Theocrats under every rock!

Back in the 1950s Joe McCarthy found Communists hiding under every rock. At a time when the Soviet Union was becoming a major force in the world, he found it easy to tar opponents with this nasty epithet and have it stick. People were afraid and if you were different you must be a Communist.
I think in some ways the term "theocrat" can have the same effect. I'm not in favor of theocracy, but I'm afraid that the phrase can be used too cavalierly to tar anyone who speaks favorably of religion's place in the public arena. I've already posted some about theocracy today in regards to Monica Goodling's relationship to Regent University, and so I add this to make sure I don't go overboard!
Ed Brayton has written an important caveat on theocracy and dominionism over at Talk to Action. He writes:

Let me start by being blunt: I think we overuse terms like "theocracy" and "dominionism" (and by "we" I mean those of us who are engaged in various culture war issues and in political battles against, for lack of a better term, the religious right). I'm not going to be specific on who I think does that, but I think it's something that needs to be confronted. I've written a great deal over the last few years against those who advocate theocracy; it's something I feel very strongly about and will fight to the bitter end to avoid.

He offers this caution that needs to be heeded:

So that is my plea to those I know and to those I don't who are engaged in these culture war battles with me. Please be careful when using such terms and not apply them too broadly. We need not fall into the same trap that so many of our opponents do when they regularly paint anyone who disagrees with them as Satan-worshiping communists out to destroy Christianity. Save those labels for those they really fit so that we can preserve their meaning and engage our opponents with more intellectual seriousness than they often engage us with. There are real theocrats out there, some of whom have access to power, and they must be fought. But we do not help our cause in that fight by draining the relevance and meaning out of our rhetoric through overuse and false application.

Ultimately, though there are theocrats in our midst, I'm pretty confident that our Constitutional foundations are strong enough to resist a theocratic takeover. I think that's one reason why I didn't finally sign up as an official anti-theocracy blogger. Nonetheless, it's important to remain vigilant!

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