#religion

The government must pursue a course of complete neutrality toward religion. ↗

— John Paul Stevens

#course #government #must #neutrality #pursue

Our civilization is not Christian. It does not come from the skies. It is not a result of "inspiration." It is the child of invention, of discovery, of applied knowledge -- that is to say, of science. When man becomes great and grand enough to admit that all have equal rights; when thought is untrammeled; when worship shall consist in doing useful things; when religion means the discharge of obligations to our fellow-men, then, and not until then, will the world be civilized. ↗

— Robert G. Ingersoll

#knowledge #religion #rights #science #society

Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair. ↗

— Gilbert K. Chesterton

#affair #less #love #love affair #more

Be strong, believe in freedom and in God, love yourself, understand your sexuality, have a sense of humor, masturbate, don't judge people by their religion, color or sexual habits, love life and your family. ↗

— Madonna Ciccone

#believe #color #family #freedom #god

Just as the soul fills the body, so God fills the world. Just as the soul bears the body, so God endures the world. Just as the soul sees but is not seen, so God sees but is not seen. Just as the soul feeds the body, so God gives food to the world. ↗

— Marcus Tullius Cicero

#bears #body #endures #feeds #fills

In the relationship between man and religion, the state is firmly committed to a position of neutrality. ↗

— Tom C. Clark

#committed #firmly #man #neutrality #position

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