Criticism:

Gilchrist has criticized the theory on the following grounds:

1 State a Human Institution:

The modern political scientist regards the state as essentially a human institution, organized in its government through human agency. No one now accepts the originative power of God as a criterion of the tightness or wrongness of any given form of government. To say that God selects this or that man as ruler is contrary to experience and common sense.

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2. Dangerous consequences:

The theory is dangerous. In a theocratic state the ruler is responsible only to God. Irresponsibility to human opinion might be a grave danger in the hands of an unscrupulous man. It would lead to tyranny.

3. Unrealistic theory:

The early Church fathers held that a bad ruler is given by God to men as a punishment for their sins. It is difficult to accept this view point as realistic.

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4. New Testament disregards the theory:

The theory is not supported by New Testament. Christ’s statement, “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s”, is an evidence of the human character of the state from the very fountain head.

5. It is unscientific:

Latest researches in the field of anthropology and sociology prove that the theory of Divine Origin of state has no meaning at all. “The state came into existence” as Aristotle put it “out of bare needs of man and continues for the good of man”. Man is a social and political animal and it was by nature and necessity that state came into existence. The theory is thus unscientific.

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6. State is the result of a process of evolution:

All the political thinkers are unanimous in the view that the state came into existence as a result of evolutionary process. Various factors including religion, family force and political consciousness played their part in the process evolution of State. It is definitely not the creation of God as such.

7. It is undemocratic:

The theory inevitably leads to the establishment of absolute authority which is opposed to the spirit of democracy idolizes and glorifies the individual.