Divine Right to Rule: Origin of Government
Divine Right to Rule--The Origin of Government The divine right to rule is one of the most important doctrines in history yet most people don't understand this concept. The first step in understanding the concept of the divine right to rule is to know its history. Once you understand the history of the concept you are ready to learn what the actual concept is and how it works in government. Despite the fact that in most countries the belief in and practice of the divine right to rule has long retired, there were and still are many strengths of the concept. Of course, where there are strengths, there will always be some weaknesses and examples where this concept did not work. Understanding the concept of the divine right to rule will allow you to comprehend the origin of past and present forms of government all over the world. The divine right to rule has a long and diverse history that has touched almost every civilization known. The divine right to rule is not a modern concept. In fact, it is so ancient that scholars find it hard to pinpoint the exact place or culture that first used the concept to rule. However, historians do know three main cultures that practiced the concept in very early history. The Egyptian culture was
public with a democratic based government. The weaknesses of this political system are not numerous but very detrimental to any government that follows it. The lack of veto power by the people is the main weakness of the concept. The concept of the divine right to rule is the idea that one can be given the right to rule by birth alone. In this form of government, authority is passed down through heredity. Beneficiaries receive their right to rule from ancestors whom were originally appointed by god. For example, if a man were to be born into a family that was "royal," he already would have the prerequisites needed to become ruler. The ruler would have to show no other qualities of leadership than relation to the anointed ancestor and you could sit at the throne. Given these circumstances, the new ruler would be you. You would not just be the governing body but an emperor or the leader of a dynasty depending on when and where you were born. More over, despite how ungodly you were, you would still hold the absolute obedience of your people. You would expect nothing short of the submission shown to a god. The cultures that followed the concept believed that the approval of god or the presence of god was passed through generations of the same family. This form of government makes its ruler responsible to god and not the people whom are governed. This lack of responsibility to the governed was worsened by the ability of a king or ruler to make any law or claim he wished and justify it as his divine duty and right. The divine right to rule is the basis for the modern monarchial governments that exist today. The governed were controlled with fear of god's wrath, and they were ruled with the power of a god. However powerful and successful the concept of the divine right to rule may have been, there have been serious and detrimental weaknesses to this system of government. The concept has out lived many other forms of government but n
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