Church and State: Lessons from Abroad
Stephen V. Monsma
July 1, 1996
Most americans do not realize that the approach their country has taken to issues of church and state is almost unique among the world's democracies. This approach is one of strict church-state separation—in rhetoric if not always in practice. Other democracies allow for greater degrees of cooperation between church and state.
Germany and the Netherlands are examples of two modern democracies that differ sharply from the United States in their approach to church-state relations. Both provide generous levels of funding to nonpublic schools and nonprofit social service and health care organizations, including those that are deeply religious. Both provide public funding for theological seminaries. Germany allows spoken prayers and requires religious instruction in its public schools.
Earlier this year I spent six weeks in Germany and the Netherlands interviewing forty-five persons and gathering materials related to those countries' approach to church-state relations. I came away convinced that the key to understanding their approach to church-state issues—and why they differ greatly from the United States'—is both countries' commitment to the principle of equal treatment of religion and competing secular philosophies. In the Dutch and German view the separation of church and state, and governmental neutrality on matters of religion, are not violated so long as whatever benefits government makes available to religious groups are also made available to secular groups. In contrast, the United States Supreme Court has ruled, with the strong support of society's leadership echelon, that government may not aid religion. End of discussion.
Gerhard Robbers, a professor of law at Trier University in Germany, has written—one suspects with ...
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