““The church, so long a brake on progress in other European countries, no longer controlled the economic life of the country. Henry VIII, monarch from 1509 until his death in 1547, had set in train a process which was drastically to curtail the power of the church. The Catholic Church had owned as much as 33% of the land of England; Henry confiscated this land, selling most to the aristocracy. The economic power of the church was destroyed. The legal power of the Catholic Church similarly was terminated. Henry established a protestant church, the Church of England, which became the leading religion. The monarch remained head of the Church of England but Parliament was separate legally from the Church. The Civil War and the Glorious Revolution were in part about religion; the constitutional outcome to these events included the separation of church and state.””
![“...The underlying motive for the French wars [of 1562-1598] was not religious, but dynastic. By the mid-16th century, the Valois family of kings, who had ruled France since 1328, was losing its grasp on political power. Valois King Henry II died in 1559, leaving four sons, all too young or too…” quote by Fiona MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c92/fiona-macdonald-79385_church-service_the-underlying-motive-for-the-french-war_390803.jpg)
![“Prior to and during [John] Locke's time, it was difficult to determine where religion or church left off and government or state began. The powers of both were often combined. As a result, churches frequently used the force of the state to promote and enforce their interests and doctrines. This…” quote by Jayne Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d48/jayne-meadows-30259_atrocities_prior-to-and-during-john-locke-s-time-it_462354.jpg)
![“The purpose of separation of church and state is to keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe in blood for centuries. [ Letter objecting to the use of government land for churches, 1803 ]” quote by James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/1f2/james-madison-373_church-and-state_the-purpose-of-separation-of-church-and_1649803.jpg)
![“I do not make decisions [as governor] based on what have I learned through my Bible studies, what have I learned in my religious classes in school. I'm a big believer in separation of church and state, and I think that's what . . . the law is.” quote by Arnold Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a18/arnold-schwarzenegger-657_believer_i-do-not-make-decisions-as-governor-base_18031.jpg)
