Theodemocracy

Theodemocracy was a political theory developed by Joseph Smith Jr., founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, during the 1840s in Nauvoo, Illinois. Smith envisioned a form of government that would combine democratic participation with divine revelation, serving as preparation for Christ's anticipated millennial kingdom on Earth.

The concept was implemented through the Council of Fifty, a secret organization established by Smith in 1844 to govern temporal affairs and prepare for the establishment of God's kingdom. The council included both Mormon and non-Mormon members and was designed to operate according to divine revelation while maintaining democratic discussion and consensus-building.

Smith believed that theodemocracy would eventually replace all earthly governments when Christ returned to rule during the millennium. The system would preserve individual liberty while ensuring governance according to divine law, with revelation taking precedence over popular will when the two conflicted. Smith's presidential campaign in 1844 promoted some theodemocratic principles.

Following Smith's assassination in 1844, Brigham Young continued to develop theodemocratic concepts during the early Utah territorial period. Critics and conspiracy theorists have alleged that theodemocracy represented a plan to overthrow the U.S. Constitution and establish Mormon political dominance, though church leaders maintained it was a religious preparation for Christ's future reign rather than immediate political revolution.