Voluntaryism

Voluntaryism, the polity of those who insist on the absolute separation of church and state, disapprove utterly of church endowments and state grants for religious purposes, seek the disestablishment and disendowment of established churches, and recognise alone as consistent with true religious liberty and equality the support of churches and clergy by the voluntary payments by the members. Most Nonconformists are more or less volunteers. For the 'Voluntary Controversy' in Scotland, see UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH; and for the arguments for and against state churches, books cited at STATE RELIGION.