The Effects of Theocracy on Society
Theocracy is a controversial way of running society, but has existed since as early as ancient Egypt and continues to exist today in the middle east. It is based on religion controlling the government instead of independent leaders. The holy book used in that civilization usually shapes the laws and morals of the country. In theocracy, religion and faith play a huge role in everyday life; dictating your actions, beliefs and culture within society. This demonstrates the ability theocracy has to keep a country oppressive and in a blissful ignorance. Key thinkers during the age of enlightenment such as Francis Bacon and Rene Descartes paved the way for a society based on citizens thinking for themselves and taking control over their own destiny. Theocracy was one of the huge barriers in the way of their idealistic future and continues to spread today in the middle east, and even in the worlds superpower, the United States.
There have been many forms of theocratic governments throughout history including in places like Egypt, which had a form of theocracy where the king was seen as a god. This started when two high priests of Thebes had began a theocracy in upper Egypt, which came through the prophecy of the god wife Amun. The Pharaoh(king) was commonly known to be the earthly embodiment of the falcon headed god, Horus. Everyday life in Egypt centred around entering the afterlife and worshiping the pharaoh. Citizens and servants even sacrificed their lives in order to protect their leader. The pharaohs adviser also acted as the high priest of the Egyptian polytheistic religion. Since the Pharaoh was viewed as a deity, what he said was considered to be the word of god therefore making it a form of law. It is hard to believe many of the morals that shaped such a successful society were based on a prophecy.The God wife Amun
of Karomama
Anyways, let's look at some advantages of running a theocratic society. Some of the benefits include:
1. Public generally tend to be more obedient
2. Changes in laws happen faster.
3. Crime rate is lower.
These may seem to be intriguing benefits, but pale in comparison to how they negatively effect countries or regions. Firstly, the general public tended to be more obedient because they were never told to think in any other way. Secondly, changes in laws happened faster because the people changing the laws would be the church or religious leaders. Thirdly, the crime rate is lower because the ones committing the crimes are the church and the leader. Generally, in theocracy citizens will not have a voice. Even if you get to vote between two people, they will most likely be the same. This is due to the church deciding the candidates, making it impossible for change to occur. Also, minorities do not have the same rights as the majority. If your opinions differ from the church, rights and privileges will be taken away and you will not be considered a full citizen. One may even be subjected to ridicule and poor treatment. 
Scene from the Spanish Inquisition depicting the brutal methods of torture
Although Spain in the 1400's was seen as a monarchy, one could argue that it was also a theocracy. King and Queen Ferdinand and Isabella founded the inquisition in order to maintain the catholic religion within Spain. This brought religion and government hand in hand. Although the inquisition was only supposed to have jurisdiction over baptist Christians, throughout a significant amount of time, there was no freedom of religion. Citizens were tortured in the most atrocious of ways for being Jewish or a religion that wasn't catholic. Even if accused heretics protested their innocence, they were tortured until they made a false confession. This demonstrates the evil that can come out of religion being the dominant force of a country.
To this day in the middle east, many places are still under theocratic rule. Everyday life is centered around the Muslim religion. When the government was overthrown in 1979, many reforms were made in order to make religion the the ultimate power. The two sections of Islam are the Sunnis and The Shia. The Sunnis having about 85% of the Muslim population and the Shias being the minority. The Sunnis have political, economic and military advantages and use it in order to wipe out the Sunni population. Religion controlling the middle east creates an imbalance, when in reality the two groups could be harmoniously living.
| “I want you to just let a wave of intolerance wash over you. I want you to let a wave of hatred wash over you. Yes, hate is good… Our goal is a Christian nation. We have a biblical duty, we are called on by God to conquer this country. We don’t want equal time. We don’t want pluralism.” Randall Terry, founder of Operation Rescue. The military and economic superpower, USA has had many movements based on creating reforms in aims of the christian church having absolute power. Many Christians in the united states despise the idea of democracy. They simply believe some people are more equal than others. By controlling the judicial system and having "special treatment" Christians would like to take over the united states. The Christian Reconstructionalism movement speaks out about christian rights and the restoration of biblical laws, but the things they call rights are not actually rights if they negatively impact other citizens. In conclusion, religion is a great way to lead life, but when it is mixed in with running a country, terrible things can happen. It is the ability to think for yourself that creates a prosperous country, not one that favours imitation over creation.
Works Cited
“The Inquistion.” Jewish Virtual Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2016. <http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/Inquisition.html>.
“Theocracy.” Aspecs. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2016. <http://apecsec.org/theocracy-pros-and-cons/>.
“Theocracy.” Eternal Egypt. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2016. <http://www.eternalegypt.org/EternalEgyptWebsiteWeb/HomeServlet?ee_website_action_key=action.display.topic.details&language_id=1&trait_item_id=10000212>.
“Theocracy.” Occupy theory. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2016. <http://occupytheory.org/theocracy-pros-and-cons-list/>.
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I like the topic of theocracy and its effects throughout history, it is undeniable that religion has shaped both the way we think and lived our lives throughout the millenniums. I especially find it interesting on how in ancient Egypt the Pharaoh was considered to be a god in human shape, but from Rome onward it becomes extremely apparent that if you claim to be a “god” it was heresy. Which is what leads me to my first question, what do you think sprung this change? Why did it change from the leader being in a sense a god to if you thought you were anywhere close to god it was heresy? Now me not being a very religious man I can look at these types of things objectively, religion throughout human history in some people's opinions, and somewhat mine, stunted our growth technological wise. Do you believe this is true, if so or if not what benefits do you believe religion has brought in order to make up for stunting the progress of our species. Other than my questions that stem from your thought provoking blog, it was well written and worth the read.
ReplyDeleteJosh, this is a really interesting and informative concept for me. Prior to reading this blog post, I had little idea about what theocracy was really about and have been yearning to learn more due to the very recent issues going on in the Middle East. I love that you use Christians in the United States as one of your supporting examples. When I think theocracy, one of the first things that comes to mind is Iran’s Islamic government - but you brought to my attention that theocracy involves other groups as well. Because of the fine line when it comes to respecting religious rights, I agree; theocracy is a very touchy subject. However, in light of the current-day issues involving theocracy, I think it is a subject that needs to be discussed more often.
ReplyDeleteYou consider ancient Egypt, one of the first theocratic societies, and a few advantages involving theocracy. However, I don’t think it is fair to dismiss the positive side of theocracy so quickly. For example, you briefly mention the success of the ancient Egyptian society, but disregard it rather promptly, explaining that the benefits of theocracy are “pale in comparison to how they negatively affect countries or regions.” But have you considered how incredibly advanced and well-functioning the civilization of ancient Egypt truly was? The things ancient Egyptians accomplished in terms of science and technology (anatomical understanding, inventions, the Great Pyramids, astronomy, etc.) are remarkable - and they were a nation ruled by polytheism. Therefore when you state that when religion is “mixed in with running a country, terrible things can happen” - it is evident that very, very great things can happen, too.
Additionally, I totally agree that theocracy can be a very cruel thing, but all of your supporting arguments are examples of quite radical theists. If theocratic governments followed exactly what their religion preaches, would there still be an issue with theocracy? Take Buddhism as an example. The main, most important, message of Buddhism is utter compassion for others and the elimination of all selfishness. If Buddhists ruled a nation by sticking to these principles, it is likely that the country would be extremely peaceful and accepting of others. Also, the Christian Bible does not, at any point, say that it is okay for humans to oppress and hate other humans. Nevertheless, that doesn’t stop people from oppressing and hating others, while calling themselves Christians. Therefore, I really think that it’s the people who corrupt their religion into something that it’s not that make theocracy a sadistic concept; not necessarily the idea of theocracy itself.
Overall, I really enjoyed your post and especially took interest in the political cartoon about Iranian theocracy. Great job!