Changes

Government ruled by a divine means or by leaders considered to be divinely guided. Israel was a theocracy before King Saul. The Islamic Republic of [[Iran]] is a modern-day theocracy, as many commentators believe that the real power in its government lies not in democratically-elected leaders like [[Mahmoud Ahmadinejad]] but in clerics within the government.

Government ruled by a divine means or by leaders considered to be divinely guided. Israel was a theocracy before King Saul. The Islamic Republic of [[Iran]] is a modern-day theocracy, as many commentators believe that the real power in its government lies not in democratically-elected leaders like [[Mahmoud Ahmadinejad]] but in clerics within the government. The Vatican is a formal Christian theocracy, with the Pope as head of both church and state.

 

Theocracy may also describe any government which seeks to impose religious princibles or law on its population, even if the government is formally secular.