“Religion leaves no room for human complexity.”
Religion asks the biggest questions and offers answers that millions of people organize their lives around. These quotes approach faith traditions with respect and curiosity, exploring belief, doubt, ritual, and the search for something larger than yourself.
“It is a fine thing to establish one's own religion in one's heart, not to be dependent on tradition and second-hand ideals. Life will seem to you, later, not a lesser, but a greater thing.”
“Religion leaves no room for human complexity.”
“Religion doesn't play any part in my life in terms of how I live my life. But I don't think I've ever gone through a day in my life without hearing someone say the word 'Jew' or saying it myself.”
“We're all sick of holy wars and bloodshed because religion is supposed to give us life and a better life and is supposed to bring out our best self. When it results in mass destruction and hatred and anxiety, it's the antithesis I think of what religion was designed to do.”
“I'm not defined by where I came from. I never took part in the rules and hatred that sometimes go along with religion. But if my parents are happy with what they believe, then I'm happy to stay out of their way. We agree to disagree.”
“My political ideas and things like that, even my religion, I try to keep close to me because it's a personal thing, and I don't shove it down people's throats. I don't condemn any artist that wants to do that, like the Baldwins. That's their choice. But in my world, I'm just an entertainer.”
“Wealth, religion, military victory have more rhetorical than efficacious worth.”
“In the 21st century, I believe the mission of the United Nations will be defined by a new, more profound awareness of the sanctity and dignity of every human life, regardless of race or religion.”
“We must respect the other fellow's religion, but only in the sense and to the extent that we respect his theory that his wife is beautiful and his children smart.”
“No man ever believes that the Bible means what it says: He is always convinced that it says what he means.”
“Religion is the recognition of all our duties as divine commands.”
“The more powerful and original a mind, the more it will incline towards the religion of solitude.”
“All who think cannot but see there is a sanction like that of religion which binds us in partnership in the serious work of the world.”
“Many of us saw religion as harmless nonsense. Beliefs might lack all supporting evidence but, we thought, if people needed a crutch for consolation, where's the harm? September 11th changed all that.”
“We may be sure that out of the ruins of our capitalist civilization a new religion will emerge, just as Christianity emerged from the ruins of the Roman civilization.”
“But let's just say, I'm Irish. I grew up in the 1950s. Religion had a very tight iron fist.”