What is the difference between politics, church, government and state?
These four terms are very different indeed!
Politics
Politics has multiple definitions and connotations, but here are the two most fundamental ones:
Government
State
These four terms are very different indeed!
Politics
Politics has multiple definitions and connotations, but here are the two most fundamental ones:
- Politics means the art or science of government.
- In a wider sense, it also means the application and acquisition of power.
- In the most basic definition, obviously a church is a place of worship for Christians.
- Within politics, the church can play an important role - depending on the country you happen to live in. Some states, such as France and Turkey, are almost completely secular (meaning that organized religion has nothing to do with state affairs).
- The relationship between organized religion and the state is different from country to country.
Government
- Government means the politicians who are in power, and who currently pass and create legislation for a country.
- Governments practice the art of politics as they run the state.
State
- A state (or country, the terms are nearly always interchangeable) is an area of internationally-recognised territory. Territory is the most fundamental aspect of the definition of a state.
- States must have a population that live there on a regular basis, an organized economy, and sovereignty over their own territories.
