America Is Not a Theocracy

If you think of the most backwards countries in the world today, the countries that give us the most trouble are, with the possible exception of Russia, theocracies and run by dictators. The theocracies are almost all Christian or Islamic. The brutal dictatorships of Africa, and the wild crazies of the Middle East, all pray to the same God. Their religions were founded hundreds, if not thousands of years ago - when almost everyone had a college degree and majored in philosophy. Science was not quite the foundation upon which these societies progressed. They were, however, wildly inventive storytellers. 

Many of these deep thinkers, who once worshiped a variety of deities, settled on one, and proceeded to believe in spirits, invisible men, and kingdoms in the sky, with streets paved with gold, and visits with the dearly departed. So strong was their conviction, that some became coliseum-food for wild lions, tigers and bears, oh, my. Some were promised virgins as a reward if they died for the cause. The few dissidents that threatened the status quo, were promptly burned at the stake, stretched a few feet, or stoned – not in a good way.

How did all that work out, do you suppose? So far, not so well, I’m afraid.

Well, that’s not our country. That’s not the United States of America. We’re no theocracy; are we! Sure, we have coliseums, where people beat the hell of each other, we hate sex, and atheists are shunned – but no burning at the stake, please!

You have to admit, in some ways, we live in a very backwards country.

Jac Flanders is the author of “What I Learned On The Way Down,” eBook and paperback versions from Amazon.com.