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Philip Berrigan Quotes

Peace activist

Philip Berrigan was a renowned peace activist. Born on October 5, 1923, and passing away on December 6, 2002, Berrigan played a significant role in anti-war and anti-nuclear movements through nonviolent protests and direct action.

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All Law War Ifs Break Christian Injustice Killing Lying People Prophet

Famous Philip Berrigan Quotes

“We Christians forget (if we ever learned) that attempts to redress real or imagined injustice by violent means are merely another exercise in denial - denial of God and her nonviolence towards us, denial of love of neighbor, denial of laws essential to our being.”

Ifs Mean Real Christian Law Forget Exercise Essentials Injustice Neighbor Violent Denial Nonviolence Redress

Author:Philip Berrigan

“The poor tell us who we are, the prophets tell us who we could be, so we hide the poor, and kill the prophets.”

Truth Poor Killing Prophet Who We Are Telling The Truth Hiding Exposure Exposing Prophetic Bitter Truth

Author:Philip Berrigan

“The only way you can get at the state is by dealing with its laws.”

Way States Law Dealing With It

Author:Philip Berrigan

“If you dissent without breaking the law then you are legitimizing the system that allows this kind of latitude. You have to break the law to touch the state.”

Ifs Kind States Law Break Dissent Latitude Breaking The Law

Author:Philip Berrigan

“[ To break the law] would still be an imperative. I guess we do it for both reasons. You try to be a Christian, you try to come from that tradition of the Jewish prophets and then Christ and everything since. That becomes your handbook. "Witness" is the key word. You witness against the injustice, against the atrocity, against the heavy-handedness, and all the rest. We try to make a statement to other people, and we try to say it's your responsibility, too.”

People Trying Stills Reason Christian Law Christ Responsibility Break Keys Tradition Injustice Heavy Statements Witness Prophet Imperatives Atrocities

Author:Philip Berrigan

“You have a responsibility to confront the war games - the American killing machine.”

War Games Responsibility Machines Killing War Games

Author:Philip Berrigan

“We have military bases all over the world, and that's purely to protect our portfolio abroad.Our investments, and our production, our exploitation of cheap labor and raw materials. We're on the scene to do that, and the military is there to see that it happens.”

World Happens Military Materials Scene Protect Labor Bases Investment Productions Exploitation Raw Materials Portfolios Cheap Labor Military Bases

Author:Philip Berrigan

“The Pentagon is, admissibly, the most powerful institution in history.”

Powerful Institutions Most Powerful Pentagon

Author:Philip Berrigan

“The church is a major bureaucracy, and major bureaucracies are disobedient to the gospel.”

Church Majors Bureaucracy

Book:Fighting the lamb's war: skirmishes with the American Empire : the autobiography of Philip Berrigan

Source: Fighting the lamb's war: skirmishes with the American Empire : the autobiography of Philip Berrigan

“War can't end terrorism. War is terrorism.”

War Ends Terrorism

Author:Philip Berrigan

“Lying and war are always associated. Listen closely when you hear a war-maker try to defend his current war: If he moves his lips he's lying.”

Ifs Trying War Moving Lying Lips Currents Makers

Author:Philip Berrigan

“The use of depleted uranium in the Gulf War has been particularly effective. Radiation levels in Iraq are appallingly high. Babies are born with no brain, no eyes, no genitals. Where they do have ears, mouths or rectums, all that issues from these orifices is blood.' - HAROLD PINTER A $19 trillion price tag since 1940 for past, present, and future wars reveals our addiction to war and bloodshed.”

Has Beens War Use Eye Past Born Levels Brain Issues Blood Baby Mouths Ears Addiction Iraq Radiation Tag Bloodshed Past Present Past Present And Future Gulf War Uranium Price Tag Pinter

Author:Philip Berrigan

“Nuclear weapons are the scourge of the earth; to mine for them, manufacture them, deploy them, use them, is a curse against God, the human family, and the earth itself.”

Humans Use Earth Mines Weapons Nuclear Curse Nuclear Weapons Disarmament Scourge Human Family Nuclear Disarmament

Author:Philip Berrigan

“Herein lies a riddle: How can a people so gifted by God become so seduced by naked power, so greedy for money, so addicted to violence, so slavish before mediocre and treacherous leadership, so paranoid, deluded, lunatic?”

People Lying Violence Tyranny Naked Tyrants Gifted Mediocre Greedy Lunatic Paranoid Riddle Treacherous Deluded

Author:Philip Berrigan

About the Author

Born: October 5, 1923
Died: December 6, 2002
Known for: Peace activist
Quotes: 14

Books & Sources

Fighting the lamb's war: skirmishes with the American Empire : the autobiography of Philip BerriganRelated source material

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