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Theocracy
Theocracy, meaning "rule of God," is a form of government characterized by divine guidance.
448 Questions
What countries use theocracy today?
Many Muslim countries are governed by the principles of Islamic law, but only Iran is actually ruled by the Islamic clergy, and is therefore the only true theocracy. Afghanistan, when it was ruled by the Taliban, was also a theocracy, but now it is what might be described as a struggling democracy.
What is a synonym for theocracy?
There are no direct English synonyms for theocracy, which is a government or state run by a clergy, church, or organized religion.
What country is an example of a theocracy?
Currently the best example would be the Vatican City.
Better examples would be found in the past.
- Israel before King Saul
- Egypt and Persia before Alexander the Great
- Arabia during and after Mohammed
- Tibet before the invasion of the Chinese
What type of government is theocracy?
Theocracy is a system of government in which priests rule in the name of God or a god.
What made the Egyptian monarchies theocracies?
SOMEONE WROTE to define a theocracy saying:
"They believed in many gods and they made ziggurats to worship them... they thought that anyone with a lot of power and money or high in class was their deity and they drank and smoked with them to try and earn the same amount of power. in essence, they saw who could hold the most alcohol"
While this may accurately describe the anthropology of some ancient peoples (and even approximate some modern social orders), this is not in the strictest sense a definition of a THEOCRACY. Believing that the monarchs, pharaohs, or emperors were deities produced only pseudo-theocracies. Rarely did ordinary citizens socialize in these circles lest they see the mortality and fallibility of their supposed gods and realize the fraud; although most intelligent people realized the charade and played along because it did help to keep some of the more ignorant classes in line. Think of these types of rulers like the charlatan professor "the Great OZ" (in the novel, The Wizard of Oz) with lots of authority and flash as long as he remained hidden behind the curtain. In the case of Egypt, the focus of the original question, the Pharaoh had his organization to promo his deity, but few of them truly believed their own hype. SO IN ANSWER TO The ORIGINAL QUESTION, there was never a time when Egypt was governed by a true Theocracy.
A GENUINE THEOCRACY is when a, or The, supernatural being actually leads and acts on behalf of a people group or nation. THEOCRACY only occurs when people, as a nation (of any kind, even a clan or tribal nation) submit to the direct leadership of a personal communicative and supernaturally interactive God. The nation is governed by the laws, statutes, and ordinances laid down and governed directly by God or, although it is sometimes administered through human representatives, yet with evident supernatural interventions as needed.
This is not just a shift of power from monarchy to priestly rulers, or to a combination of priesthood and kingship under a priest-king who is merely human. This is God speaking directly with people, with prophets, and (yes) priests, and perhaps even supernaturally appointed judges or military commanders, but all take orders from God. Any who dare to substitute human reasoning contrary to the expressed will of the Deity are unmistakably dealt with directly by God. That alone is true THEOCRACY-coming from THEOS meaning GOD plus -CRACY, a suffix meaning LEADERSHIP, AUTHORITY, or RULE. Just as DEMOS, "the district" or "common people" plus -CRACY means "the people rule"; THEOCRACY means "God rules."
For example, in Judaism (with its national roots in Egypt) the period of THEOCRACY lasted in the longest estimate between the periods of Israel's Exodus from Egypt up to the beginning of the monarchy starting with the inauguration of its first king, Saul ben Benjamin. Others assign a shorter time frame, lasting only from the Exodus through the conquest of Canaan under Joshua.
Throughout the history of the nation of Israel it might be said that there were, even during the POST-THEOCRACY periods, flashes if THEOCRATIC intervention and leadership, but that did not make it a THEOCRACY; 100% God ruled.
What are the differences between oligarchy and theocracy?
They are functionally the same. Theocracy is the rule by a small number of a religious sect. The Vatican is an example of a theocracy. The Massachusetts Bay Company was another.
What is a New England Theocracy?
Theocracy in New England was when the government looked for divine inspiration. The government was looked at as sacerdotal.
All governments govern the inhabitants of their country. the real question is How does a theocracy cover (What rules does it follow?) This would be answered as: A theocracy applies the rules of the religion held by thelafers to develop laws and regulations for the citizens and used these same sources as instructions for the court system.
What Country is Ruled by Theocracy?
The only uncontroversial answer to that is the Vatican City, but some may not regard it as a "Country"
Iran is a theocracy, as is Saudi Arabia. While both have titular heads of state nothing is done without consent and approval of the religious leaders. Until the Taliban was removed from office, Afghanistan too was a theocracy.
-fundamentals!
The UK is also technically a theocracy as Anglicanism is the official religion of the government and the head of the church is the current monarch who is also the head of state technically
(from Greek. the·os′, god, and kra′tos, a rule), a rule by God.
Essentially, there is a blurring, or possibly no distinction between social/political life and theology/religion. Whatever the external form of government, in a true theocracy you will probably have clerics or theologians making final pronouncements concerning the legitimacy of laws and legal cases/appeals. There is no appeal beyond religion. One segment of the population accumulates all of the power. Representative government, and the idea of the will of the people, become things of the past, even if they are given nominal or disingenuous consideration. Utterly no aspect of life is considered outside of the reach of a theocracy's authority, since the deity behind the theocracy is presumed to be the creator, and he created YOU.
These ideas should send shivers down the spines of people who might be entertaining the idea that a Christian Republic would be wonderful. It is not religion, faith, Christ, Allah or religious devotion that is the problem. It is the concentration of power, beyond the influence of those governed, that is the problem. And it is a BIG problem. A strong civil government that is religion-neutral and religion-tolerant (as long as NO religion is allowed to violate the civil law) is the best solution. No civil government is or can possibly be perfect. But some are workably flexible, open and religion-neutral. No ideology, no faith, no special interest group should be allowed to accumulate all of the power. That serves no one and hurts everyone. Of course, it 'serves' the handful of people who manage to get to the top.
What is an example of theocracy?
A theocracy is a community or nation ruled by clerics or an established religious order. A defining characteristic of a theocracy is that the State and the State Religion are the same thing - that is, the civic government is the same thing as the religious hierarchy.
Generally speaking, the best examples of modern theocracies are Vatican City, and Iran, though the latter has at least some democratic characteristics. In the case of Iran, is a de jure republic (i.e according to the letter of the law, it is a representative republic), but in reality, it is a de factotheocracy (since the clerics actually occupy political posts and wield not just influence, but overwhelming power).
Historically, the Caliphate of Islam in the 7th to 10th centuries is best known. The Aztec and Incan Empires of the 12th to 16th centuries can possibly be called theocracies.
Several other modern countries (particularly those which have a state religion of Islam and claim to be an "Islamic Nation" or similar phrase) may, on the surface, appear to be a theocracy. However, they are not, as the political structure is independent of the religious hierarchy. In such countries, laws are commonly drafted to conform to religious tenets, and religious beliefs pervade or heavily influence the government, but the key difference is that the political government offices are NOT occupied by religious leaders.
A small kingdom were laws are based on scared texts apex
What is a sentence using the word theocracy?
America is not a theocracy because it is run by elected leaders, not religious leaders.
The establishment of an Islamic theocracy in Iran further threatened Israel.
What are the characteristics of a theocracy?
A theocracy is a form of government with a religious authority acting also as territorial and political authority. The most known theocracy is the Vatican and the last surviving minor theocracy is Mount Athos in Greece.
Theocracy is a form of government ruled by religious authority. (i.e. priests)
What countries have a theocracy for government?
Iran is at least one country with a theocratic government.
What are the disadvantages of theocracy?
A theocracy is a system of government in which priests rule in the name of God or a god.
A disadvantage of theocracy is, it doesn't allow you to be open minded about other ideas or religions. Another disadvantage is that people of other religions would not feel as if they have a say in the laws or rules of the country.
Why did puritan theocracy end?
Puritan Theocracy ended because of many disagreements between the members.
A Theocracy is a government whose right to rule is derived from Religious Authority.
Direct Theocracy: A direct theocracy is a country that is directly ruled by either (1) a person who claims to be a god or (2) a person who claims to be able to determine the will of the gods. In this case, the religious authority is himself writing the laws of the country and enforcing them. A version of type one would be Ancient Egypt, where the Pharaoh was considered to be a god, and who ruled based on this religious right. A version of type two would be the Islamic Republic of Iran. Iran is a theocracy because the Ayatollahs are all clergy of the Twelver Shiite Islam religion. Although Iran has an elected parliament, who can run in the elections (and often the results) are controlled by the non-elected Supreme Council of Ayatollahs.
Indirect Theocracy: An indirect theocracy is a country where direct power is in the hands of a non-religious authority, but incredibly amounts of power to determine policy come from (1) a person who claims to be a god or (2) a person who claims to be able to determine the will of the gods. The difference here is that the religious authorities are not actually ones writing the government's laws, but instead have strong influence on how they are to be determined. Saudi Arabia is considered an indirect theocracy, because it is actually absolute monarchy where the Saudi King does not have religious authority, but the Wahhabi Councils, which do have religious authority, have strong influence with the Saudi King and in public policy.
