The making of state religion: Political economy and historical evidence
The paper tries to explain the introduction of state religions. I start by analyzing the meaning of state religion and the instruments of state intervention in religion. I then discuss the rulers' religious objectives and derive ten testable hypotheses about the factors favoring the introductio...
| Published in: | Critical research on religion |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Sage
[2017]
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| In: |
Critical research on religion
|
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
State religion
/ Rise of
/ Politics
/ History
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| RelBib Classification: | AA Study of religion AD Sociology of religion; religious policy |
| Further subjects: | B
Political Economy
B History of religion B state religion |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) |
| Summary: | The paper tries to explain the introduction of state religions. I start by analyzing the meaning of state religion and the instruments of state intervention in religion. I then discuss the rulers' religious objectives and derive ten testable hypotheses about the factors favoring the introduction of state religions and about the choice of instruments. In the main section of the paper I examine the circumstances in which state religions have been introduced. The sample contains thirty-one state religions. The period stretches from 2630 BC (pharaoh Djoser in Egypt) to 1871 CE (emperor Meiji in Japan). Eight hypotheses turn out to be consistent with the historical evidence. The frequencies are significantly higher than 50% in a binomial test. |
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| ISSN: | 2050-3040 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Critical research on religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/2050303217690895 |