Theocracy

A system of government in which religious authorities rule in the name of a deity or religious law governs political life.

Divine right of kings: A doctrine that a monarch's authority comes directly from God. Unlike clerical rule, it legitimizes a monarch as God's chosen ruler.
Iran: A country whose constitution gives senior Islamic jurists substantial authority over elected institutions. Iran combines elections with clerical oversight and constitutional religious authority.
Secular state: A state that does not derive its governing authority from religious institutions or doctrine. It separates political legitimacy from the religious authority central to theocracy.
Blasphemy law: A law that penalizes expression considered insulting or irreverent toward a religion or deity. Theocratic states may use such laws to enforce religious boundaries in public life.
Religious law: Rules of conduct and institutions derived from a religious tradition's teachings. Theocratic governments may use religious law to shape courts and public policy.
Tibet under the Dalai Lamas: The historical Tibetan polity in which Dalai Lamas held both religious and political authority. It illustrates a theocratic order centered on a Buddhist religious leader.
Secularism: The principle that government and public institutions should be independent of religious authority. It offers a political principle opposed to clerical control of government.
Apostasy: The abandonment or renunciation of a religious faith. When religious identity has legal force, leaving the faith can carry political consequences.
Clericalism: The exercise of political influence by clergy or religious institutions. It describes how religious leaders can shape government without directly ruling.
Geneva under John Calvin: The sixteenth-century Reformed city-state where church discipline strongly shaped civic life. Calvin's Geneva shows religious governance without a single cleric serving as monarch.

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