Theocracy is a form of government in which a 'god' or 'deity' is recognized as the supreme civil ruler. For believers, theocracy is a form of government in which divine power governs an earthly human state, either in a personal incarnation or, more often, via religious institutional representatives (i. See also Form of government This article lists forms of government and Political systems according to a series of different ways of categorising them Incarnation which literally means embodied in flesh, refers to the conception and birth of a sentient creature (generally a human who is the e. , a church), replacing or dominating civil government. [1] Theocratic governments enact theonomic laws. The word theonomy derives from the Greek words “theos” God, and “nomos” Law.
Theocracy should be distinguished from other secular forms of government that have a state religion, or are merely influenced by theological or moral concepts, and monarchies held "By the Grace of God". A state religion (also called an official religion, established church or state church) is a religious body or Creed officially A monarchy is a Form of government in which supreme power is actually or nominally lodged in an individual who is the Head of state, often for life or By the Grace of God, as well as the various equivalent phrases in other languages thus rendered in English, is not a title in its own right but a common introductory part
A theocracy may be monist in form, where the administrative hierarchy of the government is identical with the administrative hierarchy of the religion, or it may have two 'arms,' but with the state administrative hierarchy subordinate to the religious hierarchy. Monism is the metaphysical and Theological view that all is one that all reality is subsumed under the most fundamental category of being or existence @@@ main@@@ - title Hierarchy@@@ keywords structure; sociology; information@@@ review@@@ -
Some democratic political parties and other organizations advocate reconstruction of governments as theocracies. See the article on the Islamic party. An Islamic party is a party that works for promoting Islam while an Islamic political party is a Political party that promotes Islam as a political movement Other alleged examples include the Unification Church and Christian Reconstructionism. The Unification Church is a New religious movement founded by Korean religious leader Sun Myung Moon. Christian Reconstructionism is a religious and theological movement within Protestant Christianity that calls for Christians to put their faith into action in all
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History of the concept
The word theocracy originates from the Greek θεοκρατία (death of the life ), meaning "the rule of God". This in turn derives from the Greek words θεος (theos, from an Indo-European root occurring in religious concepts), meaning “god,” and κρατειν (kratein), meaning “to rule. ” Thus the meaning of the word in Greek was “rule by god(s)” or human incarnation(s) of god(s). God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity.
It was first coined by Josephus Flavius in the 1st century to describe the characteristic government for Jews. Josephus (AD 37 – c 100 also known as Yosef Ben Matityahu (Joseph son of Matthias and after he became a Roman citizen, as Titus Flavius Josephus The 1st century was the Century that lasted from 1 to 100 according the Julian calendar. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Josephus argued that while the Greeks recognized three types of government: monarchy, aristocracy, and anarchy, the Jews were unique in that they had a system of government that did not fit into those categories. A monarchy is a Form of government in which supreme power is actually or nominally lodged in an individual who is the Head of state, often for life or Aristocracy is a form of Government, where rule is established through an internal struggle over who has the most status and influence over society and internal relations Anarchy (from αναρχία anarchía, "without ruler " may refer to any of the following "Absence of government a state of lawlessness Josephus understood theocracy as a fourth form of government in which only God and his law is sovereign. Josephus' definition was widely accepted until the enlightenment era, when the term started to collect more universalistic and undeniably negative connotations, especially in Hegel's hands. The Age of Enlightenment or The Enlightenment is a term used to describe a phase in Western philosophy and cultural life centered upon the eighteenth century This word has distinct meanings in other fields see Connotation (semiotics and Connotation and denotation.
The first recorded English use was in 1622, with the meaning "sacerdotal government under divine inspiration" (as in Biblical Israel before the rise of kings); the meaning "priestly or religious body wielding political and civil power" is recorded from 1825.
The word has been mostly used to label certain politically unpopular societies as somehow less rational or developed. A society is a Population of Humans characterized by patterns of relationships between individuals that share a distinctive Culture and Institutions The concept is used in sociology and other social sciences, but the term is often used inaccurately, especially in popular rhetoric. Sociology (from Latin: socius "companion" and the suffix -ology "the study of" from Greek λόγος lógos "knowledge"
In the most common usage of the term theocracy, some civil rulers are leaders of the dominant religion (e. A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos g. , the Byzantine Emperor as patron of the head of the official Church); the government claims to rule on behalf of God or a higher power, as specified by the local religion, and divine approval of government institutions and laws. This article is about the city See also Byzantine Empire. Byzantium ( Greek: Βυζάντιον Latin: la BYZANTIVM God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. These characteristics apply also to a Caesaropapist regime. Caesaropapism is the idea of combining the power of secular government with or making it superior to the spiritual authority of the Christian Church; especially The Byzantine empire however was not theocratic since the Patriarch answered to the Emperor, not vice versa; similarly in Tudor England the crown forced the church to break away from Rome so the royal (and, especially later, parliamentary) power could assume full control of the now Anglican hierarchy and confiscate most church property and income. See also Anglicanism The Anglican Communion is an international association of national Anglican churches
Taken literally or strictly, theocracy means rule by God or gods (but is commonly used as the generic term). The more specific term ecclesiocracy denotes rule by a church or analogous religious leadership.
In a pure theocracy, the civil leader is believed to have a direct personal connection with God. For example, a prophet like Moses ruled the Israelites, and the prophet Muhammad ruled the early Muslims. In Religion, a prophet (or prophetess) is a person who has encountered the Supernatural or the divine and serves as an intermediary Moses ( Latin: Moyses,; Greek: grc Mωυσής in both the Septuagint and the New Testament; Arabic: ar موسىٰ IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics Law proclaimed by the ruler is also considered a divine revelation, and hence the law of God. An ecclesiocracy, on the other hand, is a situation where the religious leaders assume a leading role in the state, but do not claim that they are instruments of divine revelation. For example, the prince-bishops of the European Middle Ages, where the bishop was also the temporal ruler. The papacy in the Papal States occupied a middle ground between theocracy and ecclesiocracy, since the pope did not claim he is a prophet who receives revelation from God, but merely the (in rare cases infallible) interpreter of already-received revelation. Religiously endorsed monarchies fall between these two poles, according to the relative strengths of the religious and political organs.
Secular governments can also coexist with a state religion or delegate some aspects of civil law to religious communities. A state religion (also called an official religion, established church or state church) is a religious body or Creed officially For example, in Israel civil marriage is governed by Jewish religious institutions for Jews, by Muslim religious institutions for Muslims, and by Christian religious institutions for Christians. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. India similarly delegates control of marriage and some other civil matters to the religious communities, in large part as a way of accommodating its Muslim minority. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country
Current states with theocratic aspects
Iran
Most observers would consider Iran a theocracy, since the elected president and legislature are constitutionally subject to the supervision of two offices reserved for Shia clerics: the Supreme Leader of Iran (Rahbar) and the Guardian Council, which even decide who may run for office. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. The post of Supreme Leader ( Persian: رهبر انقلاب Rahbare Enqelab, lit The Guardian Council of the Constitution (شورای نگهبان قانون اساسی or Guardian Council and also Council of Guardians is an appointed and
However, Iranian policies themselves consider Iran a theo-democracy or religious democracy. Religious democracy means that the values of Religion play a role in the public arena in a society populated by religious people The Supreme Leader is considered as the ultimate head of state and government, whereas the President is granted as the prime executor of policy. Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a Monarchic or Republican Nation-state This article focuses on the cases where the Head of Government is a separate office from the Head of State However, in the recent years Mohammad Khatami has called Iranian political system as an alternative democratic model so called religious democracy. Seyyed Mohammad Khātamī ( سید محمد خاتمی, pronounced xɑːtæmiː}} (born September 29, 1943, in Ardakan, Yazd Religious democracy means that the values of Religion play a role in the public arena in a society populated by religious people
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is run according to a codified version of Shari'a (Islamic legislation) with the Quran declared to be the constitution and is therefore sometimes classified as theocratic, but it is officially and in political fact a hereditary monarchy, with the King wielding near-absolute power and the organs of official religion subservient to them, which is rather caesaropapism: a state structure in which the government ('Caesar') is also in control of the main religious institutions. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA ( المملكة العربية السعودية, al-Mamlaka al-ʻArabiyya as-Suʻūdiyya) or Suudi In Law, codification is the process of collecting and restating the law of a Jurisdiction in certain areas usually by subject forming a Legal code. Sharia ( Arabic: ar شريعة) is the body of Islamic Religious law. The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran Caesaropapism is the idea of combining the power of secular government with or making it superior to the spiritual authority of the Christian Church; especially
The Vatican
The Vatican City State is theocratic in a very limited sense, since it has temporal rule over a small territory, but that is not its primary function. Vatican City, officially the State of the Vatican City (Stato della Città del Vaticano is a Landlocked sovereign City-state whose territory As per the Lateran Treaty, secular laws and practices in the Vatican follow those of Italy. The Lateran Treaty is one of the Lateran Pacts of 1929 or Lateran Accords, three agreements made in 1929 between the Kingdom of Italy and the Holy Responsibility for security, including keeping outside invaders at bay and apprehension of criminals, is shared by the Vatican's own armed force, the Swiss Guard, and the Italian state. Swiss Guards Swiss mercenary is the name given to those soldiers who have served as Bodyguards, ceremonial guards and palace guards at foreign European courts since
Moreover, the law in the Vatican state with regard to civil secular matters parallels that of Italy. Under the Lateran treaty, crimes are not handled by the dictates of a religious court but are prosecuted by Italy in Italian secular courts.
The Papal States -- the predecessor to the Vatican City State -- functioned more theocratically, with penalties that included excommunication. The Papal States, State(s of the Church or Pontifical States (in Italian Stato Ecclesiastico, Stato della Chiesa, Stati della Chiesa Excommunication is a religious Censure used to deprive or suspend membership in a religious community
Athos (The Holy Mountain) Greece
Mount Athos is the only autonomous administrative department in Greece, which is a country run according to Roman Law and is otherwise entirely a unitary state. Mount Athos (Όρος Άθως is a mountain on the Peninsula of the same name in Macedonia, of northern Greece, called in Greek Άγιον Mount Athos is theocratic in that it is ruled entirely by the monks under their own council from the capital Karyes, and it controls who can visit. Only Orthodox Christian males are allowed to stay permanently on Athos, which consists of 20 monastic establishments. Its spiritual leadership is the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople based in Istanbul. There is a religious police guard that has the authority to impose order, e. g. , ban the playing of musical instruments by visitors. The Greek police also have authority with the monks' permission to enforce the civil law of Greece and decisions of the Patriarchate in accordance with the Canon, e. g. , the decision to evict the monks of the renegade Esphigmenou monastery. Esphigmenou monastery (Μονή Εσφιγμένου is an Eastern Orthodox Monastery at the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece Athos has upheld derogations from the EU allowing them to continue the prohibition of the entry of females (including female mammals) on the mountain. This isn't because they are male monks, but because the mountain is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and this is an important historical fact of the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Religious communities
Theocracy, as a form of ruling the state, should be distinguished from the internal order of a religious community. The Knights Hospitaller is a religious order with an internal rule, but this does not make it a theocracy. The Knights Hospitaller (also known as the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St Many states incorporate elements of religious law in their civil laws, but if these laws are administered by civil courts according to the logic of the state, this does not constitute a theocratic element in their constitutions.
Current states with vestigial theocratic aspects
Andorra
Andorra's government is in some aspect nominally theocratic in that the Bishop of Urgell is one of its co-princes, although the role is virtually entirely ceremonial. Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra ( Catalan: Principat d'Andorra) is a small Landlocked country in western The Diocese of Urgell is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical unit in Catalonia, Spain, with origins in the fifth century AD or possibly
The UK
England has a minor theocratic aspect because the monarch is "Supreme Governor" of the Church of England and "defender of the faith", and is prohibited from being a Catholic. The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican This has been the case since the Protestant Reformation in England, under Henry VIII. Henry VIII (28 June 1491 &ndash 28 January 1547 was King of England and Lord of Ireland, later King of Ireland and claimant to the Kingdom of Henry VIII created the Church of England in part because the Papacy would not annul his marriage with Catherine of Aragon, but also due to the large amount of political power that the Vatican wielded within England. He wanted to annul the marriage because he could not produce a male heir that wasn't illegitimate. The monarch has virtually no real power, and his/her positions as head of state and church are purely ceremonial. Hence, the ruling government is not subject to any religious interference, and England is a multi-faith society. However the Bishops and archbishops of the Church of England sit in the House of Lords as Spiritual Peers, including the Archbishop of Canterbury and York. The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican The House of Lords is the second house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is also commonly referred to as "the Lords" The Lords Spiritual of the United Kingdom, also called Spiritual Peers, are the 26 Clergymen of the established Church of England The Archbishop of Canterbury is the chief bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the York ( is an historic Walled city sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. This does not apply to Scotland, whose Church of Scotland does not have the same relation to the Country, nor to Wales and Northern Ireland, which have no established church. Queen Elizabeth II, however, is a member of the Church of Scotland and appoints a representative to the General Assembly of the church if she cannot attend personally.
Norway
While Norway's population is relatively religious in their day-to-day lives by Scandinavian standards, they are by no means highly orthodox, and the Norwegian State retains a few vestigial religious overtones. Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional As in many constitutional monarchies, the Head of State is also the leader of the state church. A constitutional monarchy, or a limited monarchy, is a form of Constitutional Government, wherein either an elected or hereditary Monarch is The Church of Norway ( Den norske kirke in Bokmål or Den norske kyrkja in Nynorsk) is the state church of Norway The 12th article of the Constitution of Norway requires more than half of the members of the Norwegian Council of State to be members of the state church. The Constitution of Norway was first adopted on May 16, 1814 by the Norwegian Constituent Assembly at Eidsvoll (a small town north of the The Norwegian Council of State consists of the Monarch a prime minister and at least seven ministers The second article guarantees freedom of religion, while also stating that Evangelical Lutheranism is the official state religion. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the teachings of the sixteenth-century German reformer Martin Luther [2]
On July 9, 2006, a prominent member of HEF, Jens Brun-Pedersen, called for the Prime Minister to advocate the separation of church and state. Events 455 - Roman military commander Avitus is proclaimed Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Human-Etisk Forbund ( HEF) the Norwegian Humanist Association is currently one of the largest Humanist associations in the world with 72000 members (born 16 March 1959 is the Prime Minister of Norway. He took office in October of 2005 he was previously Prime Minister from 2000 to 2001 Separation of church and state is a Political and Legal Doctrine that Government and religious institutions are to be kept separate He argues that the 12th article of the constitution is discriminatory, and that Norway can't criticize countries advocating Sharia law when the constitution favors Lutheran members of society. Unlike most discrimination policies discrimination between, which is the discernment of qualities and recognition of the differences focused here discrimination against is Sharia ( Arabic: ar شريعة) is the body of Islamic Religious law. [3]
Norway is unique in the situation, that socially the policy of the state remains quite liberal - relative to other countries in Europe. Most theocratic states are much more socially conservative than Norway
Israel
There is a small amount of intertwining of Jewish law (Halakha) and civil law, particularly with regards to the enforcement of Orthodox Jewish weddings for Jewish citizens, rather than allowing freedom to have a civil marriage (although these sorts of laws are being fought and revoked on a constant basis). Religion in Israel is a central feature of the country and plays a major role in shaping Israeli culture and lifestyle Halakha ( הלכה; alternative transliterations include Halocho and Halacha) is the collective body of Jewish Religious law Civil law, as opposed to Criminal law, refers to that branch of Law dealing with disputes between Individuals and/or Organizations, in which Orthodox Judaism is the formulation of Judaism that adheres to a relatively strict interpretation and application of the laws and ethics first canonized Another promoted institution is that of the 'yeshiva'- an Orthodox Jewish seminary, often funded to a large extent by the state. Yeshiva or yeshivah (jəʃi'və ( Hebrew: ישיבה "sitting (n
Historical theocracies
The largest and best known theocracies in history were the Umayyad and early Abassid Caliphate, and the Papal States. An Imperial cult is a form of State religion in which an Emperor, or a Dynasty of emperors (or rulers of another title are Worshiped as A caliphate (from the Arabic خلافة or khilāfa) is the political leadership of the Muslim community in classical and medieval Islamic history The Papal States, State(s of the Church or Pontifical States (in Italian Stato Ecclesiastico, Stato della Chiesa, Stati della Chiesa And as with any other state or empire, pragmatism was part of the politics of these de jure theocracies. Pragmatism generally considered to have originated in the late nineteenth century with Charles Peirce, who first stated the Pragmatic maxim.
In Antiquity
An example often given from Antiquity is Pharaonic Egypt when the king was a divine or semi-divine figure who ruled largely through priests. Pharaoh is the title given in modern parlance to the ancient Egyptian kings of all periods This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Properly speaking this was originally a caesaropapist order, rather than a theocratic one, since the worldly rulers took charge of religion, rather than vice versa, but once the Pharaoh (since Ramses the Great) was recognized as a living (incarnated) god both definitions concurred. Caesaropapism is the idea of combining the power of secular government with or making it superior to the spiritual authority of the Christian Church; especially
In ancient Greece and Rome denying the gods of the state was a crime. Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 In ancient Rome, the emperors were often deified.
Historical Christian theocracies
Protestant Theocracies
Geneva, during the period of John Calvin's greatest influence and the Massachusetts Bay Colony of the "Puritans" had many characteristics of Protestant theocracies. Geneva (Genève is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and is the most populous city of Romandy (the French -speaking John Calvin (or Jean Calvin) (10 July 1509 – 27 May 1564 was a French Protestant theologian during the Protestant Reformation and The Massachusetts Bay Colony (sometimes called the Massachusetts Bay Company, for the institution that founded it was an English settlement on the east coast of North America A Puritan of 16th and 17th century England was an associate of any number of religious groups advocating for more "purity" of Worship and Doctrine,
Florence
During the short reign (1494-1498) of Girolamo Savonarola, a Dominican Priest, the city of Florence could have been considered a theocracy. Girolamo Savonarola ( September 21, 1452 &ndash May 23, 1498) was an Italian Dominican priest and leader of Florence from The Order of Preachers ( Latin: Ordo Praedicatorum) after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is During his rule, un-Christian books, statues, poetry, and other items were burned (in the Bonfire of the Vanities), sodomy was made a capital offense, and other Christian practices became law. Bonfire of the Vanities (Falò delle vanità refers to the burning of objects that are deemed to be occasions of sin.
Deseret
Another ecclesiocracy was the administration of the short-lived State of Deseret, an independent entity briefly organized in the American West by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The State of Deseret was a provisional state of the United States, proposed in 1849 by Mormon settlers in Salt Lake City. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the fourth largest Christian denomination in the United States and the largest and most well-known Its original borders stretched from western Colorado to the southern California coast. The State of Colorado ( or chiefly by nonresidents) is a state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. Southern California, or So Cal, is defined as the southern portion of the U When the Mormons arrived in the valley of the Great Salt Lake in 1847, the Great Basin was still a part of Mexico and had no secular government. Great Salt Lake, located in the northern part of the US state of Utah, is the largest salt lake in the western hemisphere the fourth-largest terminal The Great Basin is a large arid region of the western United States. As a result, Brigham Young administered the region both spiritually and temporally through the highly organized and centralized Melchizedek Priesthood. Brigham Young (June 1 1801 &ndash August 29 1877 was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. The Melchizedek priesthood is the name of several priesthoods This original organization was based upon a concept called theodemocracy, a governmental system combining Biblical theocracy with mid-19th-century American political ideals, including heavy reliance upon the U. Theodemocracy is a political system theorized by Joseph Smith Jr The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar S. Constitution. The treaty of Guadalupe Hildalgo resulted in the Mexican Cession by which Deseret was incorporated into the United States. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ( Tratado de Guadalupe Hidalgo in Spanish) is the Peace treaty, largely dictated by the United States to The Mexican Cession is a historical name for the region of the present day southwestern United States that was ceded to the U In 1849, the Saints organized a secular government in Utah, although many ecclesiatical leaders maintained their positions of secular power. The Mormons also petitioned Congress to have Deseret admitted into the Union as a state. However, under the Compromise of 1850, Utah Territory was created and Brigham Young was appointed governor. The Compromise of 1850 was a series of bills aimed at resolving the territorial and slavery controversies arising from the Mexican-American War (1846&ndash1848 In this situation, Young still stood as head of the LDS Church as well as Utah's secular government.
After the abortive Utah War of 1857/58, the replacement of Young by an outside Federal Territorial Governor, the eventual resolution of controversies regarding plural marriage, and accession by Utah to statehood, the apparent temporal aspects of LDS theodemocracy receded markedly. The Utah War, also known as the Utah Expedition or Buchanan's Blunder, was an armed dispute between Latter-day Saint (" Mormon " Theodemocracy is a political system theorized by Joseph Smith Jr However — like many Christians, Jewish People, and Muslims — Latter-day Saints regard some form of theocracy with God as the head (king) of a chiliastic world government to be the true political ideal. But, until the Second Coming of Christ, the Mormons teach in their 12th Article of Faith: submission to the powers that be. In Christianity, the Second Coming is the anticipated return of Jesus Christ from Heaven to earth an event that will fulfill aspects of Messianic But true to their beliefs in individual liberty and moral accountability, they exhibit a strong preference for democratic-republican, representative government as embodied in the Constitution of the United States. The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme Law of the United States. See also Theodemocracy. Theodemocracy is a political system theorized by Joseph Smith Jr
Montenegro
Montenegro offers a singular example of monarchs willingly turning their power to ecclesiastic authority (Serbian Orthodox), as the last of the House of Crnojević (styled Grand Voivode, not sovereign princes) did, in order to preserve national unity before the Ottoman onslaught as a separate millet under an autochthonous Ethnarch. Montenegro ( British English) Montenegrin / Serbian: PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE THE LANGUAGES WITHOUT CONSENSUS ON THE TALK PAGE! The House of Crnojević was a dynasty ruling in the Medieval Serbian state of Zeta, first struggling with House of Balša for control over Zeta Grosswojwod (great voivod great duke is the German version official under the Habsburg monarchy in the case of the present Serbian autonomous region Vojvodina The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish Millet is an Ottoman Turkish term for a Confessional community in the Ottoman Empire. Ethnarch (Εθνάρχης refers generally to political leadership over a common ethnic group or heterogeneous kingdom When Montenegro re-established secular dynastic succession by the proclamation of princedom in 1851, it did so in favor of the last Prince-bishop, who changed his style from Vladika i upravitelj Crne Gore i Brde "Vladika [bishop] and Ruler of Montenegro and Brda" to Po Bozjoj milosti knjaz i gospodar Crne Gore i Brde "By the grace of God Prince and Sovereign of Montenegro and Brda," thus rendering his de facto dynasty (the Petrović-Njegoš family since 1696) a hereditary one. A Prince-Bishop is a Bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more Secular principalities usually pre-existent titles of nobility The History of Montenegro begins in the early Middle Ages, into the former Roman province of Dalmatia that forms present-day Montenegro. Kniaz’ or knyaz is a word found in some Slavic languages, denoting a Nobility rank Hospodar or gospodar is a term of Slavonic origin meaning "lord" or "master" By the Grace of God, as well as the various equivalent phrases in other languages thus rendered in English, is not a title in its own right but a common introductory part
Republic of Ireland
It has frequently been argued that in the early years of the Republic of Ireland (and its predecessor state Éire), the Roman Catholic hierarchy, in particular John Charles McQuaid (Archbishop of Dublin 1940-72), held power comparable to elected officials. Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. The Irish Republic ( Irish: Poblacht na hÉireann or Saorstát Éireann) was a unilaterally declared independent state of Ireland proclaimed John Charles McQuaid, CSSp (28 July 1895 - 7 April 1973 was Catholic Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland between December 1940 and February 1972 For example, Health Minister Noel Browne was forced to resign in 1950, partly because of McQuaid's opposition to the Mother and Child Scheme. Noël Christopher Browne (Nollaig de Brún 20 December 1915 &ndash 21 May 1997 was an Irish Politician and doctor. Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Mother and Child Scheme was a healthcare programme in the Republic of Ireland that would later become remembered as a major political crisis involving primarily Also, many things forbidden by Catholic doctrine - condoms, abortion, divorce - were also illegal in Ireland up to the 1980s and '90s. A condom is a device most commonly used during Sexual intercourse. An Divorce or dissolution of marriage is the termination of a Marriage.
Province of Quebec (Canada)
The province of Quebec was considered a main Catholic stronghold of the world from its foundation up to 1960, the quiet revolution. (citation needed). The ecclesiastical regime which ruled Quebec from the 1930s to the early 1960s is mostly associated with the highly controversial premier Maurice Duplessis. Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis (20 April 1890&ndash7 September 1959 served as the premier of the Canadian province of Quebec from 1936 to 1939 and 1944 to During that time, the line separating the civil, political authorities and the Catholic Church was all but obliterated.
Historical Islamic theocracies
In Islam, the period when Medina was ruled by the Islamic prophet Muhammad is, occasionally, classed as a theocracy. Medina mɛˈdiːnə (المدينة المنورة ælmæˈdiːnæl muˈnɑwːɑrɑ or المدينة ælmæˈdiːnæ also transliterated into English as Muslims regard as Prophets of Islam ( Arabic: نبي) those non-divine humans chosen by Allah as Prophets IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics By 630, Muhammad established a theocracy in Mecca. Mecca ˈmɛkə also spelled Makkah ˈmækə (in full Makkah Al-Mukarramah (Arabic mækːæ(t ælmʊkarˑamæ مكّة المكرمة, literally Honored Other plausible examples of Islamic theocracy might be Mahdist Sudan and the Taliban state in Afghanistan (1996-2001). Muhammad Ahmad ibn as Sayyid Abd Allah (otherwise known as The Mahdi or Muhammad Ahmed Al Mahdi Arabic:محمد أحمد المهدي ( August The Taliban ( طالبان, also anglicised as Taleban; translation "students" is a Sunni Islamist, predominately Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, Most irregular was the non-permanent rule of the Akhoonds (imams) in the later princely state of Swat, a valley in (first British India's, later Pakistan's) North-West Frontier Province. An akhoond ( akhund or akond) ( آخوند) is a Persian name for a Muslim cleric common in Iran and Azerbaijan For other uses see Principality, Other princely states A Princely State (also called Native State or Indian State) was a Swat ( Urdu: ریاست سوات) was a Princely state which existed in the north of the modern North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan The North-West Frontier Province (NWFP ( Urdu: śimāl maġribī sarhadī sūba) is the smallest of the four main provinces of Pakistan. Theocratic movements arose in the Arab world in the 1970s.
Historical Buddhist theocracies
The period when Dalai Lamas ruled Tibet, especially before certain twentieth century reforms, has also been deemed a Lamaist (Buddhist) theocracy until his government was forced into exile by the People's Republic of China which annexed the country[4]. The Dalai Lama is the spiritual and political leader of the Tibetan people according to Tibetan Buddhism. Definitions of Tibet See also Definitions of Tibet Name In English The English word Tibet, like the word for Tibet in most European The twentieth century of the Common Era began on Mongolia also had a theocratic Lama before the Soviets installed a satellite communist state, but there since the start in 1639, when the son of the Mongol Khan of Urga was named a Living Buddha (Bogdo gegeen), the dynasty espoused theocracy and secular aristocracy. Mongolia (mɒŋˈɡoʊliə, literally Mongol country/nation,) is a Landlocked Country in East Ulan Bator, or Ulaanbaatar (Улаанбаатар is the Capital and largest city of Mongolia. The Khalkha Jebtsundamba Khutuktu (Жавзандамба хутагт Javzandamba Khutagt; Tibetan: རྗེ་བཙུན་དམ་པ་ Jetsun Dampa
Other
Japan was a nominal theocracy until it was defeated in World War II when Emperor Hirohito was forced to deny in the Ningen-sengen (人間宣言?) the claim that the Emperor of Japan was divine. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. also known as, (April 29 1901 – January 7 1989 was the 124th Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order reigning from December 25 1926 until his death Formerly, the Meiji constitution of Japan stated that Emperor was sacred, but a claim of personal divinity was only made by the Showa emperor. The claim that the imperial family are descendants of Amaterasu (天照) (the sun goddess) has not been denied officially. or is in Japanese mythology a sun goddess and perhaps the most important Shinto. During this period, although the Emperor had some influence, Japan was a constitutional democracy ultimately dominated by the military.
In Popular Culture
- In the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender, the fictional nation known as the Air Nomads was ruled by a theocratic establishment. Avatar The Last Airbender (also known in some countries as Avatar The Legend of Aang) is an Emmy award -winning American
- In the world of Warhammer 40,000, the Imperium follows the system of theocracy by obeying 'The Immortal God-Emperor of Mankind'. Warhammer 40000 (informally known as Warhammer 40K or just 40K) is a tabletop miniature wargame in a Science
- The Covenant in Halo is a theocratic hegemony. Halo is a Science fiction Video game franchise created by Bungie and owned and published by Microsoft Game Studios. Hegemony (hɨˈdʒɛməni (Amer /hɨˈɡɛməni/ (Brit (ἡγεμονία hēgemonía) is a concept that has been used to describe and explain the dominance of one social
- The Yuuzhan Vong species in Star Wars are ruled by a warlike theocracy. The Yuuzhan Vong are a fictional race of sentient beings from the Star Wars Expanded Universe that rise as a threat to the New Republic in the In Biology, a species is one of the basic units of Biological classification and a Taxonomic rank. Star Wars is an epic Space opera franchise initially conceived by George Lucas during the 1970s and significantly expanded
- In Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials series, the universe to which the main character belonged was ruled by a theocracy known as the Magisterium. Philip Pullman CBE (born October 19, 1946) is an English writer. His Dark Materials is a Trilogy of Fantasy Novels by Philip Pullman comprising Northern Lights (1995 Magisterium is a "teaching authority especially of the Roman Catholic Church"
- In 'The Handmaid's Tale', The Republic of Gilead, where the narrator lives, is a devout Christian theocracy. The Handmaid's Tale is a dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood, first published by McClelland and Stewart in The Republic of Gilead is a theocratic Fictional country that is the setting of the Margaret Atwood Dystopian novel The
See also
- Christianism
- Dominionism
- Establishment of religion
- Islamic republic
- Khalistan
- List of forms of government
- Religious left
- Christian left
- Christian right
- Religious right
- Unification Church
References
- ^ CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Theocracy
- ^ The Constitution of the Kingdom of Norway
- ^ Visionary or missionary?, Jens Brun-Pedersen, Dagbladet, July 9, 2006
- ^ Friendly Fuedalism - The Tibet Myth
Bibliography
- Ankerl, Guy [2000]. Dominionism describes in several distinct ways a tendency among some conservative politically-active Christians, especially in the United States An established church is a church officially sanctioned and supported by the government of a country e Islamic Republic is the name given to several states in the Muslim world including the Islamic Republics of Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Mauritania Khālistān (ਖਾਲਿਸਤਾਨ official title Sikh Republic of Khalistan or the Holy Sikh Kingdom of Khalistan, was the name given by Jagjit Singh See also Form of government This article lists forms of government and Political systems according to a series of different ways of categorising them The Religious Left is a term originating in the United States, used to describe those who hold strong Religious Beliefs and share Left-wing political The Religious Left is a term originating in the United States, used to describe those who hold strong Religious Beliefs and share Left-wing political The Christian right is a term used predominantly in the United States to describe a spectrum of right-wing Christian political and social movements and The Unification Church is a New religious movement founded by Korean religious leader Sun Myung Moon. Dagbladet is Norway 's third largest Newspaper with a circulation of 146512 copies in 2006 15557 papers less than in 2005. Events 455 - Roman military commander Avitus is proclaimed Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Global communication without universal civilization, INU societal research Vol. 1: Coexisting contemporary civilizations : Arabo-Muslim, Bharati, Chinese, and Western. Geneva: INU Press. ISBN 2-88155-004-5.
Sources and external links
- EtymologyOnLine
- Is Judaism a Theocracy? chabad. org
- First Things, August/September 2006, p. 23-30 - Theocracy, Theocracy, Theocracy
- Caliphate: The Future of Islamic Theocracy
- Freedom of Religion in Israel
- History and development of Watchtower Society. Bible based teachings that Kingdom of God will restore Theocracy to the Earth.
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