The Constitution could have been crafted to structure our nation as a civil rule of God, yet it
was not. No matter how many examples may be offered to show a Christian influence on
American history, the fact remains: we do not live in a theocracy. We have a separation of
church and state.
Groups like the WallBuilders are displeased with the separation of church and state.
They are fearful that a distinct separation between our civic and religious lives will result in
our being a godless nation. If God is not part of the memory of the genesis of our nation,
they reason, then we are not a nation under God, indivisible. If God is not part of our
nation’s history, then God may not be part of us today. An absence of God may leave us
vulnerable, divisible.
Consider the irony that while we have Christians in the United States who fear living
in a nation that does not emphasize God, there is an even greater fear of those nations who
do. We are fearful of countries who blatantly acknowledge the sovereignty of God. We
have citizens who wish we lived in a theocracy, yet those same citizens are fearful of
nations that are theocracies.
We are afraid of nations whose teachings about God differ from our own. Perhaps
we would not be troubled by countries that are ruled by religious authorities if those nations
shared our religious beliefs. But that is not the case. The best examples we have of God-
fearing nations are in the Middle East, and we are terrified of their rule.
Iran places God front and center. Ever since the 1979 revolution by the Ayatollah
Ruhollah Khomeini, religious clerics have run the country. The religious leaders examine
the laws of the land to make sure they are consistent with Islam. Almost 90% of Iran is
Shiite Muslim.
In Saudi Arabia, Sunni Islam holds sway. More specifically, the Wahhabi sect of
Islam provides a religious imprimatur for the king’s legislation. Because of the strict
religious codes, there is no consumption of alcohol or dancing in public. Women who fail
to completely cover their bodies risk being caned by the religious authorities. While some
Christians live in Saudi Arabia, they are not allowed to worship.
Qatar, which prides itself for its progressive democracy, also is guided by the
teachings of Wahhabi Islam. The first article of its Constitution declares, “Islam is the
state’s religion and the Islamic Shariah is the main source of its legislations.” Unlike in
Saudi Arabia, Qatar allows Christians to worship freely. Further, alcohol is served in fine
hotels, women are allowed to dress as they please, and there is freedom of the press.
There is almost unanimous agreement that Iraq will have a theocracy, as well. It
remains to be seen, however, what kind of theocracy will unfold there. The dominant party,
at present, is Shiite. There is fear that a Shiite theocracy like that in Iran will prevail in Iraq,
yet the Sunni minority has veto power that will limit a strict Shiite interpretation of Islamic
law. (“Allah and Democracy Can Get Along Fine,” by Dilip Hiro, The New York Times,
3/1/2005, p. A19)
We soon will witness the course Iraq chooses to take with regard to its government
and religion. While we may have wished that their nation be secular, it appears it will be,
instead, a theocracy.
That for which many Christians in our nation long – a nation under God – is cause for
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