Democracy vs. Theocracy

Main Difference

Different forms of government exist which are followed by separate countries to run their matters and every way of running the country has its advantages of disadvantages. There is always an argument made on which one can be better than the other based on certain set of topics but there can be no winner. Two similar forms of government which will be talked about are theocracy and democracy. These are distinct from each other, but one cannot comprehend which one is better because they both can be beneficial in their own way. Some of the differences between them are stated here. Democracy can be defined as the form of government which makes sure that the rule of the people is maintained. Theocracy, on the other hand, is the type in which people do not get much of a say and the sole entity which runs the country is God and its teachings. There are many other differences as well, for example in a democratic system there is a proper set of representatives who are elected by the people to put forward their cause in a bigger scope. In theocracy people cannot elect their own members and have to depend on the person who is in charge to appoint someone for them. The constitution in case of democracy is set up by the people, keeping in view the needs of a country and other circumstances while in a theocratic system, the law is according to the holy book of the religion which has this type of rule. Many countries in the world have moved towards a democratic system while many of the states in the past followed the theocracy system. The ruler of a country is elected through a democratic process while rule is inherited or the ruler appointed, in a theocratic system. There are many other differences too, which will be listed down at the end. Brief description of these two types is given in the paragraphs which follow.

Difference Between Democracy and Theocracy

Comparison Chart

Definition of Democracy

Democracy can be defined as the form of government which makes sure that the rule of the people is maintained. The way of governing the country is founded by the simple form of representation. People of the country elect their representatives by voting for them during the elections. The individuals who are chosen become part of the parliament and attend the sessions to act on behalf other citizens. If the person who has voted for a person are not happy with their representatives, they may not vote for them again in the next elections. It also has some other features, there is no possibility of unrest being created by the people because actually they are the ones who have selected the people to make different policies. The leaders get to take different terms and mostly are not electable after two terms in the office. There are also some wide-ranging benefits, for example, people when given the right to choose their own leaders, won’t come out against them that often which maintains the state of calmness. There is also a limit on how many times a person can be selected which helps in new people coming through the ranks. To summarize, the best way to explain this term is the most famous sentence used for it. The government of the people, by the people and for the people.

Definition of Theocracy

This is a different form of government in which the sole power of origin is god or a higher entity which gives people the power of running the country according to its rules. This type of government used to be very common in the old times when nations were divided on the basis or religion and wars were fought in order to prove that one religion is better than the other. Different religions such as Muslims and Christians had theocracy where the book of God was made the law and all the actions that were taken after that were in accordance to that. Although most religions tend to have similar powers given to the people there are always exceptions. The way of ruling is same though, where one person or more are elected and act as serving and implementer of God’s will. There is no proper parliament and even if there is, it can be overruled by the higher power. Many Christian countries did away with this form of government long ago and went towards democracy. Though the believers say that implementing the real message itself is democracy.

Conclusion

There are forms of government which are similar to each other and then there are some forms which are totally opposite to each other, the two terms explained in this article are Theocracy and Democracy which basically are antonyms. This space has given a brief but precise explanation of two terms to help people know what they mean.