theocracy

This term describes a governance structure where the boundary between religious authority and political power is erased. It carries a heavy connotation of absolute authority, as laws are presented not as human legislation but as divine mandates, making dissent equivalent to heresy. In modern political discourse, the word often evokes a sense of rigidity or intolerance, though it can be used neutrally in historical contexts to describe ancient civilizations where the ruler was viewed as a deity or a direct representative of one.