Theocracies do not work

If Kenya were a theocracy, would the religious leaders have solved the errors of the past and turned Kenya into a prosperous, tolerant and peaceful nation? The answer lies in how the theocrats of today have run their various institutions. The Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Church, the AIC, SDA, and the other 'organised' churches have a leadership that is for the most part, democratically elected. However, it is the Big Two, the Roman Catholics and Anglicans, who demonstrate the contrasts of Christian theocracies.

The Roman Catholic Church is an autocracy, benevolent as it may seem. The Pope is the head and his word is final, infallible. His views on many social issues are unchallengeable, despite advances in science and in other areas. The intolerance of the Roman Catholics to certain ideas augurs poorly for a future where the Pope's representative in Kenya enjoys a veto in the decisions of the elected representatives of the people of Kenya. The Anglicans too, have their hard stances, but for the most part they have not displayed the same level of intolerance to the ideas of others. The schism that is being experienced by them regarding the ordination of homosexuals reflects the same debate that is raging in the public sector. It is entirely possible that whichever path the Anglicans finally follow it will be reflected in the choice the people they serve eventually do. Thankfully, though the Archbishop of Canterbury is an important figure in the Church, he is not infallible or unchallengeable.

What about the Muslims and the Hindus? The Muslims offer the starkest example of the need to separate religion and government. Iran has been run by the Mullahs since 1978 and in that time even their intolerance to certain matters has raised the hackles of Muslims. The overwhelming influence of Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia has led to the marriage of an intolerant strain of Islam with an authoritarian regime that serves not the good of its people but the ruling royal family, if family it is. As a result, many Islamic leaders have taken to employing Islam for their ends, regardless of what the religion may stand for. The history of the past 30 years is littered with the blood of the innocent, slain in wars which were justified in the name of Islamic Jihad. Hindus, do not fare any better. The chauvinistic manner in which they view themselves, and the intolerances within the hierarchical religion means that in theory, at least, they would be willing to support inequities in society.

No one disputes that religions proffer many positive values for society. Truth, honesty, tolerance, fraternity, sorority - these are all attributes that we must aspire to. But, these values quite frequently are enforced on in relation to the religion itself and not to outsiders. Therefore, Catholics are tolerant of other Catholics, Muslims of other Muslims, and so on. It is for this reason that theocracies fail in the long run. It is for this reason why we will keep attending church but vote with our heads it comes to government. I do not want a pastor in charge of this country just as I would not want a politician in charge of my Sunday sermon.