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The IRS will offer religious congregations more freedom to , the agency said in a July 2025 court filing. President Donald Trump has previously vowed to , which bars charitable nonprofits from taking part in political campaigns—although the latest move simply reinterprets the rule.

Celebrating the change, House Speaker Mike Johnson highlighted that's popular among some conservatives: that the Constitution does not actually require the separation of church and state.

Thomas Jefferson, who coined the phrase, did not intend "to keep religion from influencing issues of civil government," Johnson . "The Founders wanted to protect the church from an encroaching state, not the other way around."

Officials in several red states have surrounding religion and state, ranging from introducing to attempts to secure government funding .

Conservative thinkers have long pushed for closer ties between religion and the government, arguing that religious institutions can . In , I've found that mass shootings in a more religious environment.

For critics, of course, attempts to and state raise constitutional concerns. states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." What's more, critics fear that recent attempts to favor conservative Christian groups over other faiths.

But as , I believe another reason for caution is being overlooked. Research indicates that strong relationships between religion and state can be a factor that actually , .

All or nothing

Some scholars suggest that religious institutions operate , competing for believers. Government policies toward religion can change the balance of power between competing firms the same way that economic policies can affect markets for consumer goods.

At a glance, it might seem like government support would strengthen religious institutions. In reality, , whether or not the government promotes one particular faith above others. In some cases, adherents who cannot practice religion on their own terms opt out of practicing it entirely.

, for example, Orthodox Jewish institutions receive government recognition that do not. Orthodox authorities are allowed to manage religious sites, run public religious schools and . Many couples who do not want to , or cannot, hold a ceremony abroad or register as a common-law marriage.

In fact, many scholars refer to Israel as an example of ." Because the government sponsors a particular branch, Orthodox Judaism, Jewish citizens sometimes face an "all or nothing" choice. The country's Jewish population is between people who are religiously observant and people who identify as secular.

Government involvement can also hurt religious institutions by making them seem less independent, decreasing people's trust. In a 2023 study of 54 Christian-majority countries, political scientists and found that some adherents felt that religious institutions become when backed by the government. In addition, support from the state decreased people's confidence in government.

Their findings build on showing that the public is less likely to contribute to faith-based charities and attend religious services when the government offers funding for religious institutions.

In fact, many of the world's lowest rates of religiosity are found in wealthy countries that have official churches, or had one until relatively recently, . Others have a history of separating people of different faiths and other institutions, such as Belgium and the Netherlands.

History lessons

Perhaps the strongest example of how government support for religion can decrease religious participation is found in the former Soviet Union and its allies.

During the Cold War, Soviet officials sought to stamp out religious activity among their citizens. However, policies to worked hand in hand with policies to co-opt religious institutions that would work with the government. Access to religious spaces made it easier for officials to spy on members and punish clergy who protested their rule.

In Hungary, the Communist Party sponsored government-run Catholic churches that were . In Romania, the regime integrated formerly Catholic Churches . In the former Czechoslovakia, meanwhile, the Communist Party paid to keep them subservient.

To this day, many countries in the former Eastern Bloc have low rates of . In Russia, for example, a majority of citizens , and the church . Yet only 16% of adults say " in their lives.

While scholars can point to the legacy of overt repression as a source of low religiosity, is also a lingering factor. Most post-Soviet states inherited systems that require religious groups to register, and they only provide funding to faiths that the government considers legitimate. Similar policies remain common in southeastern and central Eastern Europe.

In recent years, some countries in the region, , have experienced at the hands of populist leaders who also for their own gain. Because of low rates of religious practice in such countries, religious leaders may .

Free market for faith

Most wealthy countries have witnessed steep declines in religiosity in the modern era. The United States is an outlier.

Overall, the percentage of Americans belonging to a religious congregation , as is the share of Americans who . However, the percentage of Americans who are has remained unchanged over the past several decades. Around 29% of Americans report praying several times a day, for example, and just under 7% say they attend religious services more than once a week.

Some religion scholars argue that the "free-market approach"—where all faiths are free to compete for worshippers, without government interference or preference— religious. In other words, they believe that this so-called "American exception" is , not in spite of it.

Time will tell if conservatives' push for collaboration between religion and the government will continue, or have its intended effects. History suggests, however, that governments' attempts to strengthen particular religious communities may backfire.

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