The Unexpected Consequences of State Support for Religion: An Empirical Analysis of Christian-Majority Countries (Routledge Studies in Religion and Politics)

The Unexpected Consequences of State Support for Religion: An Empirical Analysis of Christian-Majority addresses the consequences of one of the most basic decisions a government must make when dealing with religion: the decision to support a state religion or to provide separation of religion and state and religious freedom. Drawing on the rational choice literature on religion and politics as well as the broader literature on religion in the social sciences, this book takes the perspective that politicians and governments decide on government religion policy based on their own interests.It tests five potential consequences of supporting a state religion in Christina-majority countries: religiosity (how religious are people in the country?), governmental legitimacy, levels of both public and private morality in a country, social trust, and patterns of violence and social unrest.Many of the empirical analyses reveal unexpected costs and benefits to supporting a state religion.For exampl