#nor

The Bible may, indeed does, contain a warrant for trafficking in humans, for ethnic cleansing, for slavery, for bride-price, and for indiscriminate massacre, but we are not bound by any of it because it was put together by crude, uncultured human mammals. ↗

— Christopher Hitchens

#atheist #god #noremorse #religion

Thus, though I dislike to differ with such a great man, Voltaire was simply ludicrous when he said that if god did not exist it would be necessary to invent him. The human invention of god is the problem to begin with. ↗

— Christopher Hitchens

#atheist #god #noremorse #religion #religion

Why do humans exist? A major part of the answer: because Pikaia Gracilens survived the Burgess decimation. ↗

— Christopher Hitchens

#atheist #god #noremorse #science #religion

For, from the time that the Bishop of Rome had gotten to be acknowledged for bishop universal, by pretence of succession to St. Peter, their whole hierarchy, or kingdom of darkness, may be compared not unfitly to the kingdom of fairies; that is, to the old wives' fables in England concerning ghosts and spirits, and the feats they play in the night. And if a man consider the original of this great ecclesiastical dominion, he will easily perceive that the papacy is no other than the ghost of the deceased Roman Empire, sitting crowned upon the grave thereof: for so did the papacy start up on a sudden out of the ruins of that heathen power. ↗

— Thomas Hobbes

#belief #catholic-church #fairies #heathen #materialism

Who but the sports-mad [Norman] Mailer would liken the battle between God and the Devil to a game of American football? The contest, for sure, has with [sic] own laws (so that after God and the Devil 'tackle a guy, they don't kick him in the head'), but each side is not above cheating—with God breaking the rules occasionally by throwing in 'a miracle'. Strangely, Mailer doesn’t mention Jesus in this agonising analogy, but then the notion of the 'super-sub' may be an image too far even for him. ↗

— Christopher Hitchens

#book-review #devil #god #jesus #miracles

You really wanna take care of North Korea? I’ll tell you what to do: grab a couple of devout Christians and dress em’ up as Kim Jong-un and drop their asses into North Korea armed with Bibles and methamphetamines. They’ll either convert everybody or call em’ sinners and murder every last one of them. Problem solved. ↗

— Aaron B. Powell

#philosophy-religion #religion

Later, in my adulthood, I will read the book again, even watch the movie, and understand that I wasn’t equipped, as a child, to make room for arguments that would undermine every single choice made for me, that would shatter the foundations of my very existence. I would see that I had to believe everything I was taught, if only to survive. For a long time I wouldn’t be ready to accept that my worldview could be wrong, but I do not look back with shame at my ignorance. ↗

— Deborah Feldman

#ignorance #learning #religion #movies

The only reason you need me at all, John, is because Magick actually works. If it were all just smoke and mirrors and stage magic, if the world worked the way religion or science says it works, then we wouldn’t have Vampyres in the first place. I’d be out of a job. ↗

— Abramelin Keldor

#paranormal #religion

You will continue in her service until she is done with you. Whether you believe she exists or not.” Silence smiled, “She does like blasphemers. ↗

— Daniel Surry

#daniel-surry #fantasy #horror #iron-of-the-innocent #religion

A man who believes everything can be explained by science is just as ignorant as someone who believes everything can be explained by religion. ↗

— Zack W. Van

#open-mindedness #religion #science #religion