While most early civilizations had some form of state religion or cult, and legislation was extensively influenced by religious dogma, today there's often a firm distinction between religious and secular authorities. In fact, separation of church and state is enshrined in the laws and constitutions of many nations IRL, such as the United States, France and Mexico, to name a few. However, even where such a separation exists, there's often a great deal of variation on the degree of separation, and how it's implemented in practice. As an example, while RL Russia and China are officially secular and recognize religious freedom on paper, certain religions are favored over others in practice—for Russia: Orthodox Christianity, and for China: atheism. So just how truly separate from religion, is a particular government? This is where the Religious Separation Index (RSI) comes in.
What this index is
The RSI measures the balance of autonomy between a nation's religious and secular authorities. The logic is that, in a state with perfect religious separation, both the church and the government would enjoy full autonomy in their respective domains, with neither exerting control over the other. On the other hand, should either side violate the other's independence, such as a church that dictates government policy or vice-versa, then both sides are tangled together, thus not being separate. This index is designed to measure that. In addition, there are two ends on the scale (positive and negative), to indicate which side the balance is tipped in favor of.
What this index isn't
This index should NOT be used to make assumptions about a nation's overall religiousness, religious freedom, or absolute power/influence. In fact, tech level should have no effect on the score.
How it's calculated
Each survey question will have two or three possible choices, with each choice giving positive, negative or zero points. The score is obtained by counting the number of positive and negative points, taking the difference, dividing by the total number of answered questions (skipped questions aren't counted in the denominator), and multiplying the result by 100.
Equation:
RSI = ((positive points - negative points) / total answers) * 100
What your score means
Your score will be a value from 0 to 100, either positive or negative. A high value in either direction means that religion and government are closely tied together, with one having a strong influence on the other. Specifically, a score of 100 means the state is completely controlled by the church (or doesn't exist separately altogether), and vice-versa for -100. A value close to zero means that religion and government have a high degree of independence from each other.
Notes
1) "Church" is used here in a generic way, to refer to any organized religious group, not just a church in the Christian sense.
2) If a question doesn't apply to your nation (say, if public education or marriage doesn't exist, as an example), you can skip it entirely, and it won't be counted in the denominator.
3) If no IC nation name is provided, your OOC nation name and pretitle will be used.
Changelog
19.02.2022 - Fixed typo in question 13 ("Civil marriages only" should be -1 points, not 0)
19.02.2022 - Added "Notes" section to clarify definitions
20.02.2022 - Added classifications for index ranges
20.02.2022 - Expanded number of questions from 15 to 25
- Code: Select all
[b]Nation name (IC):[/b]
[b]1) Does religion exist in your nation?[/b]
[] Yes (0)
[] No (-2)
[b]2) Does a government, separate from any religion, exist in your nation?[/b]
[] Yes (0)
[] No (+2)
If you answered No for either of the above questions, stop here. Otherwise, proceed to the rest of the questions.
[b]3) Can religious leaders make laws?[/b]
[] Yes (+1)
[] Only for members of their religion (0)
[] No (-1)
[b]4) Can religious officials enforce laws?[/b]
[] Yes (+1)
[] Only for members of their religion (0)
[] No (-1)
[b]5) Can religious officials judge legal cases?[/b]
[] Yes (+1)
[] Only for members of their religion (0)
[] No (-1)
[b]6) Can religious officials grant pardons, absolutions, clemencies, etc. for crimes?[/b]
[] Yes (+1)
[] Only for members of their religion (0)
[] No (-1)
[b]7) Are religious clergy exempt from secular laws?[/b]
[] Yes (+1)
[] Only when performing official functions (0)
[] No (-1)
[b]8 ) What is the government's religious policy?[/b]
[] Theocratic (+1)
[] Secular (0)
[] State atheist (-1)
[b]9) What is the average citizen's stance on the idea of religion?[/b]
[] An important part of their cultural identity (+1)
[] A private matter that should be kept to yourself (0)
[] "Do you seriously believe in those fairytales?" (-1)
[b]10) What is the balance of power between religion and government?[/b]
[] The church is more powerful (+1)
[] Both have equal power (0)
[] The state is more powerful (-1)
[b]11) What is the relationship between religion and government?[/b]
[] The church dictates policy for the state (+1)
[] Both mind their own business without interference (0)
[] The state dictates policy for the church (-1)
[b]12) Does the government provide public funding for religion?[/b]
[] Yes (+1)
[] No (0)
[] No, in fact they must pay the government (-1)
[b]13) Do government officials have to receive a religious blessing to assume office?[/b]
[] Yes (+1)
[] No (0)
[] No, in fact religious clergy must be approved by the secular government (-1)
[b]14) Does religious education exist in your nation's schools?[/b]
[] Yes, and it's mandatory for everybody (+1)
[] Yes, but only in private or religious schools (0)
[] Yes, but it's optional (0)
[] No (-1)
[b]15) What marriages are legally recognized in your nation?[/b]
[] Religious marriages only (+1)
[] Religious and civil marriages (0)
[] Civil marriages only (-1)
[b]16) Who is responsible for regulating/censoring the media (books, newspapers, radio, TV, etc.)?[/b]
[] The church (+1)
[] The church and the state (0)
[] The state (-1)
[b]17) Who is responsible for providing public services (roads, water, electricity, etc.)?[/b]
[] The church (+1)
[] The church and the state (0)
[] The state (-1)
[b]18 ) Who is responsible for providing public education?[/b]
[] The church (+1)
[] The church and the state (0)
[] The state (-1)
[b]19) Who is responsible for providing public healthcare?[/b]
[] The church (+1)
[] The church and the state (0)
[] The state (-1)
[b]20) Who is responsible for providing public welfare?[/b]
[] The church (+1)
[] The church and the state (0)
[] The state (-1)
[b]21) Who is responsible for collecting taxes?[/b]
[] The church (+1)
[] The church and the state (0)
[] The state (-1)
[b]22) Who is responsible for the nation's prisons?[/b]
[] The church (+1)
[] The church and the state (0)
[] The state (-1)
[b]23) Who is responsible for the nation's military?[/b]
[] The church (+1)
[] The church and the state (0)
[] The state (-1)
[b]24) Who is responsible for the nation's intelligence services?[/b]
[] The church (+1)
[] The church and the state (0)
[] The state (-1)
[b]25) Who is responsible for the nation's foreign affairs and diplomacy?[/b]
[] The church (+1)
[] The church and the state (0)
[] The state (-1)
Nation name (IC): Holy Catholic State of Portugal
1) Does religion exist in your nation?
[x] Yes (0)
[] No (-2)
2) Does a government, separate from any religion, exist in your nation?
[x] Yes (0)
[] No (+2)
If you answered No for either of the above questions, stop here. Otherwise, proceed to the rest of the questions.
3) Can religious leaders make laws?
[x] Yes (+1)
[] Only for members of their religion (0)
[] No (-1)
4) Can religious officials enforce laws?
[x] Yes (+1)
[] Only for members of their religion (0)
[] No (-1)
5) Can religious officials judge legal cases?
[x] Yes (+1)
[] Only for members of their religion (0)
[] No (-1)
6) Can religious officials grant pardons, absolutions, clemencies, etc. for crimes?
[x] Yes (+1)
[] Only for members of their religion (0)
[] No (-1)
7) Are religious clergy exempt from secular laws?
[x] Yes (+1)
[] Only when performing official functions (0)
[] No (-1)
8) What is the government's religious policy?
[x] Theocratic (+1)
[] Secular (0)
[] State atheist (-1)
9) What is the average citizen's stance on the idea of religion?
[x] An important part of their cultural identity (+1)
[] A private matter that should be kept to yourself (0)
[] "Do you seriously believe in those fairytales?" (-1)
10) What is the balance of power between religion and government?
[x] The church is more powerful (+1)
[] Both have equal power (0)
[] The state is more powerful (-1)
11) What is the relationship between religion and government?
[x] The church dictates policy for the state (+1)
[] Both mind their own business without interference (0)
[] The state dictates policy for the church (-1)
12) Does the government provide public funding for religion?
[x] Yes (+1)
[] No (0)
[] No, in fact they must pay the government (-1)
13) Do government officials have to receive a religious blessing to assume office?
[x] Yes (+1)
[] No (0)
[] No, in fact religious clergy must be approved by the secular government (-1)
14) Does religious education exist in your nation's schools?
[x] Yes, and it's mandatory for everybody (+1)
[] Yes, but only in private or religious schools (0)
[] Yes, but it's optional (0)
[] No (-1)
15) What marriages are legally recognized in your nation?
[x] Religious marriages only (+1)
[] Religious and civil marriages (0)
[] Civil marriages only (-1)
16) Who is responsible for regulating/censoring the media (books, newspapers, radio, TV, etc.)?
[x] The church (+1)
[] The church and the state (0)
[] The state (-1)
17) Who is responsible for providing public services (roads, water, electricity, etc.)?
[] The church (+1)
[x] The church and the state (0)
[] The state (-1)
18) Who is responsible for providing public education?
[x] The church (+1)
[] The church and the state (0)
[] The state (-1)
19) Who is responsible for providing public healthcare?
[x] The church (+1)
[] The church and the state (0)
[] The state (-1)
20) Who is responsible for providing public welfare?
[x] The church (+1)
[] The church and the state (0)
[] The state (-1)
21) Who is responsible for collecting taxes?
[] The church (+1)
[x] The church and the state (0)
[] The state (-1)
22) Who is responsible for the nation's prisons?
[x] The church (+1)
[] The church and the state (0)
[] The state (-1)
23) Who is responsible for the nation's military?
[] The church (+1)
[x] The church and the state (0)
[] The state (-1)
24) Who is responsible for the nation's intelligence services?
[x] The church (+1)
[] The church and the state (0)
[] The state (-1)
25) Who is responsible for the nation's foreign affairs and diplomacy?
[x] The church (+1)
[] The church and the state (0)
[] The state (-1)
What is the balance of power between religion and government? 
