Republic of the Philippines

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF ADVANCED STUDIES
Urdaneta Campus
Urdaneta City, Pangasinan

Written Report in Development Issues and Problems in the Third World (SSE 214)

Reporter: DIZON, Marilyn V.

Topic: The Church and the State Relationship (Distinguishing the mission of
religion from that of politics).

Objectives:
a. Differentiate the aims and nature of church and state.
b. Explain the separation of church and state.
c. Internalize the value of unity and cooperation despite of having a separation of church
and state.

The relationship between church and state is the institutional form of the
relationship between the religious and political spheres. This relationship has taken a
variety of forms historically and in the modern world from the state dominating religion to
religion dominating the state and recent attempts to separate them. This chapter will
help us understand the relationship between state and religion, more particularly
between state and church by differentiating their nature and aims and by explaining the
concept of separation and state.

 The church and the state differ in their nature and aims. (Distinguishing the
mission of religion from that of politics).
State and church often include the same people, but they represent different aims and
styles of work. State-church relationships are regulated through systems of civil and
ecclesiastical law. The aim of the state is the common good of civil society; this good
is not only material but also spiritual, since the members of society are persons with a
body and soul. Social progress requires, besides material goods, many other goods of a
spiritual nature: peace, order, justice, freedom, security, etc. These goods can only
be achieved through the exercise of social virtues, which the state should foster and
safeguard. However, the aims of the church are above all spiritual: preaching the
Gospel, administering the sacraments or prayer, providing a foundation for a common
morality.
o Common good- the sum total of social conditions which allow people,
either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and
more easily. The common good concerns the life of all.

The relationship between state and religion differs from country to country. Different
approaches often appear in the constitutions. In the Philippines, it is in the context of the
1987 Constitution that speaks of the relationship between religion and state.
Article II, Section 6 states, “The separation of the Church and the State shall be
inviolable.”
Article III, Section 5 states, “No law shall be made respecting an establishment of
religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. The free exercise and enjoyment of
religious profession and worship, without discrimination or preference shall forever be
allowed. No religious test shall be required for the exercise of civil or political rights.”
The first is a declaration of a state principle, while the second forms part of the
enumeration of the rights of all citizens. In both these provisions, the controlling logic
should be to see these as boundaries that limit the power of the state and should be
read in conjunction with other civil and political rights accorded a citizen of the Republic.
Conclusion:
There will always be tension in the relationship between church and state as the
spiritual culture of a country changes. At times the churches will be able to have
religious moral values enshrined in legislation. At other times it will be secular values
that will predominate. In some ways the relationship could be compared to that of a
well-ordered mind and body. The church should provide the spiritual and moral values
that should inform the public life of a country and be embodied in its legislation giving it
a sense of purpose or vision.
References:
Adrian Karatnycky, Religious Freedom and Democracy as Fundamental Human Rights,
religiousfreedom.com. Retrieved August 17, 2007.
Wampler, Dee. The Myth of Separation Between Church & State. Winepress
Publishing, 2003.