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Reinhold Niebuhr

Reinhold Niebuhr Quotes

Theologian

Reinhold Niebuhr was a prominent American theologian whose work on Christian ethics and social ethics had a profound impact on the 20th century. He was a key figure in theological discourse, particularly for his exploration of the nature of sin and the church's role in society. Niebuhr's theological thought has influenced various Christian denominations and has had a lasting effect on political and social thought.

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Famous Reinhold Niebuhr Quotes

“I thank heaven I have often had it in my power to give help and relief, and this is still my greatest pleasure. If I could choose my sphere of action now, it would be that of the most simple and direct efforts of this kind.”

Ifs Giving Kind Stills Helping Would Be Action Heaven Simple Pleasure Effort Direct Charity If I Could Relief Spheres Greatest Pleasures

Author:Reinhold Niebuhr

“The old prose writers wrote as if they were speaking to an audience; while, among us, prose is invariably written for the eye alone.”

Ifs Eye Audience Written Style Prose

Author:Reinhold Niebuhr

“One of the fundamental points about religious humility is you say you don't know about the ultimate judgment. It's beyond your judgment. And if you equate God's judgment with your judgment, you have a wrong religion.”

Ifs Knows Religious Humility Judgment Ultimate Fundamentals

Author:Reinhold Niebuhr

“The separation of church and state is necessary partly because if religion is good then the state shouldn't interfere with the religious vision or with the religious prophet. There must be a realm of truth beyond political competence, that's why there must be a separation of churches, but if religion is bad and a bad religion is one that gives an ultimate sanctity to some particular cause. Then religion mustn't interfere with the state - so one of the basic Democratic principles as we know it in America is the separation of church and state.”

“The prophet himself stands under the judgment which he preaches. If he does not know that, he is a false prophet.”

Ifs Knows Doe Judgment Prophet False Prophets

Author:Reinhold Niebuhr

“The separation of church and state is necessary partly because if religion is good then the state shouldn't interfere with the religious vision or with the religious prophet.”

Ifs States Church Religious Vision Separation Prophet Interfere Church And State Separation Of Church And State

Author:Reinhold Niebuhr

“There must be a realm of truth beyond political competence, that's why there must be a separation of churches, but if religion is bad and a bad religion is one that gives an ultimate sanctity to some particular cause.”

Ifs Giving Political Causes Church Particular Truth Is Ultimate Separation Realms Competence Sanctity

Author:Reinhold Niebuhr

“That is one of the flagrant misconceptions about Catholicism in America that if a man is a Catholic he owes allegiance to what they say a foreign sovereign, or something like that.”

Ifs Men America Catholic Catholicism Sovereign Allegiance Misconception

Author:Reinhold Niebuhr

“In the 17th and 18th centuries there was a kind of Protestantism that said, "If you could only get rid of the Bishop, then you'd be a true Christian".”

Ifs Kind Said Christian Century Bishops 18th Century Protestantism

Author:Reinhold Niebuhr

“Now when the historic religions give trivial answers to these very tragic questions of our day, when an evangelist says, for instance, we mustn't hope for a summit meeting, we must hope in Christ without spelling out what this could mean in our particular nuclear age. This is the irrelevant answer, when another Evangelist says if America doesn't stop being selfish, it will be doomed. This is also a childish answer because nations are selfish and the question about America isn't whether we will be selfish or unselfish, but will we be sufficiently imaginative to pass the Reciprocal Trade Acts.”

“I don't know whether any religious leader would say that we must ultimately win, because we're on God's side. If they do say that, it's bad religion.”

Ifs Knows Winning Sides Religious Leader Religious Leaders

Author:Reinhold Niebuhr

“Now we're living in a nuclear age, and the science that was supposed to be automatically for human welfare has become a nuclear - a science that gives us nuclear weapons. This is the ironic character of human history, and of human existence, which I can only explain, if I say so, in Biblical terms. Now I don't mean by this reason that I will accept every interpretation of Christianity that's derived from the Bible as many people wouldn't accept my interpretation. But that's what it means for me.”

“I might say that the debate between atheists and Christians is rather stale to me, because the Christians say, "You must be a Christian, or you must be a religious man, in order to be good," and the atheists will say, "It's beneath the dignity of a free man to bow his knee to a god, as if he were a sinner," or something like that.”

Ifs Men Might Christian Order Religious Dignity Atheist Be Good Debate Knees Sinner Bows Free Man Stale

Author:Reinhold Niebuhr

“If you equate God's judgment with your judgment, you have a wrong religion.”

Author:Reinhold Niebuhr

“If we survive danger it steels our courage more than anything else.”

Ifs Courage Danger Survival Steel

Author:Reinhold Niebuhr

“If we can find God only as he is revealed in nature we have no moral God.”

Author:Reinhold Niebuhr

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever in the next. Amen.”