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Forms of Government: Theocracy

A topic guide with resources on the major forms of government and political thought.

Theocracy

Theocracy is defined as "government of a state by immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided" or "a state governed by a theocracy" (Merriam-Webster).

Theocracy countries include Vatican City, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Iran, and Afghanistan. 

Research & Reference

Biblical Government

Perspectives

Constitutional Theocracy

At the intersection of two sweeping global trends--the rise of popular support for principles of theocratic governance and the spread of constitutionalism and judicial review--a new legal order has emerged: constitutional theocracy. It enshrines religion and its interlocutors as "a" or "the" source of legislation, and at the same time adheres to core ideals and practices of modern constitutionalism. A unique hybrid of apparently conflicting worldviews, values, and interests, constitutional theocracies thus offer an ideal setting--a "living laboratory" as it were--for studying constitutional law as a form of politics by other means. In this book, Ran Hirschl undertakes a rigorous comparative analysis of religion-and-state jurisprudence from dozens of countries worldwide to explore the evolving role of constitutional law and courts in a non-secularist world.Counterintuitively, Hirschl argues that the constitutional enshrinement of religion is a rational, prudent strategy that allows opponents of theocratic governance to talk the religious talk without walking most of what they regard as theocracy's unappealing, costly walk. Many of the jurisdictional, enforcement, and cooptation advantages that gave religious legal regimes an edge in the pre-modern era, are now aiding the modern state and its laws in its effort to contain religion. The "constitutional" in a constitutional theocracy thus fulfills the same restricting function it carries out in a constitutional democracy: it brings theocratic governance under check and assigns to constitutional law and courts the task of a bulwark against the threat of radical religion.

American Theocracy

Kevin Phillips, political commentator and analyst, evaluates the current political climate in the US and the inherent dangers posed by such factors as global over-reach, religious fundamentalism, and ballooning debt, in an account that draws on historical examples.

The Liberal Conscience

Combining discussions of political philosophy with real-world events, Lucas Swaine proposes solutions to the seemingly intractable conflict between liberalism and theocracy. He explores the nature and development of theocratic communities and the moral and political challenges they pose to liberal societies. Calling upon liberals to redefine and reassert the fundamental importance of liberty of conscience, Swaine argues that liberal societies can reinvigorate their own traditions while also assuaging religious conflict. Liberalism will become more appealing to the values and concerns of theocrats if liberals modify and clarify the commitment to freedom of conscience and take a fresh approach to conceptualizing and promulgating their principles, institutions, and laws. By opening a dialogue between theocracy and liberalism and offering strategies for interacting with politically ambitious theocrats, Swaine offers a new and vital perspective on the role of religion in liberal, multicultural societies.

Theocracy

Theocratic governments, which recognize God or a deity as ruler, are uncommon. Still, theocratic rule is followed by some societies worldwide. This volume details the ancient roots of theocracy among the Egyptians, Aztecs, Incas, and Maya, along with the contemporary theocratic rule in Islamic countries. It includes coverage of religious groups that practice Christian theocracy, such as the Vatican and America's theocratic beginnings with the Pilgrims and Puritans. Also examined are the dramatic pros and cons of life in a theocratic society. Particularly thought-provoking is a chapter on new forms of theocracy.