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ment whose leader claims to have direct communication with God and claims to be relaying or revealing God’s instructions to humanity. But theocracy is a diverse phenomenon. It has taken other forms as well. For example, theocracies may arise in the absence of a living prophet. Islamic theocratic states were established in Iran and Afghanistan in the late 20th century, more than 1,300 years after the death of Muhammad. Jesus lived in the first century CE , but Christian reformers founded theocracies, among other places, in Switzerland during the 1550s and the Massachusetts Bay Colony during the 1630s. In cases such as these, scripture tends to be cited as justification for “rule by God.” Where polytheism (belief in multiple gods) exists, a differ- ent form of theocracy has sometimes arisen. Leaders have claimed to be, or have been regarded, as gods in their own right. Such leaders don’t merely relay or interpret the divine will. As god-kings, they are part of the sacred realm. Thus, in theory

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Theocracy: Religious Government