9781422277744

their decisions as rulers are above reproach by their human subjects. Common Features Variations aside, all theocracies have certain common character- istics. First, they occur only in societies in which a significant portion of the people believe in the existence of God or of multi- ple gods. For obvious reasons, a

Key Quote

“Theocratic, or to make the Lord God our Governour is the best form of Government in a Christian Common-wealth, and which men that are free to chuse . . . ought to establish.”

—John Davenport, cofounder of New Haven Colony (1639)

theocracy cannot be sustained among an atheistic population. But theocracy also requires a specific kind of religious out- look—namely, the assumption that human affairs and human conduct are matters of interest to the Almighty. It’s possible to believe in God while denying any divine presence or influence in the material world. The Deists of the 18th century, for example, said that God created the universe and its physical laws, then simply set everything in motion, never intervening in any way thereafter. These kinds of beliefs will never give rise to a theocracy. Theocratic regimes enforce conformity to rules regarded as divinely ordained. A God who stands com- pletely apart from humanity is a God who doesn’t reveal laws people must follow, and who neither rewards nor punishes humans for their behavior. The idea of divine judgment is important in all theocracies. The way that judgment is understood, however, varies. Premodern cultures tend to view pleasing the gods as a collec-

Rule by God

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