Risk of Theocracy

Last week I was on my way to Portland, and settled on a talk radio station where the dominating theme is liberal politics. At one point, someone was ranting against the usual things, like “corporate” interests and the death of mother earth. Amongst all that, she said something that interested me. She said that people need to wake up and smell the risk of theocracy.

I probably shouldn’t pay any attention to someone who uses that half-wild tone of voice, preaching like a tribal shaman. But that’s just what caught my attention. There she was, obviously expressing her deeply held beliefs. Maybe I’d even say she was expressing her faith, warning against the risk of theocracy, with the implication (from context) that religion is a baaaad thing.

It showed me, for one thing, that she had no appreciation for the degree to which her tirade was driven by faith, meaning her beliefs alone, without much supporting evidence. Even atheists believe something. Maybe their act of faith would better be called disbelief, but it’s certainly not an altogether absence of faith. What a curiosity. Everyone believes something, but some don’t believe that. Huh.

Most likely, those who disbelieve the existence of their own faith also wouldn’t appreciate the fact that an atheistic educational system, as well as atheistic science and government, is just as faith-driven as a theocratic government. An absolutely atheistic government is a theocracy, defined by whatever the atheistic agenda happens to be at the moment. Is that what we’re heading toward? I hope not.