Delightful Quotes

September 14th, 2007 | Categories: Deep Thoughts | Tags:

Kill a man, and you are an assassin. Kill millions of men, and you are a conqueror. Kill everyone, and you are a god.
~ Jean Rostand

I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.
~ Stephen Roberts

Man is certainly stark mad: he cannot make a worm, yet he will make gods by the dozen.
~ Michel de Montaigne

Which is it, is man one of God’s blunders or is God one of man’s?
~ Nietzsche

We, on our side, are praying to Him to give us victory, because we believe we are right; but those on the other side pray to Him, too, for victory, believing they are right. What must He think of us?
~ Abraham Lincoln

Invisible Pink Unicorns are beings of awesome mystical power. We know this because they manage to be invisible and pink at the same time. Like all religions, the Faith of the Invisible Pink Unicorns is based upon both logic and faith. We have faith that they are pink; we logically know that they are invisible because we can’t see them.
~ Steve Eley

All great truths begin as blasphemies.
~ George Bernard Shaw

Religion, comprises a system of wishful illusions together with a disavowal of reality, such as we find in an isolated form nowhere else but in amentia, in a state of blissful hallucinatory confusion.
~ Sigmund Freud

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot

The Bible is not my book, and Christianity is not my religion. I could never give assent to the long, complicated statements of Christian dogma.
~ Abraham Lincoln

A man’s ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death.
~ Albert Einstein

If you talk to God, you are praying. If God talks to you, you have schizophrenia.
~ Thomas Szasz

Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich.
~ Napoleon

It was, of course, a lie what you read about my religious convictions, a lie which is being systematically repeated. I do not believe in a personal god and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious, then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it.
~ Albert Einstein

I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires.
~ Susan B. Anthony

One man’s magic is another man’s engineering. Supernatural is a null word.
~ Robert Heinlein

We must question the story logic of having an all-knowing all-powerful God, who creates faulty humans, and then blames them for his own mistakes.
~ Gene Roddenberry

As with the Christian religion, the worst advertisement for Socialism is its adherents.
~ George Orwell

If child molestation is actually your concern, how come we don’t see Bradley tanks knocking down Catholic churches?
~ Bill Hicks

Secular 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

I like your Christ; I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.
~ Mohandas Gandhi

If god created us in his image we have certainly returned the compliment.
~ Voltaire

The most detestable wickedness, the most horrid cruelties, and the greatest miseries that have afflicted the human race have had their origin in this thing called revelation, or revealed religion.
~ Thomas Paine

I have seldom met an intelligent person whose views were not narrowed and distorted by religion.
~ James Buchanan

When did I realize I was God? Well, I was praying and I suddenly realized I was talking to myself.
~ Jack Gurney – “The Ruling Class”

Could a being create the fifty billion galaxies, each with two hundred billion stars, then rejoice in the smell of burning goat flesh?
~ Ron Patterson

Science has done more for the development of western civilization in one hundred years than Christianity did in eighteen hundred years.
~ Jeff Burroughs

I read about an Eskimo hunter who asked the local missionary priest, ‘If I did not know about God and sin, would I go to hell?’ ‘No,’ said the priest, ‘not if you did not know.’ ‘Then why,’ asked the Eskimo earnestly, ‘did you tell me?’
~ Annie Dillard

I am convinced that I am acting as the agent of our Creator. By fighting off the Jews, I am doing the Lord’s work.
~ Adolf Hitler

The most heinous and the cruelest crimes of which history has record have been committed under the cover of religion or equally noble motives.
~ Mohandas Gandhi

Isn’t it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?
~ Douglas Adams

It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.
~ Thomas Jefferson

All Bibles are man-made.
~ Thomas Edison

I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own; a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. Neither can I believe that the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotisms…
~ Albert Einstein

In every country and every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty.
~ Thomas Jefferson

A celibate clergy is an especially good idea, because it tends to suppress any hereditary propensity toward fanaticism.
~ Carl Sagan

When you call yourself an Indian or a Muslim or a Christian or a European, or anything else, you are being violent. Do you see why it is violent? It is because you are separating yourself from the rest of mankind. When you separate yourself by belief, by nationality, by tradition, it breeds violence. So a man who is seeking to understand violence does not belong to any country, to any religion, to any political party or partial system; he is concerned with the total understanding of mankind.
~ J. Krishnamurthi

Man is the religious animal. He is the only religious animal. He is the only animal that has the True Religion, several of them. He is the only animal that loves his neighbor as himself and cuts his throat, if his theology isn’t straight. He has made a graveyard of the globe in trying his honest best to smooth his brother’s path to happiness and heaven.
~ Mark Twain

I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use.
~ Galileo Galilei

So far as I can remember, there is not one word in the Gospels in praise of intelligence.
~ Bertrand Russel

I have examined all of the known superstitions of the world and I do not find in our superstitions of Christianity one redeeming feature. They are all founded on fables and mythology. Christianity has made one-half the world fools and the other half hypocrites.
~ Thomas Jefferson

If you believe in the existence of fairies at the bottom of the garden you are deemed fit for the bin. If you believe in parthenogenesis, ascension, transubstantiation and all the rest of it, you are deemed fit to govern the country.
~ Jonathan Meades

I know of no crime that has not been defended by the church, in one form or other. The church is not a pioneer; it accepts a new truth, last of all, and only when denial has become useless.
~ Robert G. Ingersoll

The good Christian should beware of mathematicians and all those who make empty prophecies. The danger already exists that mathematicians have made a covenant with the devil to darken the spirit and confine man in the bonds of Hell.
~Saint Augustine

Theology is never any help; it is searching in a dark cellar at midnight for a black cat that isn’t there. Theologians can persuade themselves of anything.
~ Robert Heinlein

There was a time when I believed in the story and the scheme of salvation, so far as I could understand it, just as I believed there was a Devil. Suddenly the light broke through to me and I saw a silly story, and each generation nowadays swallows it with greater difficulty. Why do people go on pretending about this Christianity?
~ H. G. Wells

The state has not the right to leave every man free to profess and embrace whatever religion he may desire.
~ Pope Pius IX

To date, despite the efforts of millions of true believers to support this myth, there is no more evidence for the Judeo-Christian god than any of the gods on Mount Olympus.
~ Joseph Daleiden

You find as you look around the world that every single bit of progress in humane feeling, every improvement in the criminal law, every step toward the diminution of war, every step toward better treatment of the colored races, or every mitigation of slavery, every moral progress that there has been in the world, has been consistently opposed by the organized churches of the world. I say quite deliberately that the Christian religion, as organized in its churches, has been and still is the principal enemy of moral progress in the world.
~ Bertrand Russell

Either God wants to abolish evil, and cannot; or he can, but does not want to. If he wants to, but cannot, he is impotent. If he can, but does not want to, he is wicked. If, as they say, God can abolish evil, and God really wants to do it, why is there evil in the world?
~ Epicurus

To use the term blind faith, is to use an adjective needlessly.
~ Julian Ruck

The establishment of Christianity arrested the normal development of the physical sciences for over fifteen hundred years.
~ Andrew Dickson White

The minority, the ruling class at present, has the schools and press, usually the Church as well under its thumb. This enables it to organize and sway the emotions of the masses, and make its tool of them.
~ Albert Einstein

Anyone who has two shirts when someone has none is not a Christian.
~ Lenny Bruce

The church tries to save sinners, but science seeks to stop their manufacture.
~ Elbert Hubbard

I can’t embrace a male god who has persecuted female sexuality throughout the ages; and that persecution still goes on today, all over the world.
~ Amanda Donohoe

If a man would follow, today, the teachings of the Old Testament, he would be a criminal. If he would follow strictly the teachings of the New, he would be insane.
~ Robert G. Ingersoll

If you pray for rain long enough, it eventually does fall. If you pray for floodwaters to abate, they eventually do. The same happens in the absence of prayers.
~ Steve Allen

Acceptance without proof is the fundamental characteristic of Western religion, rejection without proof is the fundamental characteristic of Western science.
~ Gary Zukav

Religion is the end of love and honesty, the beginning of confusion; faith is a colorful hope or fear, the origin of folly.
~ Tao Te Ching

The more I study religions the more I am convinced that man never worshipped anything but himself.
~ Sir R. F. Burton

All natural institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian, or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.
~ Thomas Paine

The religion of the future will be a cosmic religion, the religion which based on experience, which refuses dogma.
~ Albert Einstein

I do not believe that any type of religion should ever be introduced into the public schools of the United States.
~ Thomas Edison

If one were to take the bible seriously one would go mad. But to take the bible seriously, one must be already mad.
~ Aleister Crowley

Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it, you’d have good people doing good things and evil people doing bad things, but for good people to do bad things, it takes religion.
~ Steven Weinberg

Mythology is what we call someone else’s religion.
~ Joseph Campbell

Beware the man of one book.
~ Saint Thomas Aquinas

  1. sadrok
    September 14th, 2007 at 12:52
    Reply | Quote | #1

    Nice collection.

  2. overcaffein8d
    September 14th, 2007 at 16:00
    Reply | Quote | #2

    you_are_my_hero.

    dude, these quotes are wicked awesome!

  3. Heywood Jablowme
    September 17th, 2007 at 06:36
    Reply | Quote | #3

    Cool quotes, all true which saddens me.

  4. Kingreaper
    September 26th, 2007 at 14:07
    Reply | Quote | #4

    Cool quotes, but the whole Hitler quotes were unneccessary and seem Godwin fodder to me. There are better quotes to illustrate the use of religion to manipulate (I like “Religion is seem by the masses as true, by the wise as false and by the rulers as useful”) personally.

    This post (c) Kingreaper: Doesn’t like the idea of Guilt by Association

  5. Ian
    September 26th, 2007 at 19:44
    Reply | Quote | #5

    Those quotes were to point out the flaws in claims that Hitler was an Atheist. While him saying he likes religion doesn’t make him religious, it does highlight the fact that religion requires unquestioning faith and obedience, neither of which is a positive quality.

    • Gary
      February 10th, 2010 at 14:18
      Reply | Quote | #6

      Hitler was a devout Christian right to the end. In fact he thought it was useful and references in his speeches are many and clear. He stated he was doing God’s work. That he was an atheist is patently false and spread by the fundies to advance their crusade by hook or crook

      • Howard Warton
        October 30th, 2010 at 09:00
        Reply | Quote | #7

        Much like George Bush and his cartel of amoral bastards.

        • Guy Person
          February 5th, 2011 at 21:11
          Reply | Quote | #8

          That’s immoral. :x

        • Austin
          May 19th, 2011 at 00:22
          Reply | Quote | #9

          Wow really… George Bush and Hitler…

          • alex s
            July 3rd, 2011 at 01:27

            hitler killed the jews, bush is willing to kill our freedom and democracy to cover his own ass.

      • Geoff
        April 23rd, 2011 at 01:49

        I wonder, what is the point of disrespecting anyone’s beliefs? Is it important that you believe your government is a good government? Is it important that your political party is altruistic? Are any of these claims true in anyway, or what you yourself choose to believe?

        Is the concrete, hard-core belief that there is no god and thus not provable by any means any more “intelligent” and “well-founded” as the belief that there is a god which is not provable by any means?

        To stand outside of these arguments made is to see the foolishness of it all. One argues fervently that his god exists. The other mocks and states what a fool that one is for being so blind. But, this other–he has his gods, whether they be unmitigated pleasure, or education, or media, or culture, or country. This one is just too stupid to recognize he has made a god after his own desires. I guess in the end, you’re all one after all. Each one failing to think.

        At least I’m from the United States of America which never does anything wrong in all the world, yet reaps a whirlwind of hatred from other nations. We were saved from the tyranny of George W. Bush by the tyranny of Barack Hussein Obama. The United States of America is blameless in the eyes of its citizenry, and in the eyes of god as you so choose to believe.

        Maybe we should stop creating B.S. quotes and attributing them to historical figures which have spurious origin? No, the other side is the only side accountable in this world. Lying and cheating to achieve one’s goal is expected, but lying and cheating by the other side is simply untenable.

        • Ian
          April 23rd, 2011 at 02:01

          >Is the concrete, hard-core belief that there is no god and thus not provable by any means any more “intelligent” and “well-founded” as the belief that there is a god which is not provable by any means?

          Yes actually.

          Simple question: Do unicorns exist? Yes? No?

          I’m going to assume you said “no” (if you said “yes”, you’re just being stupid for the sake of being stupid). Now, why did you say no? Because there’s absolutely no reason to believe they exist. Sure, there’s tons of literature about them, pictures, everyone knows what a unicorn is… but…. they don’t exist. Can you PROVE that they don’t exist? Well, kinda….. I mean, no one’s ever actually seen on before… So the question remains, why don’t you believe in unicorns? What is it that makes you say, “they clearly don’t exist” and “I don’t waste my time thinking about them existing”? Would you say…..

          “Is the concrete, hard-core belief that there [are no unicorns] and thus not provable by any means any more “intelligent” and “well-founded” as the belief that there [are unicorns] which is not provable by any means?”

          Sure, you can pretend you’re agnostic to the existence of unicorns, but you’d be an idiot in doing so, and I’d be more than happy to point it out.

          • Greenworld
            April 23rd, 2011 at 06:25

            Unicorns, you say?

            A friend claims to have seen one, like, last night…
            He was smoking pot anyway.

          • Colin
            April 28th, 2011 at 17:43

            Your argument against being agnostic is flawed in that you are trying to put a “face” on god, such as the pink unicorn or the flying spaghetti monster. What an agnostic believes is that this universe and everything inside of it is here (this is provable because you are reading this.) Now, how did this all get here? The fact that it’s not just “nothing” and something exists, means whatever we attribute to creating all this stuff, or even the first particles of the big bang, is what you might consider to be god.

            “God” would be a higher being that created the first sparks of matter to create our infinite universe. Anything more than that is unknowable. We can’t put a name, human emotions, or anything more to the reference of God, just that it’s possible one exists for the pure sake of there being matter in the universe.

            You, as an atheist, would be even more naive to think that there is no possible chance for god to exist, despite being in a universe full of matter that somehow got here.

          • Dogly
            June 27th, 2011 at 18:58

            Is the ***belief that *** any more believable *** THAN (not as)the belief that***?
            As much as. More than.

      • alex s
        July 3rd, 2011 at 01:30

        hitler was either an extremely misguided man of religion, or he was an athiest who was using religion as a tool of conquest as so many before him.

  6. kevin
    December 29th, 2007 at 12:27

    why would an all knowing, all loving, all seeing deity NEED to create little FLAWED human beings to worhip it??? and if those FLAWED beings, made so by the creator, succumb to those FLAWS or fails to worship in exactly the way some fat hick preacher with a bad hairdoo or some child molesting priestophile says they should…. then….. that deity would BURN the human beings FOREVER??? essentially punishing them for ITS MISTAKE of not making them perfect in the first place???

    this is no deity that deserves worship… its more like a psychotic, posessive, control freak, stalker, torturer god…WE PUT PEOPLE IN JAIL FOR ACTING LIKE THAT…..

    i want no part of that deity or the superstitious monkeys (with car keys) that cringe in fear at its feet. ~ Kevin Walsh

    • erika
      November 3rd, 2010 at 12:27

      I’m guessing all these comments are against organized religion. Because my spirituality definitely does not permit “priestophiles.” I dont believe God NEEDED to create little FLAWED creatures. He thought it would be nice to create a beautiful world for us to enjoy. He KNEW (hence “all-knowing”) that we would end up flawed, because we rather use our free will for sin. it’s our choice to be flawed. i definitely choose to be an ass to someone, and i’m sure you do too. and the fact that you don’t want to be part of a deity because fat hick preachers and priestophiles are threatening that a God will burn you for being flawed, well you are just very closed-minded. I don’t follow everything by the book, but I am open to what sounds like a logical, reasonable guideline… like honoring my father and mother or not killing someone. even the commandment of having God above all other idols is reasonable. Ever notice someone who is obsessed with food or sex or money? they are disillusioned and usually secretly unhappy. but i’ve met many content spiritual people. so if you don’t like the deity that, by the sounds of it, are taught by christians, then go soul searching or religion searching or spiritual searching and find a logical God that suits your preference. Either way, what I believe is that my deity is all forgiving and understands that because we are flawed and ignorant (like you), he can give us a break and forgive that we are curious little things that dont have the brain capacity to imagine something that our cocky little species can’t discover or prove.

      • Andre
        November 3rd, 2010 at 12:51

        As hard as you tried with this post, you’ve failed to impress.

        • Mike
          February 22nd, 2011 at 22:50

          It’s always easy to be cynical

          • Baron
            May 4th, 2011 at 19:44

            There’s a big difference between cynicism and logical thinking.

      • November 3rd, 2010 at 17:30

        Was humanity’s flaw foreseen by Yahweh or was he not expecting it to happen? Answer this for me, please, and tell me why you continue to believe that he is infinitely intelligent and infinitely loving.

        • Adam
          November 26th, 2010 at 13:20

          This is a very typical and overused question as to why God does not exist btw. Logically speaking there are one of three possibilities for this:

          1. God is psychotic and he made us fall on purpose.

          2. God has nothing to do with the creation of us, either being completely outside of our universe or non existent.

          3. In order to maintain his status as “God”, his creations would have to be beneath him and NOT perfect like he is.

          • Andrew
            May 5th, 2011 at 09:03

            But if he knows what you are going to do before you do it then have you really made your own choice? If he made Adam and Ste/…I mean Eve then he knew what they were going to do if he put that tree there…Either he is not PERFECT or he does not EXIST.

      • Krie
        November 25th, 2010 at 15:11

        I’m sorry that there are people as narrowminded as you Erika. Please keep in mind that “ignorant” people may not be as “ignorant” as they seem. Getting worked up over other’s views is definately not a healthy way to stand up for the “infinitely intelligent and infinitely loving” god that you worship. Afterall, is it not to be a religion filled with understanding? It is… until you realize perhaps you are leading your life wrong and then what, the eyes turn red and you plummet, the god will not care, no remorse for those cast out. Therefore, not infinately loving. You believe it so hard because of your family raising you to believe it. Either that is why or some amazing turn of events. Perhaps it is the power in oneself not the power of a god. Praying only works because you believe there is someone listening to you; you believe they will fix it. It is not that they can hear you, or care… it is because you believed strong enough it would be true.

        All I ask is that you please open your mind to more thoughts, and then fight your battle if you still believe in it. Peace be with you and knowledge come to you.

        • Adam
          November 26th, 2010 at 13:09

          Are you suggesting that the human mind is in itself its own God; because it “believes” hard enough that it will be so? Hmm… acknowledging that we as humans are limited in what we can understand and do is a bit more humble approach to the problem, wouldn’t you say?

          • Krie
            November 27th, 2010 at 10:24

            Not so much as, anything you want can come to pass. Just that there are a lot of things that man is in control over. That believing in yourself is moreso god, than a prayer. =)

          • J
            April 26th, 2011 at 01:05

            Know ye not that ye are gods?

          • Dogly
            June 27th, 2011 at 19:13

            Yes!”that humans are limited in what we can understand and do is a bit more humble approach” That is why we “of little faith” recognize that we know very little. That is why, instead of making up, or accepting unnatural (supernatural) explanations for the unknown, we use science to understand better. While we learn bit by bit how the universe operates, we can still answer, about unexplained phenomena, “I don’t know.”

      • blue
        November 29th, 2010 at 20:41

        and the sad thing is u actually belive all your god loveing spill.
        who bad u r,u really do need savin,from yourself,

        • Ben
          February 23rd, 2011 at 02:15

          Please blue, your poorly articulated response does not further the discussion and should be kept to yourself.

      • larry
        December 26th, 2010 at 14:19

        That says a lot about you if you couldn’t have come up with the guideline of not killing people without reading it in a book.

        • Emma
          December 28th, 2010 at 14:22

          lol. I like you, larry.

          • Jenn
            March 3rd, 2011 at 23:29

            I keep saying this and nobody ever listens.

      • Chris
        January 20th, 2011 at 17:07

        Who really is the ignorant one? The people who know enough about religion to make a logical choice based on their knowledge, or the person who cant take a step back and think what if god really didnt exist/(why?)

        • Ara
          February 26th, 2011 at 01:16

          There are many people who know vasts amounts of religion and are heavily devout to the Creator- including some who were brought up in an atheist environment and broke free from that.

          • Jon
            March 3rd, 2011 at 10:06

            Broke free from athiesm? Wow, you make it sound like being an athiest is like being a prisoner. I would argue that it is in fact the complete opposite. Coming from a religious background, I can see in hindsight what a prisoner I really was when I followed the faith. Becoming an non-believer has done far more for me in terms of openness and freedom to explore and learn than religion ever did. All religion did was force on me a belief that I was born bad (into sin) and as a result have to toil and live with a low self esteem my whole life to become a perfect worshiper for an egotistical, jealous, viscous and most importantly, fictional deity. Screw that! As far as I know, I only get to live once. I want to make the most of it while I’m here.

          • March 27th, 2011 at 16:47

            Yeah, it must suck to wake up to reality and see that gods do not exist.

      • Chris
        January 26th, 2011 at 14:13

        “logical God”? Can you say “oxymoron”?
        Accusing rational people who have outgrown the need to be coddled/controlled by a religion of not having the imagination to discover or prove various aspects of our universe? Did you even read those quotes? Are you not aware of the repression that Christianity has subjected scientific discovery to?

        I’m sorry, as soon as anyone opens their mouth to proclaim their belief in an invisible guy who lives in the clouds, I quit listening.

        • Ara
          February 26th, 2011 at 01:12

          “guy who lives in the clouds”?? wrong. God is everywhere and He is actually not a guy. He is referred to as a “He” only because there is no pronoun to use in place of God. He is neither woman nor man. He is an omnipotent being. by the way, any scientific discovery is OWNED by God. He created everything.

          • AM
            March 16th, 2011 at 20:27

            For a being who is “neither woman nor man,” he sure didn’t have a problem with putting women on the lowest rung of the totem pole.

            Also, “any scientific discovery is OWNED by God”? So now we’re going to give God the credit for literally everything ever? It was God who created the light blub, not Edison? Okaaaay, than.

          • AthAgn
            May 5th, 2011 at 14:17

            “He created everything”
            So, He created the English language. Since He’s perfect, He can’t make mistakes, so He deliberately left the English language without adequate pronouns to describe Him.

            Unless, of course, there are things on Earth that came about without His direct intervention, which would contradict the “He created everything” statement…

          • Dogly
            June 27th, 2011 at 19:26

            Then, why are his followers so opposed to each and every scientific discovery, and advance. If he is responsible for scientific discovery, why do his followers imprison, torture, exile, and burn at the stake, those who do his(scientific) work? The pope admitted last year that the earth revolves around the sun. A little late, don’t you think? “The Science Guy” on TV just got in huge trouble with the christians for saying that the moon does not produce light, but only reflects it. How dare he? The bible says otherwise! They say ignorance is bliss – apparently so is illiteracy.

        • Steve
          May 4th, 2011 at 13:00

          Amen Brother!

      • Isaac
        February 20th, 2011 at 19:18

        Ever notice someone who is obsessed with becoming something they are not, namely a perfect “Christlike” being, and condemns others for not being the same way? they are disillusioned and usually secretly unhappy.

      • Ben
        February 23rd, 2011 at 02:24

        I say each to their own…
        Many of these quotes are not condemning you for your beliefs (although some are), they are merely pointing out other ways of thinking. Most of the condemnation is directed towards the organised religion, which has bred ignorance, hate, and intolerance for a very long time.
        The only thing that actually angers me is when religious people try to force others to their particular view without any putting forth any effort to try to understand the opposing views.
        Open your mind and give every idea a fair chance.

      • Sandy
        March 17th, 2011 at 01:08

        “Either way, what I believe is that my deity is all forgiving and understands that because we are flawed and ignorant (like you), he can give us a break and forgive that we are curious little things that dont have the brain capacity to imagine something that our cocky little species can’t discover or prove”- Erika,(or any other believer) Would love to hear what your god has to say about children with cancer or kids with incurable disabilities.Please dont use logic because you can either be logical or a believer.

      • ashley
        March 27th, 2011 at 16:31

        it really shows your faithful you are to your believe if you’re religious and you’re coming to a non religious website.

      • reesie
        April 18th, 2011 at 13:40

        you realize you are only making yourself look more dumb to us right? but hey have fun praying to nothing, keep your false hopes to yourself its rude to go on another religions site and tell them their wrong, watch me go to your petty sites preaching about my godless ways. dumb believer.

        • Niki
          May 8th, 2011 at 02:27

          Sure, Catholics and Christians have given themselves a bad name for not following their own rules, when they condemn others for not obeying either,
          but do you really think your any better for calling her a dumb believer?

          • Greenworld
            May 8th, 2011 at 05:12

            Why would you put her in the same boat as a person who believes in imaginary characters that don’t exist?

          • Dogly
            June 27th, 2011 at 19:30

            Speaking of “dumb”, catholics ARE christians. They are the first christians. The rest of you are protesters – protestants.

          • Markus
            June 29th, 2011 at 03:23

            catholics were definitely not the first christians…lol before protestants? yes, but they dont really follow the bible. The disciples were first, then important figures such as Paul and Stephen came later and catholicism was a long while after that.

      • dominique
        April 27th, 2011 at 22:21

        so basically.. we can all make up our own god that is fit for our own needs and theeenn believe that our god is real.
        >.>

        • Dogly
          June 27th, 2011 at 19:33

          That’s right dominique. That is why there are thousands of gods and thousands of religions. You are an atheist to these thousands of gods. I am an atheist to your god, too.

      • Toby
        May 7th, 2011 at 05:11

        You know, it’s people like you who make me feel like shit every single fucking day of my life. And to that, I say FUCK YOU, you stupid bitch! Fucking hate Christians and Muslims and ALL other religious ASSHOLES that fucking ANNOY me. You people make me sick to my fucking stomach. How the FUCK do you assholes continue to favor such imaginary and illogical tales instead of things that can be EXPLAINED through EVIDENCE and KNOWLEDGE? I seriously HOPE the crapture comes this May so you assholes can GET THE FUCK OUT of this planet. You morons contradict your own fucking Christ’s teachings so it’s no wonder I shouldn’t listen to your DUMBASS PLEAS for me to return and reconsider Jesus. Fuck him. Fuck your Jesus. I live in a very religious household and a single peep that’s anti-Jesus to my zealous folks causes outrage. Oh, but it’s okay for them to assault every single fucking wall in the house (except my room) with crosses and dipshit Bible verses and expect me to tolerate such loving verses like Matthew 15:4, John 15:6 in their FUCKING religious computer rooms? FUCK YOUR RELIGION AND FUCK YOUR GOD! I’m a young man and I DON’T NEED THAT BULLSHIT in MY life. I’m always happier when there’s no fucking religion or “god” to perturb the living shit out of me. Fuck you Christians. I hope all you self-righteous bastards get cancer and die a slow, painful death. Your Jesus isn’t going to save you, no, only the doctors that have been trained to treat your disease.

        • Niki
          May 8th, 2011 at 02:30

          Trust me Toby,
          when that “crapture” comes, you’ll be regreting everything you just said.

          • Greenworld
            May 8th, 2011 at 05:08

            Niki :
            when that “crapture” comes, you’ll be regreting everything you just said.

            And when is that happening? Or are you just talking out of your ass?

            By the way, you’re going to burn in hell, according to the Qu’ran.

          • Dogly
            June 27th, 2011 at 19:37

            The Rapture has failed to transpire. The Holy guy that sold me his house and car, and even his dog for $100 is NOT getting them back. Now who gets the last laugh!
            His dog is very nice!

      • Jennef
        June 20th, 2011 at 00:52

        Why is your deity “HE”?

    • Ara
      February 26th, 2011 at 01:23

      people are so lazy and spoiled and want everything handed to them on a gold platter. you want to get to heaven? you have to work for it. just like anything else. so God created us as animals who can reason and have free will to choose as we want. its hard to resist sinning, but the incentive- your spirit will live in eternal happiness when its capsule (the human body) passes away. life is a test.

      Ben i believe the same “to each their own”…it all narrows down to being a good person…although perspectives on what constitutes a “good person” is a whole other conversation.

      • Andrew
        April 18th, 2011 at 17:01

        Then why is their a hell? I can work to go to heaven or be damned to eternal torment and suffering…but he loves me…but if I do not believe in him then he loves me while I burn and suffer? If I were born in China to a family of Buddhists then he loves me but I still go to hell?

      • Tom
        April 24th, 2011 at 18:26

        “you want to get to heaven? you have to work for it.”

        You do realize that the people you are arguing with don’t believe in heaven, right? We believe this is the only life we have to live, and we must do all that we can (i.e. experience the joys, terrors, and pitfalls of life, contribute to society, build upon our own knowledge and the knowledge of others, etc.) with what little time we have on this Earth.

        As for what constitutes a good person, and please correct me if I’m wrong, we are born with an innate ability to feel what is right and feel what is wrong, excluding sociopaths of course. When we see someone in pain, it feels bad, when we see someone feel joy, it feels good. I believe you (Ara) would say this is proof of a soul, but I, and I assume many others on this site, believe it is proof of the complexities of the human brain and primates being social creatures.

  7. Ian
    December 29th, 2007 at 18:28

    right on.

  8. John Cocker
    December 30th, 2007 at 14:53

    I have a quote for you:

    If we evolved through natural selection, each of us is a living miracle. If we were created, it was a botched up job.
    Dr John Cocker

    • Niki
      May 8th, 2011 at 02:34

      We may have not evolved, but to survive and thrive like we have is no ordinary feat.

      • Keith
        June 9th, 2011 at 17:44

        Oh I completely agree! The survival of the human race through violent religious persecution and senseless god-driven murder is nothing short of a miracle.

  9. Ruxias
    December 31st, 2007 at 02:41

    Ah, I like that quote, John. And I think all of these quotes are great in their own way.

    I hope this site stays up for a long time.

    Would be nice to have an RSS feed, though. Oh well.

  10. Ian
    December 31st, 2007 at 02:48

    err.. you mean like this? https://irreligion.org/feed/atom/

  11. Ruxias
    December 31st, 2007 at 03:28

    Guess I overlooked it. Thanks, Ian.

  12. brigetta
    December 31st, 2007 at 11:18

    I like your Christ; I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.
    ~ Mohandas Gandhi

    Beautiful.

    • Krie
      November 25th, 2010 at 15:13

      Very true, and very sad. Is it not?

      • Tom
        April 24th, 2011 at 18:30

        Except for the fact that you would have to be entirely uncaring to be like Christ. Honestly, who would ask anyone to leave and forget entirely their job, home, family and loved ones to live a life poverty. Seriously, how cruel is that?

        • Niki
          May 8th, 2011 at 02:36

          We are not told to be Christ, we are told to be Christ-like. For some people that might be giving someone the shirt off your back, but for others its what they can manage.

  13. Mulugeta
    May 16th, 2008 at 06:51

    great collection. i can longer tolerate their ignorance. They say i need another eye and ear to perceive god. when am i gonna grow them?

  14. Galtgulch
    July 24th, 2008 at 02:53

    “I swear by my life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another man nor ask another man to live for mine!”

    Ayn Rand in Atlas Shrugged

  15. Galtgulch
    July 24th, 2008 at 02:54

    “Truth is treason in a world of lies.”

    Ron Paul in The Revolution: A Manifesto

    • Krie
      November 25th, 2010 at 15:14

      I like this. Very nice Galtgulch

  16. jonno
    April 9th, 2009 at 01:44

    A Christian friend of mine said that people needed God to guide them in ethical living. I asked him “Which God; the one in the New Testament who taught that we should turn the other cheek when smitten, or the one in the Old Testament who exulted in the dashing out of the brains of infants? According to your theology, they are one and the same, and eternally unchanging, but I can’t seem to reconcile the two.”

    • Niki
      May 8th, 2011 at 02:40

      The problems with teachings taday is all they show is the good side, the kind loving side of God, they avoid passages and books in the New Testament that show his anger.

      • Greenworld
        May 8th, 2011 at 05:10

        I thought Yahweh was a bigger douche in the Old Testament than the other one. I mean, he ordered that pregnant women be ripped apart (Hosea 13:16) — isn’t that a little graphic for a pro-life person?

        Thank god he doesn’t exist!

  17. Cindra
    October 8th, 2010 at 19:09

    Man made God while other men were looking.

  18. Mark Coveny
    October 28th, 2010 at 17:41

    I like this one. :)

    Atheism: A non-prophet organization.
    George Carlin

    • psychuous
      November 9th, 2010 at 01:53

      ….LOL

  19. jonas hodan
    October 29th, 2010 at 14:47

    kool as hell

  20. Phil E. Drifter
    October 29th, 2010 at 18:12

    “I was catholic…until I reached the age of reason.” -George Carlin

    “‘Sanctity of life,’ makes you feel special, doesn’t it? To believe that, somehow, life is sacred. But look at what we kill. Flies and mosquitoes? Because they’re pests! Chickens and pigs. Because we’re hungry. Lions and tigers? Because it’s fun! And people! We kill people! Why? Because they’re pests! And, it’s fun! We get to *choose* which forms of life we feel are sacred, and we get to kill the rest.” -George Carlin

    • Lance
      April 19th, 2011 at 16:19

      George Carlin? You have no faith in the Bible but you quote George Carlin as some sort of authority? FYI: George Carlin was a professional clown. (you can quote me)

      • Tom
        April 24th, 2011 at 18:35

        You do realize successful comedians have to have a wealth of knowledge in a wide range of topics to be successful, right? And as far as George Carlin being a professional clown, what about that whole, “Judge not, lest ye be judged” thing? Have you actually read the bible, cover to cover? Because most of us have. It’s one of the reasons we are Atheists.

      • Andrew
        April 28th, 2011 at 09:53

        I can prove George Carlin was real but I have seen no proof Jesus was real.

        • Keith
          June 9th, 2011 at 17:49

          Professional clown: 1
          Christ: 0

  21. Phil E. Drifter
    October 29th, 2010 at 18:29

    Also I was happy to see the quote that retard Sarah Palin misquoted of Abe Lincoln’s. She was like ‘Abe Lincoln told us to pray to god for us to win the war’ and I was like ‘NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO he said ‘why pray, the other side is praying too, what would god think?’

    It’s like back when the Phillies were playin’ the Giants for the NL Pennant and they were down 3 games to 1, some phan on the Phillies Facebook page was like ‘wooo bring them back to philly, and the rest of us: pray pray pray’ and i was like, ‘you can pray to your imaginary god if you want, but what would god think, both teams’ fans praying for their own team to win…it’s a f*cking game, you think god is gonna take sides?”

    • Eddie
      November 20th, 2010 at 05:53

      Of course god takes sides in baseball… but only the side of the redsox… they are the chosen ones, very similar to the jews in the bible. he let them wander in the desert (losing streak) for 86 years (46 more than the jews) until they were led to the promised land. lol.

  22. The View from Here
    October 29th, 2010 at 22:22

    People, people, people – you confuse God with religion. Be still and you will know. THe truth is in you

    • Krie
      November 25th, 2010 at 15:17

      This is true, To earn the title of “God” you must kill many. To earn the title of “religion” you must have 5,000 followers. Yes, let that sink in… anything can be a religion… with 5,000 followers. (silly logic yes??)

      • Nate
        March 16th, 2011 at 17:40

        by that logic, just about every celebrity in holywood (oops, hollywood) is a religion in and of themselves.

        • Jminion
          April 17th, 2011 at 11:28

          As John Lennon stated the Beatles “more popular than Jesus”.

  23. Zach H.
    October 30th, 2010 at 13:12

    “If I were to drop to my knees in public, praising god and all of his supposed grandeur aloud, I would be looked at by most as a individual that possesses a profound relationship with my god. If I were to do the same, but merely replace the title of god with any name not associated with any religion, ex. (Platypus King); The mumbles, whispers, and the shouting from passerbys would begin, questioning my sanity all while my continued ranting would only incite their rage. Eventually, I would be ambushed by local authorities for creating a public disturbance. I would then be given a mental evaluation and confined to a room with padded walls, (me).”

  24. Chase Everlast
    November 1st, 2010 at 11:10

    A good feeling came from this one. I am happy to have stumbled across this beautiful compilation.

  25. David A Shaw
    November 4th, 2010 at 09:04

    This is the one i like the best.

    The World is divided into armed camps ready to commit genocide just because we can’t agree on whose fairy tales to believe.
    In the end, Religion will kill us all.
    – Ed Krebs

  26. Ben
    November 4th, 2010 at 11:20

    “What can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence” – Christopher Hitchens. Legend.

  27. Ben
    November 4th, 2010 at 11:24

    “Gods are children’s blankets that get carried over into adulthood.” – James Randi

  28. brian
    November 8th, 2010 at 03:16

    i could only wish that everyone would read these… sadly i have the feeling that the people who need to read them will stop after reading after 2 or 3 of them. ignorance is bliss i guess.

    • J
      April 26th, 2011 at 01:18

      Then why aren’t more people happy?

  29. GOD
    November 8th, 2010 at 07:01

    Its ok, you can all stop now ,,

  30. bloomingivy
    November 8th, 2010 at 16:32

    I like your Christ; I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.
    ~ Mohandas Gandhi

    Whatever Gandhi this is, I likes it.

    I AM IN LOVE WITH THE INVISIBLE PINK UNICORN!!!

  31. Lily
    November 8th, 2010 at 17:01

    Faith is willful ignorance for personal reward. Those who are willing their own ignorance are not willing to read secular quotes and think them through, because they fear for that reward they’ve been coveting for so long.

  32. turd ferguson
    November 9th, 2010 at 01:13

    Those who can make you believe in absurdities can make you commit atrocities. – Voltaire

    There will be two dates on your tombstone. And anyone you might have known will read ‘em. But all that’s gunna matter is the little-dash between ‘em

    Life is short, art long, opportunity fleeting, experience treacherous, judgment difficult.

  33. Glenn Orwall Danbery
    November 11th, 2010 at 04:46

    amazing. simple amazing

  34. loco
    November 12th, 2010 at 16:27

    Loved the one by Gandhi. Have been saying for years that more harm has been done in the name of religion than anything else I can think of. And if you have any doubt, look back in history … the crusades, the reformation, Salem witch trials, the holocaust, 9-11 … damn, the bible is an adventure in violence, full of murder stories.

    • Dogly
      June 27th, 2011 at 19:50

      How could you leave out the Inquisition!

  35. Unholymartyr
    November 18th, 2010 at 22:38

    God made religion, and we made god.

    Religion was formed as a need to social structure. Rules are simply guidelines for what is fair or just. It is the way those among us whom are educated enough to place restrictions on those who no no better. However once you are able to distinguish between right and wrong the rules no longer apply. Judgement and wisdom come inevitably to those unworthy and unprepared but this is the worth we live in. Likewise those who have been enlightened to this truth are subsequently suppressed by the masses misguidance and misfortune. To be able to judge from right and wrong is the true purpose of religion.

    Gods however have existed long before the creation of organised religion. Before we consciously thought of ourselves as humans we have believed that their was/were god(s). Subconsciously we have the need to be able to look up to something. We are unable to see the pinnacle of life so we place something there. Little did we realize that we were the top of the food chain, the highest of beings. Nowhere in the world was the surreal not imagined. Why? Ideas are constantly flowing and we share our personal epiphanies with others, much like how I am currently typing to you, reader. The more intriguing the idea the more likely it is to spread. The fact that you have all likely succumbed to the thought that possibly their is a god or pantheon of gods overseeing us is proof. We created divine beings out of the need not to solely rely on ourselves.

    Religion has simply been a mask to hide our goals and desires. Whether it is Shi’a fighting Sunni Muslims or the Crusades we have all justified our wars and battles from either greed, religion or spite. Countless battles, both civil and between empires and countries have been fought for these reasons

    • Hal
      November 19th, 2010 at 10:10

      I just want to clarify a couple of your points…

      Unholymartyr :God made religion, and we made god.
      Gods however have existed long before the creation of organised religion.

      It’se more accurate to say that MANKIND made religion and MANKIND thought up the gods.
      Gods did not exist before religion, the CONCEPT of gods existed. Just like unicorns, vampires and werewolves existed conceptually in literature and fiction, but not in actual history or reality.

      I’m sure you know this but others reading your comment may interpret it differently.

  36. john
    November 20th, 2010 at 09:32

    Great stuff much more of this is needed, to -day

  37. Krie
    November 25th, 2010 at 15:19

    GOD :Its ok, you can all stop now ,,

    OMG NOOOO he speaks O_O! >.<''' ha ha ha good one =P

  38. Adam
    December 3rd, 2010 at 12:09

    If you could reason with religious persons, there would be no religious persons.

  39. rich
    December 5th, 2010 at 12:08

    Here is a ringer, (old saying) I (we) old autistic grew up in a different world, we inadverently learned a different ,long hand version of human thought. Once we learn this and short cut our thoughts we do normal thought just like you do. While we were in special education and just plain odd strange kids /we finally came out as Einstein.

    Our picture based thought system seems to be the core of the human mind and indeed the long hand thought that makes us (humans) work. Our autistic minds have never been in a text book before and they offer the insight to the next 1000 chapters in psychology. Sadly they also make the point man is not all that “smart”. Via our Picture thought (and yours, you don’t know you have it) every answer of makind and his mind and his need for religions are all exposed. We are not that far removed from the cave person.

    Rich Shull- Inventor of the Turing Motor a Green triple hybird car motor with no up and down moving parts that runs on compressed air ,electric and gas.

    PS Autism Old working Autism is not the “I have fallen and get up stuff of today”, It was indeed Einstein and Computers ,our Alan Turing (1912-1954) was father of the computer and like the rest of us he started out as a super geek.

  40. Fadooshi
    December 11th, 2010 at 20:14

    wow. i really enjoyed this. religion is the beign of our existence

    • LordFool
      March 9th, 2011 at 02:31

      Did you mean, “bane”?

    • Jennef
      June 20th, 2011 at 01:02

      Dear Fadooshi,
      Stick an “e” on the end of “beign” ,& it means “doughnut” in French.

  41. amp804
    December 18th, 2010 at 02:14

    I like, but I can’t quote it exactly so please forgive me, “an invisible man that lives in the sky that loves you but if you don’t follow his impossible rules he ll send you to q lake of fire for an eternity oh and he need money too.”

  42. Lloydluv
    December 25th, 2010 at 07:17

    My mother and sister derive incredible strength and comfort from God/Jesus/Christianity. An atheist myself, and one who certainly enjoys a heated theological debate from time to time, I can’t bring myself to argue (discussions inevitably turn to arguments) theology with my family. “What am I hoping to achieve here?” I ask myself. Both of them are wonderful, caring and charitable people and I’d be taking their greatest comfort away from them, for what?
    A sentiment from the film “Religulous” struck a chord with me, that of religion actively harming humanity. From that viewpoint it seems obvious that us atheists should go on a !crusade! to enlighten all the believers as to the folly of their ways. But would that not be remarkably similar to what was done by the earliest proponents of religion, truly believing they were doing right?
    Yes, many terrible things have been done, and continue to be done, in the name of religion. But the followers, or faithful, were led and indoctrinated by a handful of inherently evil “leaders”. It is not difficult to imagine these “leaders” using any and all means available to them to further their own agendas, religion just happened to the best one available.
    Reading the posts above I definitely sense an aggressive tone in the replies to a post from someone who is a believer. My feeling is that people be allowed to formulate their own beliefs. The time of “converting” people is over. All the information you could possibly want on the matter is available to everyone, perhaps just an encouragement to look at the argument from both sides is all that is required, for atheists and believers alike.

    “If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him.” – Voltaire

    “Some people say there is a God. Others say there is no God. The truth probably lies somewhere in-between.” – W.B. Yeats

    “The easy confidence with which I know another man’s religion is folly teaches me to suspect that my own is also.” – Mark Twain

    Once my friend told me that he had found Jesus. I thought to myself, “Woohoo, we’re rich!” It turns out he meant something different. – Emo Philips

    • Lance
      April 19th, 2011 at 16:36

      You mention “inherently evil” leaders. Question, what makes them evil.

      To call them evil insinuates that there is such a thing as “good”. Does good exist? If so where does it come from? Is there, out there somewhere, a concrete, absolute definition of good or shall we just use yours (you being one of the enlightened). If not your definition of good should we use mine? Nope, I’m a theist…that would never do. Shall we vote on what is good? Democracies are never wrong, majority rules, right? Wrong? What shall we say about good?
      If good exists than there exists a standard of good and evil. For a standard to exist an authority with the credibility to establish standards must also exist. Otherwise your definition of “good” or “evil” for-that-matter is simply a matter of an ill formed opinion.
      Even unchallenged atheists like you live your life in a Judaea Christian Framework.

      • Keith
        June 9th, 2011 at 18:12

        Who are you to say that standards of good and evil come from Christianity? Are you so trained in the fields of human psychology that you can say, with 100% certainty, that the human brain doesn’t form standards of good and evil based on instincts? And if not instincts, maybe evolved forms of what used to be instincts? Maybe the “authority” that you speak of is merely a genetic trait, passed down throughout evolution (if you believe that stuff).

        I’m not saying that I, with 100% certainty, can discredit your view. However, I do ask that before you call someone’s view ill formed, ask yourself how well formed your own view is.

      • Jennef
        June 20th, 2011 at 01:06

        Dear Lance,
        “When I do good, I feel good,when I do bad ,I feel bad, & that is my religion”.
        Abraham Lincoln.

    • Tom
      April 24th, 2011 at 18:49

      “From that viewpoint it seems obvious that us atheists should go on a !crusade! to enlighten all the believers as to the folly of their ways. But would that not be remarkably similar to what was done by the earliest proponents of religion, truly believing they were doing right?” –Lloydluv

      The difference would be obvious from the start. The Atheist movement to show the folly of religion to believers would not end in “Believe what we believe or die,” as many of those religious movements have done.

  43. Grover
    January 14th, 2011 at 00:20

    How about:

    ‘”God” is “Dog” spelled backwards.’ — Brian Grover

    • Carolyn
      January 28th, 2011 at 12:19

      I have a couple questions. I love science, but I would like to know why it is that people believe that religion is less logical than science? At this point in time it is believed that evolution is the way in which this world was created, that the universe has bounds, and there is a super-massive black hole in the center of the galaxy that will swallow us up in a couple trillion years. Many would answer, it is because there is physical evidence, scientists have done countless studies and there is no way any of these claims could be false. Well, not too long ago science “proved” that spontaneous regeneration was the method that some animals used for reproduction and the Earth was flat. Why is it that the ideas perpetuated by scientific reasoning can be disproved so often, and people still follow it blindly based on faith (the word many of the people in earlier arguments seem to equate with idiocy) in scientists and their research. Why are people being branded as being crazy or undereducated for believing in religion? Why is it so much easier for people to believe that in ideas proven by science. For example, the universe has boundaries, you haven’t seen them, but u take it on faith. Just as religious people base their beliefs in a God on faith; for them there is evidence that He exists. In many ways science seems to be just as flawed as some claim religion is.
      We need to stop branding each other as “closed minded” or “fundamentalist”; to use these terms you yourself would have to be closed minded. We should all be open to the idea that maybe our own ideas are wrong, maybe a greater power does exist, maybe it doesn’t. The only reason religion is flawed, in my opinion, is that humans are essentially flawed. The basic ideas and laws behind many religions are essentially the same. The basic ideas that are perpetuated by many religions, love your neighbor, love yourself, cherish the gift of the earth, are all beautiful. Religion became flawed when it was interpreted by humans and their limitations. Religion becomes more flawed when people and their flaws take ideas, warp them, and force them on others. This is not loving your neighbor and is frowned upon by religious and non-religious alike.
      I think that it was Confucius that said, “the answer is always in the mean”. My concluding questions are, why can’t religion and science coincide? Why can’t science be God’s method? We all need to realize that we are all brothers and sisters whether you believe in science (evolution, we all have the same ancestors) or religion (it says it in the book) and we need to respect each other and their ideas as such, no matter how ridiculous they might seem.
      “When you call yourself an Indian or a Muslim or a Christian or a European, or anything else, you are being violent. Do you see why it is violent? It is because you are separating yourself from the rest of mankind. When you separate yourself by belief, by nationality, by tradition, it breeds violence. So a man who is seeking to understand violence does not belong to any country, to any religion, to any political party or partial system; he is concerned with the total understanding of mankind.”
      
~ J. Krishnamurthi
      P.S. Just so there’s no confusion, I am not bashing atheists, I’m just trying to understand their ideas better.

      • Ian
        January 28th, 2011 at 13:13

        It’s incredibly rare for a widely accepted scientific theory to be invalidated. Instead they are frequently improved.

        Newtonian theory is a great example. Newtonian mechanics work great for almost everything you’ll deal with on a day to day basis, but if you start working with objects moving at near light speeds, the theory stops working. What is then needed is General relativity. It’s not that newton was “wrong”, it’s that he had not tested all possible scenarios.

        Evolution is an observable phenomena, we see it happen, we know it happens, it does happen. It is so unlikely that evolution will ever be proven complete wrong, or even slightly wrong, that it would be statistically insignificant, and not worth thinking about. Evolution is as close to fact as you can bring a theory (yes, it’s a theory because we’re not talking about math, only math can ‘prove’ something to be the case).

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newtonian_mechanics#Limits_of_validity

        >Why are people being branded as being crazy or undereducated for believing in religion?

        Because there is NO evidence to back up *anything* religion claims. Zero. Religion isn’t even a theory, since there’s nothing to test, nothing that can possibly be verified (and the things that can be verified, have been proven false). Religion is misinformation. Religion is a lie.

        >Why is it so much easier for people to believe that in ideas proven by science.

        For the same reason its easy to believe that the earth is round. There is evidence to back it up. Science is NOT a belief system. Science is an extension of rationality and logic. Religion is essentially the opposite of logic.

        >For example, the universe has boundaries, you haven’t seen them, but u take it on faith.

        Prove it.

        >Just as religious people base their beliefs in a God on faith; for them there is evidence that He exists.

        No there isn’t. A belief is not a proof. Just because you really want god to exist, does not make him exist.

        >We need to stop branding each other as “closed minded” or “fundamentalist”; to use these terms you yourself would have to be closed minded.

        How about no.

        >We should all be open to the idea that maybe our own ideas are wrong, maybe a greater power does exist, maybe it doesn’t.

        No, gods don’t exist. Until I see a single shred of evidence, I will not waste any time postulating the plausibility of gods, ghosts, goblins or any other fairy tales.

        >The basic ideas and laws behind many religions are essentially the same.

        No, they really aren’t. You really need to study world religions if you think they all believe the same things…

        Unless you mean they’re all equally stupid, in which case, you’re right.

        >The basic ideas that are perpetuated by many religions, love your neighbor, love yourself, cherish the gift of the earth, are all beautiful.

        … and kill those who do not follow your religion… and believe in my god or you will suffer for eternity in hell…

        >Religion became flawed when it was interpreted by humans and their limitations.

        Who’s fault is man’s limitations? If god existed, I would blame him, since we’re supposedly made in his image.. by him.

        >Religion becomes more flawed when people and their flaws take ideas, warp them, and force them on others.

        Which is probably the most standard feature of a religion.

        • Carolyn
          January 28th, 2011 at 15:10

          Thank you for your response. You had a lot of good points that I have to consider but I just want to pick your brain for a few more things. I have studied world religions and from what I understand for the most part they all believe in a higher power, they set guidelines for how to live, and most in the purest sense are peaceful. For example, most basic belief in Hinduism is that all life is sacred, so killing someone in the name of their religion would go against everything they believe. Also it is an unfair generalization that religious people kill those who don’t believe in the same God as theirs. I have friends that practice Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Catholicism, various forms of Protestantism, and people that live by the Atheist philosophy and I have never felt the need to kill/convert them. I also feel that when they die they all will go to heaven if they are good to others and themselves. I simply can’t believe in a God that goes around damning people. It seems that you are basing most of your opinion of religion on the human history associated with it. Religion teaches us to sacrifice ourselves for the greater good, not to kill each other. It’s the radicals that kill but not just when religion is involved, it’s in every group.

          • Morgan
            February 1st, 2011 at 19:20

            Yes in general religions believe in one or more higher power and set moral guidelines; that’s within the definition of religion. But by no means is Christianity peaceful. There is plenty of quotes in the bible that command people to be put to death – for not putting their god first, for working on Sabbath, for adultery and many other reasons. He tells us not to commit murder but this does not include putting women and children to death in punishment. “I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God. I punish the children for the sins of their parents. I punish the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of those who hate me” Exodus 20:5. And sure, I’ve seen plenty of radical athiests on murderous rampages

          • Jennef
            June 20th, 2011 at 01:11

            “When they die they will all go to heaven if they are good…..”
            Hopeless !!

        • Lance
          April 19th, 2011 at 16:44

          Isaac Newton was, by-the-way, a devout Christian and staunch creationist. Weird; I thought religion stifled science…

          • Redirected
            April 19th, 2011 at 17:23

            Sir Isaac Newton, as a scientist, also exposed the corrupt forgeries in the New Testament.
            Namely; 1 John 5:7 and Timothy 3:16, which lent credence to the belief in the Trinity.

            “A Historical Account of Two Notable Corruptions of Scripture”
            by Sir Isaac Newton

          • Tom
            April 24th, 2011 at 19:09

            Lance, religion does not just stifle science, it stifles anyone’s want to learn anything not in the holy books, as evidenced of the many book burnings conducted by the church. It stifles the health and welfare of humanity, as evidenced by the catholic church forbidding masturbation (cures restless leg syndrome, as well as reducing stress), use of contraception (preventing STD transfers, especially volatile in Africa that has the largest AIDS infection in the world), as well as many other examples I don’t feel like bringing up right now. My suggestion is to pick up your bible and actually read it cover to cover. Then, start picking up history books that deal with Europe from year 1-2000 and read through a few of those, specifically on the topics of religion. If, after expanding your knowledge on the history of just the abrahamic gods, does not start you thinking of questions to ask yourself or your priest/pastor/father/whatever, and you start getting answers such as “You just have to have faith,” you should start to realize how much religion wants to keep its followers ignorant of the world around them.

        • Sweepya
          July 5th, 2011 at 16:55

          >For example, the universe has boundaries, you haven’t seen them, but u take it on faith.

          There is no evidence of the universe having boundaries. I also feel like you’re confusing “Statistical faith” with “Religious faith”. Saying “I have faith that this plane will land safely because statistically most planes land safely”, makes sense. Saying “I have faith that their are unicorns hiding in the wild”, doesn’t.

          >We need to stop branding each other as “closed minded” or “fundamentalist”; to use these terms you yourself would have to be closed minded.

          You can be open-minded yet still possess a filter for illogical playgrounds.

    • Dogly
      June 27th, 2011 at 19:57

      Yes, indeed! As is godly and Dogly.

  44. Casey
    January 28th, 2011 at 23:03

    This has been very good for me.

    I like your Christ; I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.
    ~ Mohandas Gandhi
    I believe not because i was good enough or was looking for God or anything like that. The Bible talks about all of these issues beautifully and from a perspective of perfection, that would look very different from how we see it. The truth, we are all close minded. Lets not run from it lets face it. So i ask what is the root of close-mindedness? Pride in ourselves. Now that is a touchy subject, is pride good or bad. Pride blinds because we give pride to our selves and so it is unjustly given. The old saying “you cant be a judge in your own court” i believe to be full of wisdom. Pride-fullness aka our egos. The church is history’s biggest offender but this church is nor what Christ wanted the church of acts was his church. Pride blinds us. Our egos blind us and we refuse to humble our selves and see what the root of the problem is, ourselves. This is one of the major points of the Bible, its world changing.I changed a while back but I’m not perfect and i have not given everything i own to become as such so I’m flawed and its my choice. Love, people its the only way even to the point of loving ones enemy’s no especially ones enemy’s.Brake the spiral inside ourselves……Then we might just find God there all along. And so I’ll end with two of mt favorite quotes.
    -”The first step in wisdom is the admittance that i don’t know”.
    -”Its not what the world has in store for you its what you have in store for the world”

  45. qed
    February 5th, 2011 at 09:02

    Religion is the ultimate expression of selfishness.

  46. qed
    February 5th, 2011 at 09:04

    Religion is the blind belief in things one would like to be true.

  47. qed
    February 5th, 2011 at 09:06

    Faith is the unquestioning acceptance of beliefs in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

  48. qed
    February 5th, 2011 at 09:07

    If a ‘god’ created this universe, where was he before doing so? And, why did ‘god’ wait since the beginning of time until 13,7 billion years ago to create it?

  49. qed
    February 5th, 2011 at 09:08

    ‘God’ created man as imperfect and then punishes man for being imperfect. That makes ‘god’ a sadist.

  50. qed
    February 5th, 2011 at 09:10

    Faith is the attitude that anyone who does not think like me deserves to be tortured for all eternity.

  51. Rein
    February 8th, 2011 at 18:08

    >Well, not too long ago science “proved” that spontaneous regeneration was the method that some animals used for reproduction and the Earth was flat.

    The difference between “Science” saying the earth is flat, and the “Bible” saying the earth is flat, is that the Bible still says it is.

    • Debbie
      February 21st, 2011 at 17:42

      great point.

    • Tableware
      February 24th, 2011 at 00:49

      Another point of note: Pythagoras proposed a spherical earth… 600 years before Jesus.

      • Nate
        March 17th, 2011 at 16:50

        And it took us 2000 years for a radical to go against the Church and…
        Prove the triangle guy right! Way to go, religion. Stepping on the little guys foot since God-knows-when.

        That’s funny, because it may or may not be true.

    • Dogly
      June 27th, 2011 at 20:05

      Science did not “prove” spontaneous generation. A scientist may have postulated this possible explanation. It did not hold up under the scrutiny of the scientific method. We must propose ideas of what might be the possible explanation for the , as yet, unexplained phenomena. Then we test our theory and try to prove it. Most of our creative ideas turn out to be wrong. Unlike the religious, we do not continue to believe things proven to be nonsense.

  52. Kojakofgrief
    February 15th, 2011 at 12:04

    There are millions of quotes stating for and against religion. Saying that religion is the basis of morals is in my opinion wrong. I don’t believe in god, gods or invisible pink unicorns and yet I don’t feel the need to steal, kill, maim or whatever to anyone. I’m always quite happy to engage in theological discussions with people because they each offer their own view into the shared delusion I guess. I spoke to one person who volunteered in Poland and a little boy broke his leg so she prayed and it healed itself miraculously. I politely informed her that was not the work of god but of the human body and evolution. I usually end up quoting Bertrand Russells flying teapot idea or just point out that it’s not up to me to prove something to be false but for them to prove it’s real. So far I’ve not seen any proof that god exists but plenty that he doesn’t.

  53. DanielQ
    February 16th, 2011 at 13:09

    When you read quotes from men like Jefferson, Adams, Franlin, and Lincoln. You come to realize that America is a country that was not founded on religious dogma, but reason. We stand at a point in history now, where all the churches have battled their way into our government and blinded the majority of American society to this reason. And these dogmas being pressed into the minds of the people have been so successful, that the average American doesn’t even know the real reason that our founding fathers incited a revolution in the first place.

  54. Jenn
    March 3rd, 2011 at 23:49

    I can’t believe there are people on here arguing the existence or non-existence of a god. Do any of you people know the meaning of irreligion? It’s indifference towards religion, not being so presumptuous to assume that we as humans have the knowledge of the existence or non-existence of any higher power. We do not have the knowledge to PROVE or DISPROVE any such existence, so therefore we cannot say whether there is or is not a god. We could be the dreams of a sleeping dog and not know the difference. Atheism is just as arrogant and empty as an theism, and it is one never ending circular argument. No matter what amount of disdain in your voice or smug jokes you crack on one another is going to change anyone’s belief. Every one of you is showing bad character talking down to someone for their religious (or irreligious) views, no matter how right you think you are. Just bad character, and mean people.

    • Nate
      March 17th, 2011 at 16:52

      there’s actually a difference.

      Atheists never spent their spare time killing people who (dis)believe differently.

      • Ben
        March 17th, 2011 at 23:08

        Nate :
        Atheists never spent their spare time killing people who (dis)believe differently.

        there’s been cases of church shootings done by atheists, many also who hate god and christians so much that they carry out all the anger and rage on them. and also stalin was an atheist and wanted to rid religion.

        • Ian
          March 17th, 2011 at 23:12

          >there’s been cases of church shootings done by atheists

          Lol, cite that claim please.

          >many also who hate god and christians so much that they carry out all the anger and rage on them.

          Woah, people hating another group and “raging” at them?! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

          Also, stalin might not have been specifically religious, but that had nothing to do with his actions. “Not believing in god” is not a reason to do something and more than your lack of belief in Thor makes you do anything.

          • Ben
            March 18th, 2011 at 02:53

            http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3982722&page=1
            http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared_Lee_Loughner
            http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SuccessTech_Academy_shooting

            Also, stalin might not have been specifically religious, but that had nothing to do with his actions. “Not believing in god” is not a reason to do something and more than your lack of belief in Thor makes you do anything.

            sure, because when a pro lifer kills an abortionist doctor it’s christianity that needs to be blamed, not his actions. because when a woman drowns her children it’s christianity that needs to be blamed, not her actions. and lol @ you for trying to use the “not beliving in god is not a reason…” excuse. many suicidal people have inflicted harm on others and/or went on a crime/shooting spree because of their absence of faith in god. but of course they “didn’t” do these things in the name of atheism… any less than a pro lifer kills an abortion doctor or a woman drowns her children or an old hag kills a dog because it was chewing the bible in the name of god. it’s the sick twisted people to blame, not god.

        • March 18th, 2011 at 03:04

          If your god existed then he would be the biggest killer of us all.

      • Lance
        April 19th, 2011 at 16:53

        Even a cursory study of history will show mass murder to be the logical outcome of government by atheists. Without God of what value is a man’s life? If we are not endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights then where do our rights (assuming we have some) come from? From a government? Governments change with the calendar?

        • Tom
          April 24th, 2011 at 19:20

          Actually a cursory study of history will show mass murder to be the illogical outcome of the church having power. Why must there be a god for you to value another human’s life? You value their life because they are alive. If you want to see where inalienable rights would come from, how about reading the US Constitution? These freedoms came from logic, not from religion. If you want to follow the bible, slavery is recommended, women are second-class citizens, and killing someone not of “the tribe” is perfectly fine.

    • Dogly
      June 27th, 2011 at 20:20

      Atheists are the most despised minority in the U.S. We are FORCED to express belief in scary nonsense. We can not be elected to political office. We have to tolerate priest led prayer at government meetings. If we protest that this is unconstitutional, we are jailed. Yes, folks jailed. If you don’t believe me, and you shouldn’t without proof, just google – atheists, Polk County, FL. start reading the news from almost a year ago, up until the present. It is about time we got mad as hell, and say we won’t take it anymore! Discussion is not enough, we must be political advocates for our rights. We must fight for the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.

  55. Jenn
    March 3rd, 2011 at 23:51

    And on that note, you can’t say “there is no god” and simultaneously capitalize the word god! Capitalization is a sign of respect, come on people!

    • Ian
      March 3rd, 2011 at 23:53

      It’s ok to be respectful to people you disagree with.

      I usually reserve my disrespect for people who knowingly mislead or lie..

      Side note, irreligion *can* mean indifference, but it can also mean ‘active hostility towards religion’…

      I’m irreligious and have a real problem with religion… :)

  56. Tom
    March 5th, 2011 at 15:07

    I really wish I never started thinking about this. Religion may be, ignorance, but ignorance is bliss. I was perfectly fine thinking I would exist forever for the first 18 years of my life. The more I read, the more I think, the less I believe. The only thing that scares me more than the concept of hell did for my entire life leading up to this point is the concept that I will not exist anymore after I die.

    Okay, maybe I should be more upset that people told me about catholicism to begin with, but still.

    1) I wish nobody ever told me about religion.
    2) Given that this already occurred, I wish nobody ever told me that it was all a lie.

    Okay, atheists, given that religion is BS, please tell me, what do you live for? And what do you think will happen after? I know this will sound absolutely pathetic, but please do not flame me or anything like that. I am still entirely uncomfortable with not believing, but I cannot do anything else now.

    • Ian
      March 5th, 2011 at 15:12

      Everyone dies, but not everyone really lives.

      Thinking you will live forever just means you’re more likely to put things off and not enjoy the life you have. If you ever think about “what it would be like not to exist anymore”, just think about what it was like before you were born. Was it painful? Was it bad? Was it good?

      Dying is not the worst thing that will happen to you, wasting your life being unhappy or afraid is.

      Don’t focus on all the bad things, instead work on being happy and enjoying what life has to offer.

      • Tom
        March 6th, 2011 at 09:16

        Very good response. Thank you.

      • Kyle
        April 18th, 2011 at 18:30

        Ian,

        I agree that, without God, we should focus on being happy and enjoying what life has to offer. But let me ask you this: what does that mean for you? I’ll tell you that, for me, being happy and enjoying life is all based on one cheesy little idea that is too broadly spoken of in music and too rarely spoken of in philosophical debate: love. I know it sounds super corny but hear me out. One of my greatest loves in life is music, but I’ve found that loving people (and I mean really loving people, that is, sacrificing some part of yourself for the good of the other) is far more enjoyable and wholesome than listening to my favorite song. What is the thing you like most in this world? What makes you the happiest? I want to encourage you to go out and intentionally love someone that is hard to get along with and then compare that to say skydiving or sex or your favorite movie or whatever. Even though it may be difficult, loving that person might (and I would say probably will be) the best thing you do that day. If you find this to be false then go out and do those things that give you the most joy and I hope you have an absolutely wonderful and fulfilling life (and I truly mean that), but if you really got something out of loving that person and want to think more about it please continue reading.

        So, why do we love? From where do we get the capacity to love even when we are not loved in return? Where does it come from? If you say that it is a complex, unexplained working in our brains that wants the best for others and that is a respectable and viable answer. But I would say that that goes starkly against our self-preservation instincts and therefore possibly against unintelligent design (not to be confused with evolution or evolutionist theory). If you love loving then, I would seriously reconsider totally ruling God out. Now I am a Christian and I’ve been taught to believe that “God is love” and that love- all encompassing and unconditional love- only exists if God does. I, for one, cannot find a logical explanation for why I would unconditionally love someone outside of a higher being who gave us that ability: the ability to go against what is best for me and pursue what is best for someone else.
        Feel free to disagree adamantly about this as well as many other issues. Yell at me. Ask me difficult and stumping questions. But most of all, love people.

        Hope this helped. Hit me back.
        Kyle

        • Tom
          April 24th, 2011 at 19:37

          Kyle,

          I do not disagree with you that love is a very powerful emotion and encourages us to be better people. I will disagree with you that it is against our self-preservations instincts. Love brings two people closer together. It causes them to protect one another, and to share any resources they have. We are social creatures. As such, traditionally, the more people we have in our lives, the more likely we are to live longer. This is, I believe, a large part in why we developed love.
          I noticed that you said you were taught that god is a loving god. I would suggest you read the bible, both old testament and new, cover to cover, and decide for yourself if the christian god is a loving god. You will find what you have been taught within those pages, but you will also find genocides, rapes and murders all sanctioned by the christian god.

          Other Tom,

          One additional thing I live for is to try to better humanity. I am doing this through the field of neuroprosthetics, but even just volunteering for habitat for humanity, or at a soup kitchen, or as an activist for whatever cause you feel worthy, will bring that fulfillment into your life. Just remember, never stop learning. And be sure to research what that lucky cause actually does before helping them. PETA wants complete animal liberation, and has hypocrites that use insulin on their board.

          • Leslie
            May 8th, 2011 at 14:47

            Kyle, I believe you are missing a lot in your approach to the many stories in the Bible. I used to marvel at people who found moral guidance in a collection such as these. But now I see its relevance. Please read some of John Dominic Crossan, or Marcus Borge, or Karen Armstrong before you decide that you know what the messages should be. It will be a fascinating journey for you. Ultimately, Jesus was referred to as the son of God as a political statement. Ceasar alone carried that title prior to Jesus. Using it to describe Jesus was a blatant challenge to the central authority of Rome. But Jesus was a child of God as we all are. He just lived into the resonsibility better than anyone else. He was the very best practitioner of non-violence. He would not raise a hand against his torturers, even though he was capable of creating a rising up led by his disciples. This, Crossan would argue, is a central theme in the Bible: that God is non-violent as evidenced by Jesus’ life. There were NO exceptions to the principle of nonviolence for him. Not even self defense. He did not die to be a martyr or to wash us of our sins. He died because he would not compromise his principles. This is God’s call. We decide if we will live a life of principle (which would include ending all wars, giving away all your stuff and caring for others before yourself, as well as turning away from belief in an empire). I venture that atheists misunderstand and over simplify religion to their detriment. God is described in metaphor as a father, mother, all-knowing, all-powerful. But this only illustrates the limits of our language. You can see the face of God in all acts of mercy, compassion, courage, gentleness. You can feel it when you have participated in one of these acts. That is God.

    • March 6th, 2011 at 13:42

      Ian :

      Dying is not the worst thing that will happen to you, wasting your life being unhappy or afraid is.

      This. Fucking this.

      Anyway, I understand your situation very well. Don’t be afraid of life and death, for everyone is going to die one day. When will that happen? I don’t know, but I wouldn’t worry about it. Even without religion, your life can still have a meaning. In fact, you’re most likely to have a greater lifespan than when you had religion, since you’ll be forced to define your life’s meaning by thinking for yourself (only YOU can define it… not religion, not your friends, etc.).

      You’re still anxious about all this religion stuff, so if I may I would like to show you a good site for former/deconverting Christians to gather around and discuss their life stories. Check out http://www.exchristian.net, where you can read testimonials posted every 1-2 days.

      Also check this site out if you’re not certain how to live your life post-religion: http://www.decidingtobebetter.com/

      Trust me, you’re not alone.

    • onecae
      April 10th, 2011 at 09:46

      The subjects of religion pertain to:
      What one does when one doesn’t know what to do.
      What one includes/excludes from experience.
      The possibility and actuality of transformation.
      and
      Communication with/to/from something other than the self.

      Traditionally, the subjects of religion are discussed using metaphor, analogy and allegory.

      Most living creatures typically become hostile or aggressive when having to face any one of the above mentioned subjects. The manifest content of the various religious metaphors are (in part) intended to inhibit hostile minds while at the same time opening a way for the person to understand the subject.

    • Lance
      April 19th, 2011 at 17:01

      Tom, don’t worry about it. Live as best you can for as long as you can then die. What’s the problem? Why are you so panicked about it? You didn’t come from anywhere. You’re not going anywhere. There is no meaning to your life or any life for that matter. You’re an atheist; you’re free. You’re enlightened you’ve discovered the truth. Your Mom (she was so stupid) lied to you; there is no God. So just relax…unless your wrong…unless there is a…naw, forget it. Party on!

    • Dogly
      June 27th, 2011 at 20:30

      Dear Tom,
      We all must find meaning in our own brief lives. I look around me and see needs to be met. I see things that I could do to make this society a little more fair, and a little kinder. I see a planet on the brink of collapse because of human destructiveness. I see other animals being exploited, and abused. I see a justice system based on money. There is a lot to do while we are here. Find out what talents you have. Use them to make yourself happy and be generous and fair. Don’t worry, be happy. To quote Bobby McFarrin. (sp?)

  57. Barrie
    March 10th, 2011 at 20:49

    The following quotation is a chapter heading in Arthur Koestler’s book ‘Darkness at noon’ published by Penguin Books.

    ‘When the existence of the church is threatened, she is released from the commandments of morality. With unity as the end, the use of every means is sanctified, even cunning, treachery, violence, simony, prison, death. For all order is for the sake of the community, and the individual must be sacrificed to the common good.

    DEITRICH VON NIEHEIM,
    BISHOP OF VERDEN:
    De schismate libri 111, A.D. 1411.

  58. Yes it is
    March 15th, 2011 at 19:34

    Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.
    Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.
    Is he both able and willing?
    Then whence cometh evil?
    Is he neither able nor willing?
    Then why call him God?
    ~Epicurus

    its really infallible and simple logic… whether there IS a god or ISNT a god is not the question…. the real question is, is he worthy of our worship?

    The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has killed a great many philosophers.
    ~ Denis Diderot

    Though Im sure at least one philosopher has gone the route of violence in history, the truth in this quote is unmistakable, reasonable people dont boil others in oil for the words and noises that come from a persons mouth. Rationality + Proof > Faith.

    “Man Will Never Be Free Until The Last King Is Strangled With The Entrails Of The Last Priest.”

    I’m not sure who said that one, and I dont feel like googling it, but that is the epitome of freedom, strive for it, and be a human of the human race, not a slave of your devine overlords….. mutiny i say!! ;)

    • Lance
      April 19th, 2011 at 17:06

      Or maybe God made people free and its people, not God, who are responsible for the evil they commit. If we are not free to hurt each other then we are not actually free.
      Perhaps God saw a benefit in creating us as free beings and desires that we retain our freedom for a time.

      • Tom
        April 24th, 2011 at 19:42

        Just because I am going to have to say it at some point, why is it your god that is right? Why not the thousands of others that have been invented not the right one/s? Why is it you don’t believe in the other gods, and why haven’t you applied that same criteria to yours?

  59. David
    March 16th, 2011 at 21:58

    Best quotes I’ve ever seen, period.
    Nothing beats these quotes, all said by men who actually made a difference in the world, as one quote you left reads:
    “two hands working can do more than a thousand clasped in prayer”

  60. Barrie
    March 21st, 2011 at 23:32

    Faith can move mountains: but it’s quicker with a front end loader.

  61. Barrie
    March 23rd, 2011 at 10:07

    A real gem of a quote has been overlooked.
    About one thousand years ago

  62. Barrie
    March 23rd, 2011 at 10:23

    Sorry. Screwed up the previous attempt.
    The quote is by a Syrian Arab. Circa 1000 CE

    ‘The inhabitants of the earth are of two sorts: those with brains, but no religion and those with religion, but no brains.’
    Abul ‘Ala Al-Ma’arri

  63. Redirected
    April 19th, 2011 at 18:01

    Lance : If we are not endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights then where do our rights (assuming we have some) come from?

    Lance;
    Certain inalienable rights ? From the Christian God ??
    Certain inalienable rights, like freedom of religion? Yahweh was big on that one, if you’re into being stoned to death.
    How about freedom from slavery ? What was Yahweh’s call on that ?
    How about the rights of the nations that God told Moses to utterly destroy ?
    How about their rights ?
    Or, do only certain people get inalienable rights ?

    Your assertion that God gave us inalienable rights is simply preposterous!
    Man had to established his own principles of what was moral and fair. Otherwise,
    you would still be whipping your slaves and counting your wives.

    • Austin
      May 19th, 2011 at 01:00

      Redirected:
      Your reasoning is coming from the Old Testament, God loved the Israelites, he chose them over the other people of the Earth, during the times of the Old Testament, God had to assert his people as the Chosen ones among the land of Canaan, to do this he needed to “utterly destroy” the other nations, by doing so Israel was supposed to be a light for the nations around them Genesis 22:17-18, in addition, Gods love was also extended to the people that were not of Jewish decent even in the old testament, Deuteronomy 31:12 “Assemble the people-men, women and children, and the ALIENS living in your towns-so they can listen and learn to fear the LORD your God and follow carefully all the words of this law” (Bold added for emphasis). Another example- During Joshua’s conquest of the Canaanite lands, the Gibeonites knew that God was fulfilling his promise to his people (side note: God has never broken a promise to his people), and they deceived Joshua in order to live with the Israelites and to be in God’s favor, Read Joshua 9:22. While all of these things are very rustic and yes in fact are very hard to understand, it all changed with the coming of Christ, who did not come to change the law but rather fulfill it. God did not change from the Old Testament to the New Testament (this seems to be a common misconception) but rather instead of unleashing his wrath upon the people, he poured out his wrath on Christ, so that we may be exempt from it. Gods relationship to us is that of a parent, when we were younger he had to make many rules as to why we should behave this way etc. however as the church developed there came a point to when He wanted to show his utter love for us by exonerating us from our disobediences and declare that we will forever be in his favor, even though we make mistakes. Email me for more questions

      • Redirected
        May 19th, 2011 at 05:46

        Okay, so you’re are attempting to justify God rounding up the Israelites and intiating a divinely condoned campaign of murder, rape and pillage of other peoples to demonstrate that they (the Israelites) are ” to be a light for the nations around them “.

        I’m not sure how this proves we have Certain inalienable rights from God.

        Let me ask you 3 questions;
        Did the Hittites, the Jebusites, the Moabites and the Midianites have Certain inalienable rights ?

        What were the rights of the Moabites when Joshua captured them, made them lay down head to toe to make one very long line, then, systematically killed every third person in the line ?

        Wouldn’t you compare this to the Nazi extermination of other ethnic groups?

  64. Lance
    April 19th, 2011 at 23:10

    Does man have inalienable rights? I say he does.
    If those rights come from man because he “established his own principles” then they will change as man’s principles change and are not inalienable. If there is no God man has no rights.

    • Ian
      April 20th, 2011 at 00:25

      You must have a very sad existence if your only reason for living is something to do with god(s)…

      Atheism is realizing there are no gods, and not spending what little time you have on this planet thinking about what will happen once you are dead.

      Live you life, enjoy it, and be good.

      Why is that so hard to do?

  65. Redirected
    April 20th, 2011 at 06:04

    Lance :
    If those rights come from man because he “established his own principles” then they will change as man’s principles change and are not inalienable.

    God seems to have changed his thoughts over the years too.
    It used to be okay for kill animals for your atonement.
    It used to be okay to publicly stone adulterers.
    It used to be DEATH for those who worked on the Sabbath.
    It used to be okay to bequeath slaves to your sons.
    It used to be okay to destroy entire villages that worshiped other gods.

    Shall we go on ?

    Seems like nothing is unchangeable, not even God’s morality.

  66. Han
    April 21st, 2011 at 21:47

    Hmmm. Just hmmm.

    I, myself, identify as an “Atheist” of sorts. Though my family is very religious, I am unconvinced that God exists and like many of you, believe that religion is a bit ridiculous. But can’t we all admit that there is SOMETHING beyond science? Science itself is a miracle. Evolution is a miracle. The entire universe (and beyond?) is one big miracle.

    So many unanswered questions still exist- it is understandable why people turn to religion to guide them. I think those who choose to be very religious are trapping themselves in an unrealistic mindset, but it is also unfair to say every religious person is a narrow-minded idiot. What a stereotype! There are many many people who believe in God or a higher power, but do not live by the Bible.

    This is not aimed at anyone in particular, but this whole thread of comments is full sarcasm. Talking down to someone simply because they do not share your philosophy just makes you look narrow minded and ignorant, despite what you believe.

    • Tom
      April 24th, 2011 at 19:59

      When people make ignorant claims and state them as the absolute truth, it is hard not to talk “down” to them. As far as calling those who strictly believe in what they have been told a “narrow-minded idiot,” while idiot is a derogatory term generally substitutable for ignorant (which is most simply defined as an adjective meaning= uninformed; unaware), is because religious people tend to be narrow-minded, ignorant people that choose to believe what others tell them because they don’t want to do the research for themselves. That is something that I feel should be deemed unforgivable, especially considering what a phenomenal resource the internet can be, and how much knowledge is kept beautifully written literature. Yes, there are a great many unanswered questions out there, but to fill in those blanks with “an invisible, all seeing, all knowing, all creating being made it, so let’s just leave it at that,” is a very poor position to take. Just because we don’t know those answers now due to technological and mathematical, or simply because of lack of information does not mean this will always be the case. And I can even agree that there is something beyond science, that being, but not limited to, poetry, art, and music. Personally, I have no problem with people believing in a god/s (though I believe they would generally be able to be happier without it/them), as long as they don’t dismiss everything science (and all the evidence it has amassed) has to offer us.

  67. Herman
    April 25th, 2011 at 21:46

    Religion was most likely invented by someone who wanted to have power over others.

  68. Ian
    April 28th, 2011 at 17:58

    Colin :

    Your argument against being agnostic is flawed in that you are trying to put a “face” on god, such as the pink unicorn or the flying spaghetti monster. What an agnostic believes is that this universe and everything inside of it is here (this is provable because you are reading this.) Now, how did this all get here? The fact that it’s not just “nothing” and something exists, means whatever we attribute to creating all this stuff, or even the first particles of the big bang, is what you might consider to be god.

    “God” would be a higher being that created the first sparks of matter to create our infinite universe. Anything more than that is unknowable. We can’t put a name, human emotions, or anything more to the reference of God, just that it’s possible one exists for the pure sake of there being matter in the universe.

    You, as an atheist, would be even more naive to think that there is no possible chance for god to exist, despite being in a universe full of matter that somehow got here.

    That is not agnosticism, that’s Pantheism.

  69. Steve
    May 4th, 2011 at 13:56

    I once believed in a god. I have no problem believing in a god. If there is a god, he gave to me an inquisitive nature where proof must be undeniable. I liked spirituality and studying Christianity. In fact, that is how I became an atheist. I researched every facet of religion and found it to be man-made. I was crushed! That was not what I was looking for. I wanted the most accurate depiction of all the teachings of Jesus. Not to find it was all a lie. First, the virgin birth fell. I could live with that since I wasn’t Catholic. Then, hell through it’s root words and origins. The hardest for me to let go was the belief in Jesus. I was programmed to think you could believe many crazy things, but acceptance of Jesus was the crucial for eternal salvation. But I could not un-pickle the cucumber. What I learned and knew could not be un-done. As time went by, I felt relief. It was like a junkie that made it through detox. I was free of the chains of religion.
    If you are thinking atheist simply want to use Christians as their whipping post, you would be wrong. I sympathize with them now. You are living a lie. That is okay with me as long as you don’t start to rally around and get an idea that entails killing the infidels. Before you think that is impossible, read your bible.

    Ask yourself, could you kidnap your neighbor and his wife and kids and over a course of a year torture them and slowly kill them because they were Muslim?, Jews? Atheist? If you said yes, tell me where you live so I never go there. If you said no, then why do you support a belief in a god that would do the same over not a hundred millenniums, but would keep them alive to allow the pain to continue forever?
    That is just flawed thinking.
    I once accepted the killing of people who went against god. Who were they to question the creator who should and should not live? But it is man that carries out the killings. Coincidentally, it is always someone whose death he would benefit.
    Enough rambling. I create websites at http://www.evolutions46.com So if you don’t mind an atheist working on your site, email me.

    • Neutral Views
      May 5th, 2011 at 12:10

      i just want, god doesn’t exist, good thing to.

  70. Marina
    May 8th, 2011 at 00:54

    I’ve been told the following things:
    “You’re Jewish? You know you’re going to hell, right?”
    “I respect your beliefs, but I just to tell you that I’m right, and you’re wrong.”
    “It’s okay for you to be Jewish, as long as you pray to god every day.”
    “If you don’t believe in god, then you have no morals.”

    I’m Jewish by birth, and don’t deny that the religion is part of my heritage, and I’m a nontheist. If I were someone else, I would have been very hurt by what these quotes. Look at them individually and you’ll see the various ways in which they’re hurtful.

    I’ve also heard people say these things to theists:
    “You raped little children and tortured innocent people.”
    “You’re stupid.”
    “Your people are evil.”

    I have friends who say they believe in god. My views don’t clash with theirs. Because when they say they believe in god, they mean that they believe in goodness. Or in morality. Or in some sort of order or benevolence or purpose. Or just in something larger than themselves; it could even be science. I wonder what you guys think of this. Personally, I sympathize with the desire to think of science as miraculous, even though I shy away from terminology that uses words like “miracles” and “god.”

    I’ve seen so much dogmatism when it comes to this subject. ‘Dogmatism’ ranges from pure hatefulness to seeing these issues as having two definite sides.

    I’m leaving this post mostly open-ended, for your interpretation. Any philosophy, religious or not, benefits from non-dogmatism.

  71. Leslie
    May 8th, 2011 at 14:05

    “We have become used to thinking that religion should provide us with information. Is there a God? How did the world come into being? But this is a modern preoccupation. Religion was never supposed to provide answers to questions that lay within the reach of human reason. That was the role of logos. Religion’s task, closely allied to that or art, was to help us to live creatively, peacefully, and even joyously with realities for which there were no easy explanations and problems that we could not solve: mortality , pain, grief, despair, and outrage at the injustice and cruelty of life. Over the centuries people in all cultures discovered that by pushing their reasoning powers to the limit, stretching language to the end of its tether, and living as selflessly and compassionately as possible, they experienced a transcendence that enabled them to affirm their suffering with serenity and courage. Scientific rationality can tell us why we have cancer; it can even cure us of our disease. But it cannot assuage the terror, disappointment, and sorrow that come with the diagnosis, nor can it help us to die well. That is not within its competence. Religion will not work automatically, however; it requires a great deal of effort and cannot succeed if it is facile, false, idolatrous, or self-indulgent.” –Karen Armstrong “The Case for God”

  72. blunt
    May 10th, 2011 at 07:26

    Let me put it simply,

    for you to be quite certain about something, you must know everything about it, no?

    There is no fish that can fly. That’s a statement, its not a fact. Ask me why? Simple, I haven’t observed all the fish in the sea to make such a ridiculous assumption as stating that I know everything in the world.

    Now, you distract yourself, and everyone with cleverly worded arguments, good on you. But tell me this.

    Must not the fact be ascertained when all things have been observed and documented? Can you tell me for instance, knowing that you probably will doze off and assume me crazy, your loss anyway, but can you tell me if there is no dinosaurs left? No, you say? Of course dinosaurs went extinct “millions” of years ago. Have you observed everything on earth, can you tell what is in any place on the map? have you travelled and researched? have you gone through the amazon forest that has not been charted YET? thousands and thousands of miles are still foreign to man, still exhibiting their natural habitat.

    Stop screwing around with people, thinking you have all the answers, or that your precious “Science”-God knows all the answers. That’s right, your science is your God. Tough for you when your science can’t explain everything and is still being developed and discovered and relatively young of age…

    Peace

    • Ian
      May 10th, 2011 at 08:54

      That was very poorly written and nowhere near as insightful as you think it was.

      I do not need to know “everything” about something in order to be “certain”. I do not have to see every inch of the planet to know that unicorns and dinosaurs don’t live here any more (in their original form), instead I can rely on our collective society to help out with that. Worldwide there are no credible claims of unicorns or dinosaurs living anywhere, and since there is no logical reason to think they exist here and now, I can say with a reasonable level of certainty (certainty comes in degrees you see) that there are none.

      Also, science is not a “god”. Science is a mode of though. Science is a direct extension of reason and rational thinking. Science has brought us out of caves and into homes. Its what powers our world.

    • May 11th, 2011 at 03:20

      If science is a god, then I’m a subscriber to his/her/its religion! Heck, we should call ourselves Sciencians and go spread the good news of Sciencianity for our god.

    • Dogly
      June 27th, 2011 at 20:48

      What? “no dinosaurs left” I live in Florida where there are dinosaurs in every river. “The world is so full of a number of things, I’m sure we should all be as happy as kings.” T.H.White, from “The Once And Future King”

  73. Redirected
    May 10th, 2011 at 15:26

    blunt said;
    …”Stop screwing around with people, thinking you have all the answers”

    Isn’t that the job of religion?
    Religion has been telling people for centuries that it has all the answers.
    And with that authority, it dictates who we marry, who we sleep with, what we eat, how we shave, dress and what we are allowed to think and believe, including what we should believe about the nature of the cosmos.

    blunt also said;
    …”That’s right, your science is your God”

    This is a disparaging statement.
    However, scientific knowledge is based on reliable and reproducable outcomes that can be challenged, tested and verified by unbiased and even opposing parties.

    Religion tends to be based largely on personal revelation, that can neither be witnesses, verified or reproduced.
    (and NEVER challenged)

    Perhaps science; a better start to a religion.

  74. Jordan Clark
    June 5th, 2011 at 12:20

    Love these quotes. Religion has undoubtedly been man’s greatest tool for manipulation, as well as the greatest hindrance to progress and knowledge.

    I am open to the existence of … well, not a god necessarily, but something—some energy, intelligence, computer, architect; however I do not think we could possibly know for sure either way.

    Yes, I am an atheist in the sense that all concepts of god that we could possibly imagine are wrong, since pretty much every god we create is simply an image of our ideal human. (Even the all-loving Christian God is just a really really good person with superpowers)

    Nobody knows where we came from or what happens after death. I think it’s most likely that nothing will happen, and I live my life in the manner that reflects that: I want to live each day so that on my death bed, when I have no life left, I will be satisfied.

    Religion attaches itself to a theory and imagines the evidence. Science observes the evidence and comes up with theories that support it. I think that, scientifically, there is a plausible theory that, in accordance with all the established order of the universe, it is possible that we were created or programmed in some way. Saying that you are 100% sure we arrived spontaneously is just as ignorant as saying with 100% that we didn’t. Were you there when the Universe began? Were you here before the Universe began? I don’t think anyone was; therefore, all extrapolations of origin, meaning, and destiny are subjective speculation.

    Agnosticism is not fear. It’s simply acknowledging that there is no way to know for certain such things. All of it is speculative. There’s nothing wrong with wondering where we came from and piecing together theories of life. When those theories become false-certainties, however, and begin to dictate your life and actions (especially harmful ones), that’s called religion.

  75. Ezekiel
    June 14th, 2011 at 22:49

    Those Abraham Lincolns and various others are taken far out of context.

    • Dogly
      June 27th, 2011 at 20:53

      What nonsense! Unless we include everything a person ever said or wrote, what we quote will be out of context. These quotes are complete thoughts, sufficient unto themselves. Their meaning is as clear as day. Why does it bother you, Ezekiel, that Lincoln said what he did?

  76. Karken
    June 18th, 2011 at 08:30

    This site is wonderful to a point of being logical. lol

  77. Allison Budd
    June 20th, 2011 at 01:24

    Love these SO much. Couldn’t have said it better myself. If only the whole world would read and understand this side of the argument.

  78. Molly
    June 22nd, 2011 at 00:00

    Being hateful is unnecessary, regardless of your stance on the religious debate.
    Although it is true in a very unfortunate way that man has done many horrible things in the name of God, there are also many instances of churches and other places of worship that contribute much to charities and volunteering projects like Habitat for Humanity, and call it small-mindedness if you will, but one of the reasons Christianity is so popular is because it provides hope for a perfect afterlife. Hope is something that to me, seems very priceless and important for a happy life. Now, considering man’s imperfection, some will take this as an excuse to live a mediocre life in anticipation of heaven and although I personally believe in heaven, for the sake of the argument, if there is none, that person may have wasted their life living for themselves and themselves only. There are also people who provide “Christian-like” services for others solely for the purpose of achieving heaven. Then there are persons who would be considered to be following the path that Jesus laid out for his followers, who genuinely do things for others because they are devoted to obeying Christ passionately, regardless if they earn passage to heaven because of it. Those people are an asset to mankind.
    However, the same can be said for Atheists who do not believe in an afterlife at all and because of it live their lives to the utmost, and perform charitable acts simply because it feels good to do good.
    I think that every person on the planet has different views on religion, and it is not the difference that causes conflicts, but man’s urge to ridicule anyone who does not believe exactly what they themselves believe. It is neither Christianity nor Hinduism nor Islam nor Atheism, nor any other religion that is at fault, it is the ignorant man or woman who cannot accept that others believe differently than themselves and will not change their beliefs.

    • Taylor
      June 24th, 2011 at 02:03

      Molly that is perfectly said. Should have read your comment before I put mine because yours perfectly states my opinion. Might quote some of what you said in future discussions of the sort. Nice perspective.

    • Dogly
      June 27th, 2011 at 21:03

      Molly, it is not the ridicule over differences that causes problems, i’ts murder for religion’s sake. Remember that child’s rhyme about “Sticks and stones will break your bones, but names will never hurt you.” Now, who has through the last several thousand years thrown stones at those who disagree? At us INFIDELS? jews, moslems, and christians, that’s who!

  79. JJ
    June 22nd, 2011 at 09:00

    I thought these were supposed to be “Delightful Quotes.” Too bad it’s a load of belittling tripe.

    • June 22nd, 2011 at 15:11

      Yeah, because on a site like IRRELIGION.ORG you’d expect all those cheesy, fuzzy quotes about how much believers love to stroke their gods’ cocks.

      Don’t be a fucking idiot. These quotes are “delightful” because they help reveal to us the dark side of most religions in the world. Most religions are just archaic, primitive system of laws. Why do we still need them? God(s) are an invention of mankind.

  80. June 23rd, 2011 at 09:44

    I have created you with a foreskin, but I consider it unclean so cut it off!!!

  81. Taylor
    June 24th, 2011 at 02:00

    Alright heres the thing: religion is good half the time but the other half of the time its name is used to mask evils. Personally I have no religion because I don’t see a need to define my want to being a better person which is what I see as religion, so I have chosen to be agnostic. If you are religious though: that’s fantastic! Just so long as you are not shoving it down other people’s throats, using it as an excuse for wrongdoings and the sort then there is nothing wrong with you having a religion. If you don’t have a religion: that’s also fantastic! Just so long as you as a person, religion or not care for your fellow being and act the majority of your decisions on logical insight then go ahead believing in whichever god or goddess you want, or void of gods you want. Just don’t use anything as a n excuse to act harmfully to fellow human beings. That is are purpose in life: to help our culture flourish whether that be defined by religion guidelines or just by moral codes. Just be a decent HUMAN BEING.

  82. Jackie
    June 24th, 2011 at 23:11

    The best collection of atheism quotes I’ve seen yet! Love it!

  83. Jacquelyn
    June 28th, 2011 at 01:34

    I was raised catholic, and we can all roll our eyes at that, but once I rejected that I didn’t turn to atheism, I am now agnostic. I don’t even like to associate with any label, but that is essentially the definition of agnostic anyways. The thing I didn’t like about atheism is that it has the same resolve as religion – there either is or is not a god. But I do not think it can be proved either way, nor do I feel I should waste my time trying to figure it out. When I was catholic I was angry at god, for all the hypocrisies and all the things that just did not seem right or logical. But once I stepped outside of that faith, I realized if I was going to continue to believe in a god I had to throw out my old one. If there was a god and he was not catholic then he could not be blamed for all the anger I felt in the catholic church. He (or she I suppose, or neither..) was a fresh start, and since then I’ve rarely acknowledged the existence of a God, but I do not deny that it is possible there is one, and I constantly remind myself not to become angry when thinking about if there is, because the god I came to know through catholicism is not right. When I am angry at others it is because they are too radical. I honestly can say this is one of the only times I have brought up my beliefs… and I wish others, regardless of being religious or not, would do the same. In fact I think the other times I can recall were when some religious nut was trying to convert me, or similarly when an atheist was spewing hatred. There is no need to discuss it with others if they do not directly ask, and the problem with any belief system is the people who subscribe and try to recruit like some sort of pyramid scheme of life. No one knows what in the world life is all about, no one knows what happens when you die, no one knows why we exist. If it makes people feel better to believe in stories or to deny stories in order to confirm their place in the world, then so be it. I myself have chosen to simply erase the matter from my brain and live life doing what feels right, which is too good for some and evil for others… one can never win, so why try? The quotes on this page are great, but some are just too much. I am not a fan of enlightening people by telling them they are stupid… somehow that does not seem like an effective way. Who knows.. maybe christians go to heaven, atheists become fertilizer, and buddhists become cats in the next life… but all at once, in the same universe. Maybe whatever you believe comes true for you. And maybe we should stop hating each other for the same reasons we love ourselves.

  84. Rusty Shackleford
    June 28th, 2011 at 04:32

    If “god” created us, then who created “god?”
    If nothing can be created without a creator then it would be a never ending cycle.

    Evolution however, holds a much more rational explanation. I would recommend Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin. It outlines how we have evolved from fish over the past 3.5 million years.

  85. Greg
    June 28th, 2011 at 23:00

    Thank you for this. It’s weird that some of the most influential people in the history of the world knew that religion was fake and said it so, yet it continues on….and on…..and on…………………

  86. Myke
    July 1st, 2011 at 13:01

    One does not ponder their own existence, they simply exist or cease to exist, as does their god…

  87. Walker
    July 2nd, 2011 at 20:36

    Religion is what happened when we evolved to the point where we could ask ourselves questions about our world and ourselves for which we had no answers. Our ignorance made us insecure, and that void was filled with nonsense explanations. These fairy tales eventually became widespread and useful in manipulating and comforting fools, and justifying any atrocity. If we survive long enough, we will evolve away from these childish religious beliefs. One day we will look back at our religious history the same way a 12 year old looks at the cartoons he loved a short time ago – with embarrassment.

  88. bonehead
    July 3rd, 2011 at 06:50

    Even science teaches that there must be emperical observation and testing before anything can be accepted as true or false. To make an extrordinary claim or positive statement without substantial evidence to back up your claim is very unscientific.

    Furthermore, science is only reveals facts about science, not life and its meaning as a whole. Can science teach us anything about relationships, raising children, putting an end to violence and warfare, drugs (illegal drugs), or motivating students to become the best leaders in their field of study? There is more to life than science.

    If science is the measure by which we base our existence and meaning of life on, then what value do we have as humans, as individuals, and what to what degree of importance do we place survival? Who determines what is the most fit for survival? Although Charles Darwin is admired by many as one of the leading proponents of evolutionary biology, Darwin is not the authoritative figure of life itself. And if he’s not, who is?

  89. Redirected
    July 4th, 2011 at 08:53

    Bonehead Said:
    “If science is the measure by which we base our existence and meaning of life on, then what value do we have as humans, as individuals, and what to what degree of importance do we place survival?”

    This is a question I have pondered ever since my departure from religion.

    Bonehead goes on to say:
    “Furthermore, science is only reveals facts about science, not life and its meaning as a whole. Can science teach us anything about relationships, raising children, putting an end to violence and warfare, drugs (illegal drugs), or motivating students to become the best leaders in their field of study? ”

    You are absolutely right about one thing;
    Science will reveal only the FACTS about our world.

    It doesn’t claim to know what the meaning of life is, it does not give a precise value for humanity, nor does it dictate how we raise our children.

    Religion on the other hand, does claim authority on such matters. It tells us that it not only knows exactly why we are here, but that it also knows where we will go when we die. It tells us how things were created and how they will end. Based on that, it instructs us on how to behave in this world and what to believe. In some cases, it will even know what books we should read and which we should avoid. It may even indicate to us that it knows how my genitalia should be modified after I’m born.

    There are many religions in our world. Unfortunately, just about ALL of them disagree on what the truth is and who is the real savior.

    I guess religion has a tendency to know everything about our existence.
    While science admittedly, only understands very little about the vast universe in which we live.

    The question is;
    Where do we turn to learn more about who we are and perhaps the purpose of life?

    To someone who makes great claims about knowing everything, but can’t demonstrate it.

    Or to someone who claims to know very little, but has facts?

  90. John Del Regnoj
    July 6th, 2011 at 22:37

    I would not be so confident in your non-belief. If you study current scientific facts and theories you will see evidence of intervention, all the way from the Big bang ,which is evidence that the universe had a beginning, all the way to DNA which is the smoking gun of Inteligent design

  91. Redirected
    July 7th, 2011 at 16:33

    I don’t know if there will ever be an end to the “Intelligent Design” argument. My guess is that there won’t be. Although, I believe that I DO know a way to put a quick end to the debate today, once and for all.
    It could be totally resolved by just one, quick, globally convincing miracle by (insert the god of your choice), (Zeus works fine for me :).

    This seems to be one of the underlying difficulties doesn’t it?
    The all powerful, exalted controller of the universe, seems to be silent and powerless in our world.

    I mean there are several “Big Time” gods mixing it up right now on Earth for the monotheistic position of authority. Yet, none seem to be able to pull the cosmic trump card on the other “phonies” that would provide us skeptics with just one little miracle that would end all debate and doubt forever.

    Surely, if you can create the universe and populate it with this marvelous DNA, you certainly could do something amazing that would open the eyes of the whole world. Right ?

    Ah, but, even if you do win the argument that there was a creator, then you have a whole new set of problems don’t you?

    Because, somewhere along the way, you’ll be required to explain the jump from the super cosmic deity that sparked the Big Bang, to the creature that tutors primitive herdsmen on the removal of their sins by killing young goats or twisting the heads off of pigeons.

  92. Linda591
    July 11th, 2011 at 01:55

    I would just like to say the unicorns do exist. they are mentioned in the Bible at least 9 times.
    in the king James version. num.23:22, 24:08, deut.33:17, Job39:9 +10, Psalm 22:21,+ 29:6,+ 92:10, Isaiah 34:7
    the unicorn is not a mythical animal it actually refers to a Rhino.

    don’t know about them being pink though.
    Linda591

    • Ben
      July 11th, 2011 at 06:03

      Linda591 – the unicorn is a mythical animal. They don’t exist. You seem to be thinking of the Elasmotherium, but there’s no good evidence of man’s interaction with it. Most think ‘ re’em ‘ , the Hebrew probably mis-translated into ‘unicorn’, actually refers to aurochs, not rhinos.

      At least we can all agree that a literal interpretation of the text is retarded – if only those who claimed it’s metaphorical worth would analyse their underlying beliefs/claims and grow up, too.

  93. meg
    July 16th, 2011 at 13:24

    alex s :hitler killed the jews, bush is willing to kill our freedom and democracy to cover his own ass.

    you are an idiot.

  94. Alec
    July 17th, 2011 at 13:49

    If the point of all these quotes is to prove that many of the worlds greatest thinkers are wrong then there are a few flaws in them. I’m not a religious freak or even go to church that often by the way. But several of the quotes including the first one from ghandi about how he believes in Christ but not Christians can only prove that ghandi was obviously a very spiritual person and that he has lost faith in those who follow religion because they have obviously corrupted it, but the religion itself he still respects and even has faith in. Some of these quotes are just unessecary too like from Thomas Edison when he said he thinks religion and public education should be separated. I completely agree with him as anyone should because obviously that could only lead to skewed education. The point is is that your throwing a bunch a random quotes together which you think supports your attack on religion and many of which don’t even correlate with your argument. It shows how blind and ignorant people are and will do anything to attack religion including take random quotes completely out of context by great philosophers and thinkers of the world just to try to gain some credit for a pointless argument that’s been made for centuries and obviously isn’t going anywhere. Sick quotes you might actually want to understand many of them first before blindly posting