[RFEngineer]

“Religious persecution is as old as religion.”

In the US some individual states had state religion established by law.

this was not unusual - Catholicism was a “state religion” for much of it’s existence in the world, Henry VIII duplicated it when he established the COE, and that was duplicated in places in the New World until our founders realized that state religions was its own form of tyranny.

The concept of separation of church and state was not the same then - as it is now. Then the church held great political sway in Rome and in England (with the COE). This was not compatible with the newly independent US, The elimination of state religion in virginia was a precursor to freedom of religion as it is enshrined in the constitution.

[Cronos]

this was not unusual - Catholicism was a “state religion” for much of it’s existence in the world, Henry VIII duplicated it when he established the COE, and that was duplicated in places in the New World until our founders realized that state religions was its own form of tyranny.

Depends on where. In some strongly Catholic countries like Poland it wasn't...

[KevinDavis]

Don’t forget about the Puritans.. They did established a theocracy in the New England colonies..