A central lesson of science is that to understand complex issues (or even simple ones), we must try to free our minds of dogma and to guarantee the freedom to publish, to contradict, and to experiment. Arguments from authority are unacceptable. – Carl Sagan
The believer is happy, the doubter is wise. – Greek Proverb
“the radical side of U.S. religion has embraced cultural antimodernism, war hawkishness, Armageddon prophecy, and in the case of conservative fundamentalists, a demand for government by literal biblical interpretation.” Kevin Phillips[American Theocracy, p. 100]
We are a nation that is unenlightened because of religion. I do believe that. I think religion stops people from thinking. I think it justified crazies. – Bill Maher
If you want to save your child from polio, you can pray or you can inoculate. – Carl Sagan
Religion is an illusion and it derives its strength from the fact that it falls in with our instinctual desires. – Sigmund Freud
I do not find in orthodox Christianity one redeeming feature. – Thomas Jefferson
Just in terms of allocation of time resources, religion is not very efficient. There’s a lot more I could be doing on a Sunday morning. - Bill Gates
With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil — that takes religion. —– Steven Weinberg
Religion has become so many different things. Religion is an economic thing for some people. Religion is a gun. – Ziggy Marley
The nation of Dubai banned the movie Charlie’s Angles because it’s “offensive to the religion of Islam.” Apparently, the religion of Islam is offended by anything without a plot. – Jon Stewart
I’m not a religious person. If I get close to religion it’s in these moments when people faint and shudder and have orgasms with religious fervor – I don’t think they’re kidding. And I’m envious. – David Duchovny
Religious moderates are, in large part, responsible for the religious conflict in our world, because their beliefs provide the context in which scriptural literalism and religious violence can never be adequately opposed. – Sam Harris
“you must remember that religion is an early form of philosophy, that the first attempts to explain the universe, to give a coherent frame of reference to man’s life and a code of moral values, were made by religion, before men graduated or developed enough to have philosophy.” – Ayn Rand
“Christianity started out in Palestine as a fellowship; it moved to Greece and became a philosophy; it moved to Italy and became an institution; it moved to Europe and became a culture; it came to America and became an enterprise.” Sam Pascoe, American scholar.
“get them saved, get them Baptized, and get them registered.” – Jerry Falwell
“How to Participate in a Political Party. Rule the world for God. Give the impression that you are there to work for the party, not push an ideology. Hide your strength. Don’t flaunt your Christianity. Christians need to take leadership positions. Party officers control political parties and so it is very important that mature Christians have a majority of leadership positions whenever possible, God willing.” – Pat Robertson in a 1986 memo distributed distributed to the Iowa Republican County Caucus: “Secular (public) schools can never be tolerated because such schools have no religious instruction, and a general moral instruction without a religious foundation is built on air; consequently, all character training and religion must be derived from faith . . . we need believing people.” - Adolf Hitler, April 26, 1933, from a speech made during negotiations leading to the Nazi-Vatican Concordant of 1933.
