#theism

I was perplexed by the failure of teachers at school to address what seemed the most urgent matter of all: the bewildering, stomach-churning insecurity of being alive. The standard subjects of history, geography, mathematics, and English seemed perversely designed to ignore the questions that really mattered. As soon as I had some inkling of what 'philosophy' meant, I was puzzled as to why we were not taught it. And my skepticism about religion only grew as I failed to see what the vicars and priests I encountered gained from their faith. They struck me either as insincere, pious, and aloof or just bumblingly good-natured. (p. 10) ↗

— Stephen Batchelor

#buddhism #education #design

Selfishness is the only real atheism; unselfishness the only real religion. ↗

— Israel Zangwill

#only #real #real religion #religion #selfishness

If there is a God, atheism must seem to Him as less of an insult than religion. ↗

— Edmond de Goncourt

#god #him #insult #less #must

I was raised thinking that moral and ethical standards are universals that apply equally to everyone. And these values aren't easily compatible with the kind of religion that posits a Creator. To my way of thinking, an omnipotent being who sets up a universe in which thinking beings proliferate, grow old, and die (usually in agony, alone, and in fear) is a cosmic sadist. ↗

— Charles Stross

#cosmic-sadist #death #everything #life #religion

To you, I'm an atheist. To God, I'm the loyal opposition. ↗

— Woody Allen

#atheism #humor #humor

But [he] had lost god, and all his family and friends were staying behind with his imaginary friend. A silly dream goes away and takes with it your whole real life. ↗

— Penn Jillette

#religion #dreams

If atheism is to be used to express the state of mind in which God is identified with the unknowable, and theology is pronounced to be a collection of meaningless words about unintelligible chimeras, then I have no doubt, and I think few people doubt. ↗

— Leslie Stephen

#atheism #collection #doubt #express #few

En ningún momento de la historia, en ningún lugar del planeta, las religiones han servido para que los seres humanos se acerquen unos a los otros. Por el contrario, sólo han servido para separar, para quemar, para torturar. No creo en dios, no lo necesito y además soy buena persona. ↗

— José Saramago

#saramago #religion

A man without reason is no better than a mad dog, and mad dogs must be put down for the good of everyone. ↗

— James L. Sutter

#religion #death

The belief that rational and quantifiable disciplines such as science can be used to perfect human society is no less absurd than a belief in magic, angels, and divine intervention. ↗

— Chris Hedges

#logic #rational #science #science