At a very basic level, a theocracy is a political system in which religious values are used in determining political decisions. At this level, the United States appears to be a theocracy in many areas. We need only listen to the many debates about abortion, contraception, women’s rights, same sex marriage, foreign affairs, poverty, health care, and many other issues in which religion—often defined as Protestant Christianity—is a major player in the discussion.
Many Americans—a minority, but a vocal one with political influence—feel that our government should be a theocracy, based on Biblical principles in which their god’s law, or at least their interpretation of god’s law, should supersede legislative laws. According to some surveys, about a third of all Americans feel that the Bible should have more influence on the making of laws than the will of the people.
At the state level, there are some states whose constitutions do not allow atheists to hold public office. For example, Article 19 of the Arkansas state constitution states:
“No person who denies the being of a God shall hold any office in the civil departments of this State, nor be competent to testify as a witness in any court.”
While atheism is not highly valued in the U.S., many people—58% according to recent polls—would vote for an atheist.
Many politicians cite their religion as the reason they are seeking office and some feel that it is their duty when elected to spread the Gospel of Christ through governmental actions. For example, Representative Robert Pitteenger spoke as a revival meeting in Washington D.C. in which he stated:
"I don't care what issue we work on in public policy and legislation, it all comes down to the reality of Christ."
With regard to the First Amendment, there are a number of people who feel that the word “religion” should refer exclusively to Christianity.
Brian Fischer writes:
When the Founders used the word “religion,” they were referring to the various denominations of Christianity. The population of the United States at the time of the founding was 99.8% Christian and 0.2% Jewish. There were simply no other religious traditions for the Founders even to deal with.
He goes on to say:
The purpose of the First Amendment was to prevent Congress from picking one Christian “sect” - we use the word “denomination” today - and make it the established church of the fledgling nation. Then, secondly, the aim of the First Amendment was to prevent Congress from interfering with the free exercise of the Christian religion anywhere in the new nation.
Philosopher Paul Kurtz has described the United States as a quasi-theocracy. Writing in
Free Inquiry, he says:
“There seems to be strong public support for civic monotheism (even among many liberals)—that is, for those religions that emanate from the Book of Abraham (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam)—at the very least, some form of ceremonial deism is being established.”
Dominion theology preaches that government would be largely replaced by the church. The state should be limited to building and maintaining roads, enforcing land-use contracts, ensuring just weights and measures -- and not much else. There are those in the dominionist movement who feel that all government posts and the privilege of voting should be the exclusive domain of men.
Welcome to Street Prophets Saturday, an open thread at the intersection of Politics and Religion. How do you feel about an American theocracy?