his view of the world, and he tried to teach this view to others. Zoroaster believed in one creator God, teaching ...

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Duration: 1:56
Published: 2009-05-20
Uploaded: 2010-12-11
Author: puritanpicks

Get the whole video at puritanpicks.com John Bunyan spends his days in prison, separated from his wife and children. Living in the cold, stone cell is the price he pays for going against the established state religion. If only he would agree to stop preaching, John could walk out a free man! Why does he choose to stay in jail, and how will he serve his Lord in this wretched place? Find out in this episode of The Torchlighters. Torchlighters is a series of animated programs for youth ages 8-12, presenting the lives of true-life heroes from Christian history. When Kids see what God can do through a "Torchlighter" who is devoted to carrying out His will and purposes, they too may want to carry a torch of faith by serving Him.

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Duration: 10:03
Published: 2007-04-13
Uploaded: 2010-12-18
Author: Gravitationalist

This is a short clip from Stephen Hawking's Universe. It shows the same thing that we see happening today with fundamentalist and their denial of Evolution and other scientific discoveries. This was a period in time when the Catholic Church was as fundamentalist as some of todays Christian denominations. They learned their lesson and accepted Evolution about 40 years ago. Isn't it about time you did the same? Bible passages that relate to Geocentrism: Psalm 93:1, Psalm 96:10, and Chronicles 16:30 state that "the world is firmly established, it cannot be moved." Psalm 104:5 says, "[the LORD] set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved." Ecclesiastes 1:5 states that "the sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises." Bible passaged that relate to Human Evolution: Genesis 1:26 "And God said, Let us make man in our image" Genesis 2:7 "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground"

Salvation through the Catholic Church, the bible alone teaching is a lie

Duration: 8:26
Published: 2010-02-17
Uploaded: 2010-12-03
Author: stevesilvia

Did you know that religions go by the name of their founder? In the year 1520, 368 years ago, the first Protestant came into the world. Before that one there was not a Protestant in the world, not one on the face of the whole earth; and that one, as all history tells us, was Martin Luther, who was a Catholic Priest, who fell away from the Church through pride, and married a nun. He was excommunicated from the Church, cut off, banished, and made a new religion of his own. Before Martin Luther there was not a Protestant in the world; he was the first to raise the standard of rebellion and revolt against the Church of God. He said to his disciples that they should take the Bible for their guide, and they did so. But they soon quarreled with him, Zwingli, and a number of others, and every one of them started a new religion of his own. After the disciples of Martin Luther came John Calvin, who in Geneva established the Presbyterian religion, and hence, almost all of those religions go by the name of their founder. I ask the Protestant, "Why are you a Lutheran, my friend?" "Well, says he, "because I believe in the doctrine of Martin Luther." Hence, not of Christ, but of man, Martin Luther. And what kind of man was he? A man who had broken the solemn oath he had made at the altar of God, And this was the first founder of Protestantism in the world. The very name by which they are known tells you they came from Martin Luther. So. The Presbyterians are sometimes called Calvinists ...

Dawkins: Did Religion Have an Evolutionary Value?

Duration: 4:14
Published: 2010-05-07
Uploaded: 2010-12-20
Author: ForaTv

Complete video at: fora.tv Richard Dawkins argues that humanity's historical predisposition towards religion and supernatural beliefs may have held an evolutionary utility. "The rule of thumb: 'Believe whatever your parents tell you,' quite clearly could have survival value," says Dawkins. ----- He's the King of All the Atheists, and now Richard Dawkins is hammering home what he sees as his key argument against the existence of God. In his book, The Greatest Show on Earth, Dawkins aims to put the theory of evolution in a factually unassailable position. Here, at Adelaide Writers' Week in 2010, he goes through his book chapter by chapter, and in doing so attempts to convince his audience of the absolute veracity of Darwin's theories. - Australian Broadcasting Corporation Richard Dawkins is a world-renowned evolutionary biologist and author. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society and, until recently, held the Charles Simonyi Chair of Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. His first book, The Selfish Gene, was an instant international bestseller, and has become an established classic work of modern evolutionary biology. He is also the author of The Blind Watchmaker, River Out of Eden, Climbing Mount Improbable, Unweaving the Rainbow, A Devil's Chaplain, The Ancestor's Tale The God Delusion, and most recently, The Greatsest Show on Earth. Professor Dawkins's awards have included the Silver Medal of the Zoological Society of London (1989), the Royal Society's ...

TAO : Ancient Chinese Religion or Philosophy(BC)

Duration: 10:00
Published: 2008-05-12
Uploaded: 2010-11-21
Author: MarkNg07

The Center of Traditional Taoist Studies is a non-profit 501(C)(3) religious organization established to promote traditional Taoist studies. The Center offers classes in Taoist Religion, Philosophy, and Chi Quong. Its campus includes one of the largest private Taoist Temples in the world. Founded by Master Alex Anatole, The Center of Traditional Taoist Studies is dedicated to the practical application of Taoism. This need was recognized by Master Anatole as he observed pseudo-teachings and false interpretations of Taoism which included inaccurate descriptions of Taoist Philosophy, superficial Chi Quong and ineffective Martial Arts. The Center's commitment to classical teachings in an integrated system has been recognized in the US, China and Russia. ...more Taoist Texts

Hip-Hop Is A Religion (1 of 8) - Rappers Are Preachers

Duration: 10:00
Published: 2009-10-24
Uploaded: 2010-12-20
Author: TDGvideos

THE SHORT DESCRIPTION --- See how Hip-Hop is a religion from the artist point of view. Real Hip-Hop artists know the 5 elements of Hip-Hop. The 5th element of Hip-Hop is the "knowledge of self as God." Self worship is essential practice of satanism. Hear it from the church of satan and various artists in the rest of the series. Many people follow this religion (of self worship) and don't know it. Anyone, Hip-Hoppas, Athiests, Christians, Muslims, whether you consider yourself religious or not, this doctrine has been preached to all of us at some time because this is not just in Hip-Hop. It's just more obvious in Hip-Hop because more people are following it all over the world. All you have to do is watch the rest of this series to see the proof. Just something to think about. Nothing meant to harm or disrespect anyone. Show this to others so we may all learn from this. Don't use this as a tool to hate, but instead spread peace, unity, and love. Everyone needs to know this. THE LONG DESCRIPTION---------------- Think about the artists you listen to. Do you know what religion is preached to you when you listen to them? Every artist is preaching about something to you through their music, whether it seems religious or not. Religion is whatever you believe and practice. For example, if you believe God doesn't exist, you will practice living as if He doesn't exist. Therefore, everyone has religion, whether you consider yourself a religious person or don't. Like it or not, you ...

Religion vs Science (2 of 2)

Duration: 4:56
Published: 2007-04-13
Uploaded: 2010-12-11
Author: Gravitationalist

Black Afrikans vs Religion...Round 1 ( The Black Woman Ovum)

Duration: 7:14
Published: 2008-07-07
Uploaded: 2010-12-19
Author: intwy

The Lord possessed The Black Man & Women in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. We were set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there were no depths we were brought forth . . Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth: while as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world. When he prepared the heavens we were there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: when he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: when he gave to the sea his decree, . . . . . . when he appointed the foundations of the earth: then we were by him, as one brought up with him. . . . . . ." Proverbs, viii. 22 ff.}

Islam - The World's Most Intolerant Religion

Duration: 3:02
Published: 2009-08-03
Uploaded: 2010-12-18
Author: 1001Phoenix

The idea persists in Western and Eastern minds that Muhammad was a man of peace who established a world-wide religion of peace. It is generally assumed that only in modern times has a small faction of religious radicals committed crimes in the name of Muhammad. The gentle Prophet himself, if he were alive, would certainly not approve of these deadly deeds committed in his name. But Spencer's research leads to the opposite conclusion: Muhammad was primarily a man of aggressive violence and irrationality. He was himself the prototype of the modern day Islamofascist Jihad terrorist. Like it or not, we are increasingly imperiled by, and simultaneously, oblivious to the global political ambitions of resurgent Islam. These dangers appear genuinely contemporary after one learns the details of Muhammad's dealings with the Jewish Banu Qurayzah tribe of Yathrub (Medina). After sending a secret Muslim convert, Nu'aym bin Mas'ud, to sabotage a Qurayzah alliance with the pagan Quraysh, Muhammad debased the Jews as "brothers of monkeys." This language, as Spencer dutifully notes, "also made its way into the Qur'an"--in chapters 2 (verses 62-65), 5 (verses 59-60) and 7 (verse 166)--and is routinely invoked by current-day Muslim leaders. Citing the famed A. Guillaume's 1955 translation of Ibn Ishaq's Life of Muhammad (Sirat Rasul Allah), Spencer notes that Muhammad's forces "laid siege to the Qurayzah strongholds for twenty-five days, until... 'they were sorely pressed' and, as Muhammad ...

Discovering Religion: Ep 18 - God's Law vs. Christ's Grace

Duration: 12:39
Published: 2010-11-12
Uploaded: 2010-12-19
Author: DiscoveringReligion

WARNING: This episode contains some graphic scenes of sacrifice and torture, view at your own discretion. The eighteenth installment of my original series, "Discovering Religion". Although I have a feeling some of you might find this episode a little dry, due to the large amount of Bible quotations, this episode is a very important addition to my series. If you've ever debated a Christian about morality you are familiar with the large emphasis placed on the Ten Commandments, while vast majority of Moses' other commands are selectively 'cherry picked' as it suits their needs. I attempt to rectify the fallacious attitude Christians have toward Scripture by examining the Mosaic Laws of atonement and morality, the purpose of Christ within God's Law, and how Jesus defined himself with regard to the Law. This episode originally started off as a couple paragraphs in the next episode, "If America Became a Christian Nation"; however, I knew many Christians would contest my arguments if I had not thoroughly established the Law's Christians are required to follow. Now that I have set the stage, so to speak, the next installment will be a two-part episode that discusses all the changes in public policy we might expect to see if America went the way of Islamic countries that follow Sharia Law. ------------------------------------------------------ PLAYLIST: www.youtube.com ------------------------------------------------------ Important Quotes: And by that will, we have been made holy ...

PROJECT CAMELOT: AN INTERVIEW WITH CARMEN BOULTER

Duration: 115:52
Published: 2010-12-04
Uploaded: 2010-12-19
Author: jagbodhi

I traveled with Dr. Carmen Boulter on her group tour of Egypt for the special meditation inside the Great Pyramid and at the foot of the Sphinx on 10-10-2010. This interview was done in view of the pyramids where at the end of the tour we had a chance to sit down and talk about Amarna, Nefertiti and Akhenaten and what really happened in those days. Detaching themselves from the intrigues and treachery of temple life, they moved to Amarna built temples and their palace and established a new religion which was focused on the one god. This was a time of peace and as depicted in the temple inscriptions and carvings of the period, a more natural mode of being. The reign of Akhenaten lasted for 17 years... and ended with the death of Akhenaten. When his heir and son, Tutankhamun was moved back to Luxor, the temple priests managed to reestablish the old ways of polytheism and hierarchy. Our conversation deals with Carmen's considerable past life recall from the period of Amarna, what really happened during the reign of Akhenaten and Nefertiti, the general state of Egyptology, and 2012. Carmen's phenomenal recall and understanding of the true history of Egypt and her erudition augmented by years of study is inspiring. While our journey in Egypt was heavily impacted by personal tragedies and high emotions the discoveries and revelation of seeing Egypt with Carmen as guide was a rare and very special experience. This was my third trip to Egypt. While I was there, I had several ...

Prodigy of Mobb Deep - Real Power Is People "HNIC2 APRIL 22"

Duration: 2:36
Published: 2008-02-17
Uploaded: 2010-12-18
Author: Blockustomz2

Sign Up To The Only Infamous Mobb Deep Forum Online.. Mobb Deep, Havoc, Prodigy, IM3, illa ghee, 40 glocc, Nyce, Fox, Hiphop, unsigned hype.. we got it all! get the exclusives i cant post on youtube. infamousminded.proboards.com GET THE EXCLUSIVES!

prodigy - real power is people

Duration: 3:36
Published: 2008-04-18
Uploaded: 2010-12-07
Author: rapstati0n

www.RapStation.eu | prodigy - real power is people

Rick Warren's Religion of the Anti-christ

Duration: 6:29
Published: 2010-08-17
Uploaded: 2010-10-12
Author: BereanBeacon

Purpose Driven Life Play List - www.youtube.com The Tony Blair Faith Foundation was established by Tony Blair in May 2008. en.wikipedia.org Loren Davis Ministries PO Box 470470 Tulsa, OK 74147-0470 combineharvesting@hotmail.com www.lorendavis.com ABOUT SOUTHWEST RADIO MINISTRIES Southwest Radio Church Ministries is a faith-based Christian radio ministry. Begun in 1933 by Dr. EF Webber at a small, local radio station in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Southwest Radio Church is the oldest, longest-running Christian radio ministry in the United States. Noah Hutchings After Dr. Webber passed away in 1959, Rev. Hutchings expanded Southwest Radio from a regional ministry to an international Christian organization, heard across the United States and around the world. Rev. Hutchings has written over 100 books and is an acknowledged expert in end-times Bible prophecy and eschatology. He has also led numerous tours and missions to the Far East, Asia, China, Mongolia, Russia, Europe, Central America, and Cuba, including 50 tours to Israel and the Middle East. Southwest Radio Ministries publishes its own books as well as offering a variety of books each month by well-known Christian authors. Be a part of this exciting Christian ministry in these last days before the glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ! http

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Truthcaster: What is the first religion which was established by our Lord?