Introduction The merger or separation of the church (or, in a broader sense, religion) from the affairs of the state (nation) is an issue whose relative importance in any society cannot be underestimated. This comes from the effect of having state affairs directly influenced by religious beliefs and practices in the case of state-religion fusion. Better yet, the separation of the state from the clutches of religious beliefs has the propensity to significantly influence the lifestyle and rate of development of a society. In my opinion, however, I sincerely believe that the church (by extension, religion) should be separated from the secular state. This is particularly important in heterogeneous societies where citizens practice different types of religions and choosing any one as the official state religion would constitute significant inequality and tension. As evident in the multifaceted history of Europe, the eventual separation of the secular state from the Church was inevitable, although it took until the 18th century for this to actually occur.Europe: the separation of the Church from the secular stateThe church, especially the Roman Catholic Church it was for several centuries the focal point of authority in Europe, partly due to the spread of Christianity throughout Europe in the centuries following the death of Christ Jesus and also due to the enormous power it acquired over time as the religious institution dominant of the time. The Church became so powerful that it virtually became the dynastic ruling class in Europe for over fourteen centuries. article ...I would like to point out categorically that the separation of church and state as enacted in 16th century Europe has done more good than harm to Europe and the world at large over the last half millennium. Modern society as we know it today would be unimaginable if the separation of the State from the Church had not occurred. This is especially true in light of the achievements recorded in the sciences and technology which would surely have remained frozen by the Church had the State still been under its complete control. Works Cited Matthews, Roy and DeWitt Platt The Western Humanities: From the Renaissance to the Present. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2001.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_church_and_statehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_church_and_state_in_the_United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran