#religion

Religion is the organization of spirituality into something that became the hand maiden of conquerors. Nearly all religions were brought to people and imposed on people by conquerors, and used as the framework to control their minds. ↗

— John Henrik Clarke

#brought #conquerors #control #framework #hand

Perhaps these Ten Commandments cases will be the turning point in the legal war against religion. ↗

— Cliff Stearns

#cases #commandments #legal #perhaps #point

Let's think about living some day in a world made of friendship, with hearts beating with duty and feeling, and people and animals and trees and birds and lawns. We'll have a morality never written in a book. A morality that looks in surprise at what we do now and what we'll do in the future, what we think now and what we will think. Then we'll have a longer friendship, Bug-eyes. Then, don't worry. My friend Panço will agree. He won't talk about church morality. He'll tell his children about the extraordinary beauty of friendship. ↗

— Sait Faik Abasıyanık

#morality-without-religion #beauty

There is much in this vision that will remind you of your mystics; yet between them and us there is far more difference than similarity, in respect both of the matter and the manner of our thought. For while they are confident that the cosmos is perfect, we are sure only that it is very beautiful. While they pass to their conclusion without the aid of intellect, we have used that staff every step of the way. Thus, even when in respect of conclusions we agree with your mystics rather than your plodding intellectuals, in respect of method we applaud most your intellectuals; for they scorned to deceive themselves with comfortable fantasies. ↗

— Olaf Stapledon

#religion #science #thought #beauty

If man really is fashioned, more than anything else, in the image of God, then clearly it follows that there is nothing on earth so near to God as a human being. The conclusion is inescapable, that to be in the presence of even the meanest, lowest, most repulsive specimen of humanity of the world is still to be closer to God than when looking up into a starry sky or at a beautiful sunset. Certainly that is why there is nothing in the new testament about beautiful sunsets.- Mike Mason -Author of "The Mystery of Marriage ↗

— Mike Mason

#human #inspirational #life #love #religion

'Shoot the wounded... what we do to people who are the most vulnerable... we 'shoot the wounded.' As if they haven't suffered enough, we add to it by gossiping and treating hurt people like outcasts." ..."I think we killed Ronnie's spirit... Instead of coming alongside her and supporting her through this, I failed her... ↗

— Lynn Dove

#gossip #hypocrisy #rejection #religion #shooting-the-wounded

That's what I've never been able to get about religion: that charmless combination of altruism and insanity. Give me a cynical, self-interested bastard any day of the week; at least you can play chicken with him and know he'll stick to the rules. ↗

— Mike Carey

#cynicism #religion

Twenty five percent of Israeli citizens are not even Jewish. Anybody can become an Israeli citizen if you qualify. Religion is not a criterion for citizenship. ↗

— Alan Dershowitz

#become #citizen #citizens #citizenship #criterion

There is one thing higher than Royalty: and that is religion, which causes us to leave the world, and seek God. ↗

— Elizabeth I

#god #higher #leave #one thing #religion

It’s quite odd, in a land of so many different cultures, religions, ethnicity's, languages, and faces to match them all, that my white face under a scarf should cause such confusion. For some reason, my explanation of being “white” solidifies my American-ness in their minds. It shouldn’t be that way, but it is. I don’t know how to fix it. I guess I’ll just go on stumping a while longer. Maybe someday scientists will come up with a cure. ↗

— Theresa McCune

#ethnicity #hijab #islam #race #religion