#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

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

Religion is all bunk. ↗

— Thomas A. Edison

#religion

Materialism, attachment to things of the world, includes pride. Many religious people suffer from pride: taking pleasure or even delight in being good, or religious. ↗

— Idries Shah

#materialism #pleasure #pride #religion #sufi

To me, religion is about our dignity, not our depravity. ↗

— Yann Martel

#religion

Religion is nothing but institutionalized mysticism. The catch is, mysticism does not lend itself to institutionalization. The moment we attempt to organize mysticism, we destroy its essence. Religion, then, is mysticism in which the mystical has been killed. Or, at least diminished. ↗

— Tom Robbins

#mystical #mysticism #religion #religion

It will not do to investigate the subject of religion too closely, as it is apt to lead to infidelity. ↗

— Abraham Lincoln

#history #lincoln #religion