#theism

Moses Kaldor had always loved mountains; they made him feel nearer to the God whose nonexistence he still sometimes resented. ↗

— Arthur C. Clarke

#nature #religion #love

When Alex left for Alaska," Franz remembers, "I prayed. I asked God to keep his finger on the shoulder of that one; I told him that boy was special. But he let Alex die. So on December 26, when I learned what happened, I renounced the Lord. I withdrew my church membership and became an atheist. I decided I couldn't believe in a God who would let something that terrible happen to a boy like Alex. ↗

— Jon Krakauer

#inspirational #religious #inspirational

Without the gods, how would I sing?' I asked. With your own voice,' he said. ↗

— Erica Jong

#inspirational #inspirational

I'd take the awe of understanding over the awe of ignorance any day. ↗

— Douglas Adams

#intelligence #intelligence

If I were to construct a God I would furnish Him with some way and qualities and characteristics which the Present lacks. ↗

— Mark Twain

#agnosticism #atheism #atheist #freedom #god

If he is infinitely good, what reason should we have to fear him? If he is infinitely wise, why should we have doubts concerning our future? If he knows all, why warn him of our needs and fatigue him with our prayers? If he is everywhere, why erect temples to him? If he is just, why fear that he will punish the creatures that he has filled with weaknesses? If grace does everything for them, what reason would he have for recompensing them? If he is all-powerful, how offend him, how resist him? If he is reasonable, how can he be angry at the blind, to whom he has given the liberty of being unreasonable? If he is immovable, by what right do we pretend to make him change his decrees? If he is inconceivable, why occupy ourselves with him? IF HE HAS SPOKEN, WHY IS THE UNIVERSE NOT CONVINCED? ↗

— Percy Bysshe Shelley

#evidence #infallibility #change

There seem to be only two kinds of people: Those who think that metaphors are facts, and those who know that they are not facts. Those who know they are not facts are what we call "atheists," and those who think they are facts are "religious." Which group really gets the message? ↗

— Joseph Campbell

#metaphors #mythology #religion #theism #art

We are here because one odd group of fishes had a peculiar fin anatomy that could transform into legs for terrestrial creatures; because the earth never froze entirely during an ice age; because a small and tenuous species, arising in Africa a quarter of a million years ago, has managed, so far, to survive by hook and by crook. We may yearn for a ‘higher answer’– but none exists ↗

— Stephen Jay Gould

#evolution #inspirational #life #nature #science

The world holds two classes of men - intelligent men without religion, and religious men without intelligence. ↗

— Abu'l-Ala-Al-Ma'arri

#intelligence #religion #world #intelligence

I'm an atheist, but I'm very relaxed about it. I don't preach my atheism, but I have a huge amount of respect for people like Richard Dawkins who do. ↗

— Daniel Radcliffe

#amount #atheism #atheist #huge #i