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Religion

Fantasies about reality and authority may comfort some, but have no place in civil governance

You might have noticed that the changing quotes at this site generally express observations about religion. I chose them to reflect my attitude to religious authority.

The only legitimate authority to govern is that granted by the governed. This is the purpose of democracy. Religious rule does not acknowledge this, it claims authority to govern from elsewhere.

That is a bad thing, as anyone who governs without the authority of the governed will inevitably make decisions not in the interests of the governed. In this all dictators, aristocracies, churchs and other restricted and isolated groups of rulers are alike.