The first revolt is against the supreme tyranny of theology, of the phantom of God. As long as we have a master in heaven, we will be slaves on earth.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The first step to freedom is rejecting theological authority. Believing in a master in heaven ensures slavery on earth.
- In plain terms
- You cannot be free on earth if you obey a god in heaven.
- What can you take from it?
- Rejecting divine authority is essential for human autonomy.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Must one reject God to be free?
- Is faith inherently enslaving?
Another view
This ignores those who find freedom through faith.
More from Mikhail Bakunin
My dignity as a man, my human right which consists of refusing to obey any other man, and to determine my own acts in conformity with my convictions is reflect…
Permalink to quote #13 We must make a very precise distinction between the official and consequently dictatorial prerogatives of society organized as a state, and of the natural infl…
Permalink to quote #15 The materialistic. realistic, and collectivist conception of freedom, as opposed to the idealistic, is this: Man becomes conscious of himself and his humanity …
Permalink to quote #12
Related quotes
Whenever one tries to suppress doubt, there is tyranny.
Simone WeilSimone Weil quote #5 This contradiction lies here: they wish God, and they wish humanity. They persist in connecting two terms which, once separated, can come together again only t…
Mikhail BakuninMikhail Bakunin quote #19 Atheism ... in its philosophic aspect refuses allegiance not merely to a definite concept of God, but it refuses all servitude to the God idea, and opposes the…
Emma GoldmanEmma Goldman quote #20