The cook, the wife, her thief and lovers

Throughout history there have really been only three types of rulers.

1. Kings and despots

2. The churches

3. The representative states

Before I go any further, there have of course been hybrids and liars; despots posing as state rulers or states with strong church influence, for example. Just take this as a given.

Both the churches and the states were born from affluence which gave all or some of the masses time enough to consider the negative influence of their despots upon their personal safety and the access to the means of consumption.

In the early days a general shortage of emotional and social intelligence resulted in the churches having a better value proposition over the states.

This has now flipped around and the states have it all over the churches in many Western jurisdictions.

The main reason is this; the states generally recognise and enshrine the shifting wishes of the majority whereas the churches are usually encumbered with some historical dogma, thus limiting their ability to react to changes in social norms.

Gay marriage in America is one such example. In this battle between the churches and the state for control, the poor old churches are fighting with a seriously hard-wired and bible-enshrined handicap.

However America is a violent country. I would expect that, lacking control on this issue, that agents of the churches will to turn to violence or dissolution.