 This is especially true in countries where Christianity, Islam and Buddhism were the religions of the state.The idea of religious pluralism in modern terms is relatively recent, and until the beginning of the 20th century, many if not most nations had state religions enshrined in their respective constitutions or by decree of the monarch, even if other religions were permitted to practice.However, there are many examples of large multicultural empires that have existed throughout time where the religion of the state was not imposed on subjected regions.