On Gods and Rulers

A lot of anarchists are also proud atheists. Their mantra is “no gods, no rulers.” It seems that their objection to rulers is of the same nature as their objection to gods. I don’t understand the connection. Being a ruler is a personal choice. One chooses to rule over others. A god may be a ruler, but that doesn’t seem necessary. I can conceive of a god that is merely the father of our spirits. He could be no more a ruler than many a fathers I’ve seen here on Earth. Rulership would be his choice. More, if there is a god, or gods, then our objecting to them is irrelevant. I personally don’t see a point in worshiping a ruler-god; it seems irrational and possibly immoral. But a father-god who will give me things if I show interest in following his lead, or simply leave me alone if not? Who would object to that? And that’s today’s two cents.

Skyler.

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Founder and editor of Everything-Voluntary.com and UnschoolingDads.com, Skyler is a husband and unschooling father of three beautiful children. His writings include the column series “One Voluntaryist’s Perspective” and “One Improved Unit,” and blog series “Two Cents“. Skyler also wrote the books No Hitting! and Toward a Free Society, and edited the books Everything Voluntary and Unschooling Dads. You can hear Skyler chatting away on his podcasts, Everything Voluntary and Thinking & Doing.