Favorite Quotes about Atheism, Agnosticism, And Religion

[Full Circle]

From an opinion piece in the NYT today. Love that last line.

“Even if belief in invisible watchers has its social uses, if such beings don’t exist it’s a pretty odd thing that societies the world over have converged on the belief that we share the cosmos with them. To say nothing of the specific doctrines and miraculous claims associated with that belief: For instance, if Christianity disappeared from everyone’s memory tomorrow, it would be odd indeed for a modern Western thinker seeking meaning amid disillusionment to declare, “what we need here is the doctrine of the Trinity and a resurrected messiah with some angels at the tomb.”

[Dave Armstrong]

"The madman is the man who has lost everything except his reason."

--- G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy (1908), ch. 2 

"And those who have been there will know what I mean when I say that, while there are stupid people everywhere, there is a particular minute and microcephalous idiocy which is only found in an intelligentsia."

--- G. K. Chesterton, Illustrated London News, “The Defense of the Unconventional,” 17 October 1925

[Dānu]

“Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster... for when you gaze long into the abyss. The abyss gazes also into you.”
― Friedrich W. Nietzsche

[Dave Armstrong]

“Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster... for when you gaze long into the abyss. The abyss gazes also into you.”
― Friedrich W. Nietzsche

I guess that happened to him, seeing that he spent his final days as a card-carrying atheist in the grip of madness.

[mordant]

“Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster... for when you gaze long into the abyss. The abyss gazes also into you.”
― Friedrich W. Nietzsche

I guess that happened to him, seeing that he spent his final days as a card-carrying atheist in the grip of madness.

They didn't start issuing cards to us until the Secret Conclave of 1893.

Contrary to his rather, er, "muscular" philosophical system, the man was an empath. He cared too much and tried too hard. One of his final actions we know of was to interpose himself between a horse and the owner that was beating it. I never thought his heirs and assigns did him justice, and do not think he would have approved of the Nazi misappropriation of his ideas.

Ironically, Schopenhauer was an early inspiration for Nietzsche, and had a much better end, making it to the ripe old age of 72, and active to the end. One could conclude that perhaps Nietzsche should not have reversed his views about Schopenhauer after all.

[Full Circle]

Uncertainty is painful to accept. It’s far more comfortable to form a complete narrative about how things work. In a quest to leave no question unanswered, emotion gladly fills the holes left by a lack of information. - Morgan Housel

The quote has broad application, including religion.

[Dānu]

“Only two kinds of people can attain self-knowledge: those who are not encumbered at all with learning, that is to say, whose minds are not over-crowded with thoughts borrowed from others; and those who, after studying all the scriptures and sciences, have come to realise that they know nothing.”

― Sri Ramakrishna, The Gospel of Ramakrishna

[pattylt]

Quote: and those who, after studying all the scriptures and sciences, have come to realise that they know nothing.”

A perfect example of Dunning Krueger where the less you know, the smarter you think you are.

[Gwaithmir]

“Should schools teach atheism? No. There’s no need to teach atheism. It’s the natural result of education without indoctrination.” (Ricky Gervais) 

[Silly Deity]

"One of my favourite things is to get Christians talking about Scientology, cos the Christian will go, 'Scientologists are nutters, they believe in aliens'

Then you say to the Christian, 'What do you believe in again?....it's a benevolent zombie that's coming back to save you isn't it?'

Good luck with that, that'll probably happen"

Jimmy Carr