What Is Theocracy?
Theocracy is government by divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided. Political authority often rests with religious figures, and the legal system follows religious law rather than secular… Part of the Religious family.
Definition
Theocracy is government by divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided. Political authority often rests with religious figures, and the legal system follows religious law rather than secular statutes.
Core ideas
- Religious leaders hold political authority.
- Religious law as the basis of the legal system.
Origins
Common in early civilizations; it declined in most Western countries after the Enlightenment. Britannica lists Saudi Arabia, Iran and the Vatican as contemporary examples.
Definition based on Britannica: Theocracy (checked October 20, 2026).
Where Theocracy sits on the Atlas maps
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 48 | near the center | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 100 | strongly toward traditional | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 90 | strongly toward authoritarian | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 91 | strongly toward nationalist | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 51 | near the center |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 51 | near the center |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 80 | toward state restrictions |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 91 | strongly toward nationalist |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 100 | strongly toward traditionalist |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 100 | strongly toward autocratic |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 94 | strongly toward hierarchical |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 58 | near the center |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 51 | near the center |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 100 | strongly toward religious authority |
These positions are estimates on the Atlas’s nine-dimension scale, produced by running the tradition’s core principles through the same questions and scoring used for test-takers. They are interpretations for comparison, not objective measurements. How scores are made.
Estimated positions on key questions
| Statement | Position | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| The means of production should ultimately be owned collectively. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| A single ruling party can govern more effectively than a competitive multiparty system. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| The government should be able to restrict how certain religions are practiced, such as their places of worship, clothing or schools. | Agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| National borders should become less important over time. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Traditional values should guide what society considers right and wrong. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| National security can justify restrictions on what journalists publish. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Central economic planning is preferable to decentralized market decisions. | Disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Society works best when established social hierarchies are respected. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Non-intervention should be the default even when allies request military assistance. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Adults should generally be free to make personal lifestyle choices without state interference. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
Related ideologies
Main differences from the closest ideologies
- Compared with Islamism, Theocracy sits 10 points further toward authoritarian on the authority dimension.
- Compared with Absolute Monarchism, Theocracy sits 19 points further toward collective / planned on the economic dimension.
- Compared with Falangeism, Theocracy sits 19 points further toward market on the economic dimension.
Figures with the closest estimated positions
Closeness of estimated positions only; this does not mean these people identify with Theocracy.
Sources
- Britannica: Theocracy
- Wikipedia: Theocracy (Wikipedia search)
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Religion and Political Theory
Position last reviewed: not yet reviewed individually.