Theocracy

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[[File:Taliban beating woman in public RAWA.jpg|thumb|right|165px|A Taliban enforcer [[Purity culture|beats a woman]] for removing her [[burqa]] in public.]]
{{religion}}
{{cquote|In every country and in every age, the [[priest]] has been hostile to [[liberty]]. He is always in alliance with the [[Despot]] abetting his abuses in return for protection to his own. It is easier to acquire wealth and power by this combination than by deserving them: and to effect this they have {{wpl|Corruption|perverted}} the purest religion ever preached to man, into mystery & [[jargon]] unintelligible to all mankind & therefore the safer engine for their purposes.|||[[Thomas Jefferson]]<ref>[https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-07-02-0167 Thomas Jefferson to Horatio G. Spafford, 17 March 1814] ''National Archives''.</ref>}}
{{cquote|You can't expect to wield supreme executive power just because some {{wpl|Lady of the Lake|watery tart}} threw {{wpl|Excalibur|a sword}} at [[King Arthur |you]]!|||Constitutional Peasants, ''[[Monty Python]] and the Holy Grail''<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvKIWjnEPNY</ref>}}
A '''theocracy''' is a form of [[government]] in which the policy is supposedly governed by [[divine intervention]] or divine guidance. Though [[God]] ''is'' the actual head of state in theoratic ideology, in actuality, due to [[Authenticity of divine revelation|communication issues]], [[Delusion|divinely inspired]] [[prophet]]s or [[Religious leaders|clergy]] control the actual law-making and day-to-day administration.

The historian Flavius [[Josephus]] coined the word ''theocracy'' (Greek θεοκρατία) in the 1<sup>st</sup> century CE — he used the term to describe the Judaean regime, as opposed to the [[Roman]] [[secular]] regime.<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14568a.htm Theocracy], New Advent.</ref>

==Arguments against a theocracy==
{{cquote|I am a [[Democracy|democrat]] because I believe that {{wpl|Absolute power corrupts absolutely|no man or group of men is good enough to be trusted with uncontrolled power over others|.}} And the higher the pretensions of such power, the more dangerous I think it both to rulers and to the subjects. Hence Theocracy is the worst of all governments. If we must have a [[tyrant]], a [[robber baron]] is far better than an inquisitor. The baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity at some point may be sated; and since he dimly knows he is doing wrong he may possibly repent. But the inquisitor who mistakes his own cruelty and lust of power and fear for the voice of [[Heaven]] will torment us infinitely more because he torments us with the approval of his own conscience and his better impulses appear to him as temptations. <br><br> And since Theocracy is the worst, the nearer any government approaches to Theocracy the worse it will be… It forbids them, like the inquisitor, to admit any grain of [[truth]] or good in their opponents, it abrogates the ordinary rules of [[morality]], and it gives a seemingly high, super-personal sanction to all the very ordinary human passions by which, like other men, the rulers will frequently be actuated.|||[[C.S. Lewis]]<ref>''On Stories And Other Essays on Literature'' by C. S. Lewis (2017) HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 9780062565563. Page 116-117. "A Reply to Professor Haldane".</ref>}}

*A theocracy is a form of [[totalitarianism]] and [[authoritarianism]], so most arguments against those also hold. In the case of a theocracy, the [[deity|ultimate authorities]] have [[absence of evidence|problems providing evidence]] of their existence, amplifying these problems.
*Theocracies, by necessity, introduce a class of clergy that acts independently of the ruling class. You better beg that the rulers and clergy are on friendly terms, because otherwise, the clergy will recruit a mob of civilians to declare war against the king's soldiers.<ref group=note>And if they ''are'' on friendly terms, then see Jefferson's quote above.</ref>
*[[Freedom of religion]] and [[philosophy]] are stifled — as any theocracy, by definition, is hardly welcoming to ''[[other]]'' [[infidel|religions]] or, dare one say it, [[atheism]].
*[[Freedom of speech]] is also stifled, as it's unhealthy for a theocracy for the people to know that alternative views exist. (Heck, one doesn't even [[Miranda warning|have the right]] to [[Spanish Inquisition|remain silent]]!)
*By extension, [[Thoughtcrime|freedom of mere thought is stifled and oppressed]].
*In many theocracies, people are ruled by threats of [[punishment]] or promises of rewards in the [[afterlife]]; such [[religious]] [[belief]]s are easy to exploit to keep people in line ("Pie in the sky when you die"<ref>{{wpa|The Preacher and the Slave}}</ref>).
*[[Due process|Legal review process]] is, by definition, non-existent: How dare one challenge The Judgement™ passed by the gods, delivered by the divinely inspired prophet? Not that one needs such a process because an [[omniscient]] god will know whether one is truly innocent and, given god's [[omnipotence]], may [[resurrection|bring you back to life]] [[Capital punishment|if you are killed in the process]].
*By receiving authority from gods, the ruling [[priest]] class (or anyone charitable enough to [[indulgence|make righteous contributions]]) is essentially unaccountable.
*As [[holy book]]s are (supposedly) unchanging, anything that can be [[quote mine]]d from them (whether they are in line with the context/spirit of such holy books or not) can and will be easily institutionalized. In addition, policies that come from (potentially) inconsistent quote mines would be difficult to resolve because they are from the same book(s), and emphasizing one over the other would stir up [[schism]]s within the religion. This seems to have a bizarre habit of occurring with the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] and the [[US Constitution]], suggesting that 
[[Clarence Thomas]] is at work
 the doctrine of [[originalism]] may be even more religious in character than previously believed.
*Progress and change can be hampered by adherence to holy books (to be fair, one can implement progress and change by 
[[Historical revisionism|rewriting]]
 [[Cherry picking|reinterpreting]] the holy books, but most people don't [[Iron law of institutions|care]] or have the time). 
*While {{wpl|Islamic economics|modern economic policies}} can be implemented, they must constantly make reference to those holy books whenever they advocate a policy. This can be disastrous at any period where those economics lead to a crisis situation and where suggesting a different policy than the one which the holy books seem to advocate could resolve it. Of course, since you adhere to God and how he wants you to implement the economy, the only possible outcome would be that no economic crises will ever happen, and everything bad will promptly be attributed as "tests of faith". 
*Historically, [[heretic]]s and [[apostasy|apostate]]s are met with great wrath from the ruling religion. Compared to what such an [[Inquisition]] could do, being put on a [[secret police|police file]] for attending an anti-government rally or being [[REAL ID Act|fingerprinted and retina scanned]] to enter a country is quite pleasant.

==Theodemocracy==
[[File:Iranian presidential election, 2024 by province - Second Round Percentage.svg|thumb|right|250px|2024 Iranian presidential election results by county. Pezeshkian won by running on a reformist platform.<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cmm25dq14j3o Masoud Pezeshkian: The reformist former heart surgeon now Iran's president-elect]. ''BBC News.'' 8 July 2024</ref>]]
"{{wpl|Theodemocracy}}" is an idea put forward by [[Joseph Smith]] for his planned [[Mormon]] paradise. In a theodemocracy, people supposedly have many of the traditional rights of liberal [[democracy]] within the framework of rule by a single god (or religion).

In a broad sense, one could consider present-day [[Iran]] a theodemocracy, as many of the important government positions are elected, and many of the others are selected from people who are elected. For example, the President is directly elected (in theory at least), with no guarantee he won't steal the election, and the Supreme Leader is selected by the Assembly of Experts, and half are themselves popularly elected. The other half are chosen by the Supreme Leader, while all of the candidates (for not only the Assembly but Parliament and the Presidency) require approval from the Guardian Council, headed by the Supreme Leader. In practice, the Assembly has never questioned or removed any of the Supreme Leaders. The Supreme Leader has a lifetime term, and there have been only two since 1979. The Guardian Council also routinely disqualifies candidates they deem as being too reform-minded. The Guardian Council must approve bills passed by Parliament — it frequently vetoes them. While the Parliament has to appoint members of the Guardian Council, its members are nominated by the Supreme Leader and the head of the courts (himself appointed by the Supreme Leader). It is also the constitutional court, with control over the interpretation of the laws. Therefore, real power rests in the hands of unelected leaders. 

So, in reality, Iran is what you'd expect theocracy to be like — it's not pretty. "Theodemocracy" is a bit like the Trojan Horse or a wall crack hidden by a picture frame. It [[Style over substance|might look good on the surface]] (to some, anyway), but the gift is an ambush and that crack is still there.

==Examples==
[[File:Athos grenze frangokastro 01.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Sign forbidding women to enter the "Sacred Community of Mount 
Athoc
Athos".]]
===Current===
====Christian====
*{{wpl|Mount Athos||,}} an autonomous region in Greece ruled by an ecclesiastical council of the [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Greek Orthodox Church]] in which only men may reside or enter.
*[[Hungary]], another authoritarian Christian state.
*[[Russia]], which claims itself to be the leader of the worldwide Christian nationalist movement. Also a hellhole due to effectively being the personal fiefdom of [[Vladimir Putin|a deranged lunatic]].
*[[Uganda]], a staunch Christian nationalist country with harsh theocratic laws.
*The [[Vatican]] City, whose head of state is the [[Pope]].

====Islamic====
*[[Afghanistan]] under the [[Taliban]] (1996-2001, 2021-), or what happens when Islamist terrorists take over a country. Some Christofascists, despite being [[Islamophobic]], actually advocate taking a leaf out of this government's book.
*[[Iran]], under the very confusing regime of an Islamic Republic.
*[[Pakistan]] ever since [[dictator]] {{wpl|Zia-ul-Haq's Islamization|Mohammed Zia-ul-Haq's "Islamisation" policies|,}} which saw a radical form of [[sharia]] law implemented in the nation's judiciary.
*[[Saudi Arabia]], despite attempts to convince the [[Western world]] that lots of [[money]] means they're not a theocracy.
*[[Qatar]], [[United Arab Emirates]], [[Bahrain]], [[Oman]], and [[Kuwait]], all ditto.

====Other====
*[[Israel]], which is close to becoming a theocracy under religious (and ethnic) Jewish supremacy from the far-right in the country.
*[[North Korea]], with its [[personality cult]]s and [[Juche]] as the [[national mysticism|state religion]].

===Historical===
====Imperial cults====
*[[Roman Empire|Imperial Rome]]: some [[Roman emperor]]s were considered gods.<ref>{{wpl|Caligula|Wikipedia on Caligula}}</ref>
*Similarly, [[Ancient Egypt]]ian [[pharaoh]]s were treated as gods.<ref>{{wpa|Imperial cult|}}</ref>
*[[Imperial China]], as the emperor was considered a conduit between Heaven and [[Earth]].<ref>{{wpa|Son of Heaven|}}</ref>
*Imperial [[Japan]], as the emperor was considered divine, but in practice, was a figurehead.

====Jewish====
*The {{wpl|Twelve Tribes of Israel}} (before becoming the United Kingdom of Israel)<ref>Compare: {{cite book| last1 = Perry-Jenkins| first1 = Danell| author-link1 =| chapter = 3: The Kingdom of our God| title = Faces of Religion: The Unveiling of The Children of God| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ee5Zminve1sC| location = Bloomington, Indiana| publisher = WestBow Press| publication-date = 2011| page = 47| isbn = 9781449717230| access-date = 2017-08-13| quote = The United Kingdom of Israel was first a theocracy (with God as King), but afterward a monarchy with Saul the first King in 1 Samuel 9.}}</ref> ''(note these entities are more [[myth]] than history, known only through unreliable [[Bible]] accounts, and may not have existed at all)''.
*Kingdom of Judah (937-539 [[BCE]]).
*Maccabean Kingdom (2<sup>nd</sup> to 1<sup>st</sup> centuries BCE).

====Christian====
*The [[Byzantine Empire]], which placed the emperor in control of ecclesiastical affairs.<ref>{{wpa|Caesaropapism|}}</ref>
*Florence under Dominican priest {{wpl|Girolamo Savonarola}} {{lived|1494|1498}}.
*The [[Germany|German]] city of Münster under its {{wpl|Münster Rebellion|radical Anabaptist regime (1534-1535)}}
*[[Puritan]] [[Massachusetts]] and [[Connecticut]] (the former is infamous for the [[Salem Witch Trials]], and the latter is the origin of the term "[[blue law]]s").
*[[Calvinist]] Geneva (16th century)
*The Mormon {{wpl|State of Deseret}} (1849-1850, never recognized)
*The [[Taiping Rebellion|Taiping Heavenly Kingdom]] under Jesus' "[[Bullshit|younger brother]]" Hong Xiuquan.
*[[Fascism|Fascist]] [[Italy]], [[Croatia]] under the [[Ustaše]], and [[Austria]] under {{wpl|Austrofascism}} (with varying degrees and elements of theocracy)
*Slovakia (as a [[Nazi]] puppet under Tiso 1939-1945)
*[[Quebec]] under Maurice Duplessis (1936-1939 and 1944-1949)

====Islamic====
*Arabia under [[Mohammed]], and the [[Caliph]]ates which succeeded him.
*[[DAESH]], a self-proclaimed caliphate (really an Islamic fundamentalist terrorist organization) that ruled a swath of the Middle East and Africa.
*Chechen Republic of Ichkeria after the assassination of the country’s first president.
*[[Somalia]] (briefly in 2006 under the {{wpl|Islamic Courts Union}})

====Eastern====
* [[Tibet]] between the consolidation of the [[Dalai Lama]]'s power in 1642 and its conquest by [[Mao Zedong]]'s China.<ref>Davidson, Ronald M. (2004). "Tibet". In Buswell Jr., Robert E. (ed.). Macmillan Encyclopedia of Buddhism. Macmillan Reference. pp. 851–59. ISBN 978-0-02-865910-7.</ref>
* {{wpl|Sikkim||,}} a state in India, before the 1970s.<ref>{{cite book| last1 = P. Newton Singh| chapter = Ideas, Institutions and Social Change in Sikkim| editor1-last = Singh| editor1-first = N.William| editor2-last = Malsawmdawngliana| editor3-last = Saichampuii Sailo| title = Becoming Something Else: Society and Change in India's North East| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=krMPCwAAQBAJ| location = Newcastle upon Tyne| publisher = Cambridge Scholars Publishing| publication-date = 2015| page = 63| isbn = 9781443886338| access-date = 2017-08-13| quote = Sikkim was once a theocratic state with institutions like a monarchy, feudalism ans Lamaism. Sikkim underwent change when liberal democracy, with principles of liberty, equality and citizenship, started penetrating the society during the 1960s. [...]Ultimately, the old institutions of theocracy collapsed and gave way to the introduction of new kinds of institutions, which are democratic elements in Sikkim.}}</ref>
* The {{wpl|Central Tibetan Administration||,}} which functions as a government-in-exile and had the Dalai Lama as its head of state until 2012.

===In popular culture===
{{cquote|God created Arrakis to train the faithful.|||Frank Herbert}}

Unfortunately, there are fewer than one would think, with {{wpl|Theocracy#Fictional theocracies|Wikipedia's list}} actually larger than the one on [[TV Tropes]].<ref>[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheTheocracy The Theocracy], TV Tropes</ref> If books are your thing, Margaret Atwood didn't write ''[[The Handmaid's Tale]]'' for nothing.<ref group=note>Margaret Atwood is [[Canadian]], so it probably isn't big amongst [[American exceptionalism|American exceptionalists]].</ref> In [[video game]]s, check out the Covenant in ''Halo'',<ref group=note>Even more in the expanded universe. Yikes, Forerunners.</ref> the anti-[[Pope|papal]] goodness of ''Final Fantasy X'', Father Comstock's Columbia in ''{{wpl|BioShock Infinite||,}}''<ref group=note>In this case, a brutal deconstruction of [[American exceptionalism]].</ref> the Holy Sacred Empire of Abel in ''Anima: Beyond Fantasy'',<ref group=note>Where the Holy Sacred Emperor (now Empress) is also the head (at least in theory now) of the Catholic-inspired Holy Church of Abel.</ref> Eden's Gate in ''Far Cry 5'',<ref group=note>Literally Christian fundamentalism taken to [[Cult|its logical conclusion]].</ref> Unitology in ''Dead Space'',<ref group=note>Fans and reviewers have noted their heavy similarities to the [[Church of Scientology]].</ref> and the [[Fun:God|Imperium of Man]] in ''Warhammer 40K''.<ref group=note>Their fan nickname is "Catholic Space Nazis."</ref> The series [[His Dark Materials]] acts in part as a critique of theocracy. The 2020 fantasy cartoon ''The Owl House'' has the Boiling Isles function similar to a theocracy in that the [[Dictator|ruler]], Emperor Belos <ref group=note> His real name was Philip Wittebane, a settler from 17th century Connecticut which explains [[Puritans|a lot of his goals and behaviour.]] </ref> claims to be acting under the "will of the Titan."

==Islamofascism==
Islamofascism refers to the idea of supporting the establishment of either a Middle East-wide or a worldwide [[caliphate]]. This is somewhat related to the (actual) ideologies of [[Islamism]] and [[Jihad|jihadism]], although "Islamofascism" includes some purely fantastic elements. Islamists and fascists do have some things in common, among them [[Antisemitism|their hatred of (((Them)))]].

For example, in the [[neocons]]' view, all Islamofascists are supposed to be [[Unified Conspiracy Theory|working together in a grand conspiracy against the US]]. Any [[conservative]] Muslim, or even anyone who is not a sufficiently enthusiastic [[chickenhawk|war hawk]], is said to support "Islamofascism".

The whole idea of Islamofascism largely [[Willful ignorance|ignored]]:
#The actual stated desires of the [[terrorists]] we were fighting
#The grievances of the [[Middle East]] as a whole
#The [[sect]]arian character of [[Islam]], which kept many of the so-called "Islamofascists" from ''ever coming together in the first place'' (and actually has opened avenues of cooperation between the [[U.S.]] and some of the so-called "Islamofascists").

To say that this ignorance has been counter-productive for progress in the region is an understatement.<ref>"Iraq 10 Years Later (2): What was the Neocon Theory behind the War?"] by Robert Kelly (2013-03-19) ''The Duck of Minerva''.</ref>

The concept's relations to Islam and fascism are both tenuous since Islam and fascism historically had little to do with each other ({{wpl|Amin al-Husseini}} notwithstanding); however, the more extreme strains of Islamism can be seen as analogous to the form of authoritarian [[conservatism]] sometimes known as "clerical Fascism" — a variant of theocracy. Some states that might fit this pattern in the Middle East and North [[Africa]] are/were also [[Irony|receiving large sums of money in the form of foreign aid from the United States]].{{efn|[[Egypt|Do]] [[Saudi Arabia|you]] [[Saddam Hussein|need]] [[Yemen|examples]]?}}

Some [[Arab nationalism|Arab nationalist]] regimes did, in fact, draw inspiration both from [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[communism]] and fascism, the most notable among which were the [[Syria]]n/[[Iraq]]i [[Ba'ath Party|Ba'athist]] regimes as well as [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]]'s [[Egypt]], though, in terms of [[economics]], [[Ba'ath Party|Ba'athism]] and Nasserism had far more in common with the [[Planned economy|state socialism]] of the [[Eastern Bloc]] than with the [[corporatism]] of [[Benito Mussolini|Mussolini's]] [[Italy]] or [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler's]] [[Nazi Germany|Third Reich]]. The Ba'athist and Nasserist regimes were largely secular and were actually opposed by most Islamic extremists for being too "moderate" on religion. Only in later years did regimes like [[Saddam Hussein]]'s Iraq embrace Islam more openly, with Saddam first styling himself as the [[Sunni]] champion against the [[Shi'a Islam|Shi'ite]] [[Iran]]ian [[ayatollah]]s during the grueling 8-year [[Iran-Iraq War]] and then putting the {{wpl|Takbir|takbīr}} on the Iraqi flag (where it remains to this day) during his (brief) [[Saddam Hussein#Kuwait Crisis|occupation of Kuwait]].

The term is often conflated with ideas like [[Eurabia]] and [[white genocide]].

[[Christopher Hitchens]] also questioned the term, preferring the less syncretic description "fascism with an Islamic face" where relevant (such as in the case of [[DAESH]]).

The threat of Islamofascism can be treated much the same as Christofascism — while genuine authoritarian Muslim ideologues are most common, genuine movements blending Islam and fascism can exist. A few examples are:
*[[Erdogan]]’s regime in Turkey. His rule and tactics have been noted by scholars and educators on fascism to be a unique and indigenous version of Turkish fascism.
*[[Ebrahim Raisi]] is another example, this time of Islamic fascism in Iran. Like his equally fascist predecessor [[Ahmadinejad]], he employs massive antisemitism and Holocaust denial in his rhetoric.
*[[Ba'athism]] could also be considered a loose example of Islamic fascism (with many of its members being culturally Muslim), though the movement and ideology itself is more so secular than Islamic.

==Christofascism==
Christofascism is a neologism coined in response to two trends: 
#The use of the word "Islamofascism" to describe a group ranging in size from a few [[fundamentalist]] [[Islam]]ic theocratic leaders to [[Islamophobia|the entire religion of Islam]].
#The observation that in the [[West]] (''particularly'' in the [[United States]]), there are demagogues who seek to replace the established secular governments with theocracies built on [[Fundamentalist Christianity|their version of Christianity]]. For example, [[dominionism]].

Some examples that approach genuine Christofascism include:
*[[Ann Coulter]] calling for the invasion of 
Israel
 Muslim countries and the forced conversion of their populations to Christianity.
*[[Mike Huckabee]], a US presidential candidate in 2008 and 2016, wishing to change the Constitution to conform to ''God's standards''. i.e., to create a theocracy. He even tried to make a hero out of [[Kim Davis]] for her [[Bullshit|oh-so-very brave stance against homogays getting hitched]] and declared that it's totally OK to ignore laws that don't adhere to (his version of) "God's law".
*[[The Fellowship]], a fundamentalist organization with many members in political power, including infamous [[wingnut]] [[James Inhofe|Jim Inhofe]].
*[[Francisco Franco]], probably one of the most literal examples.
*[[Theodore Shoebat]], perhaps an even more literal example.
*{{wpl|Jozef Tiso}} the most literal example possible. 
*{{wpl|New Force (Italy)|New Force|,}} a whole political party that advocates this. 

However, Christofascism is often overblown (much like Islamofascism). Merely advocating Christianity or "Christian values" in the public sphere is not ''fascism'' — it is only when Christianity is forced onto non-Christians that it is Christo''fascism''.

==See also==
*[[List of forms of government]]
*[[State religion]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Atheophobia]]
[[Category:Conservative deceit]]
[[Category:Forms of government]]
[[Category:Fundamentalism]]
[[Category:Islamophobia]]
[[Category:Neologisms]]
[[Category:Political terms]]
[[Category:Propaganda]]
[[Category:Theocracy| ]]
[[Category:Religious terms]]
[[Category:United States politics]]

Categories: Atheophobia, Conservative deceit, Forms of government, Fundamentalism, Islamophobia, Neologisms, Political terms, Propaganda, Theocracy, Religious terms, United States politics