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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

“Rationality belongs to the cool observer, but because of the stupidity of the average man, he follows not reason, but faith, and the naive faith requires necessary illusion and emotionally potent oversimplifications which are provided by the myth-maker to keep ordinary person on course.”

People Reason Faith Politics Democracy Society Ignorance Morality Illusion Ethics

Book:Moral Man and Immoral Society: Study in Ethics and Politics

Source: Moral Man and Immoral Society: Study in Ethics and Politics

“Man is always worse than most people suspect, but also generally better than most people dream.”

People Men Dream Suspects

Author:Reinhold Niebuhr

“Freedom is necessary for two reasons. It's necessary for the individual, because the individual, no matter how good the society is, every individual has hopes, fears, ambitions, creative urges, that transcend the purposes of his society. Therefore we have a long history of freedom, where people try to extricate themselves from tyranny for the sake of art, for the sake of science, for the sake of religion, for the sake of the conscience of the individual - this freedom is necessary for the individual.”

People Trying Long Art Two Matter Reason Purpose Individual Creative Ambition Conscience Sake Tyranny Urges Having Hope

Author:Reinhold Niebuhr

“We don't properly discriminate. We never discriminate properly when we're dealing with another group and one of the big problems about religion is that religious people don't know that they are probably as flagrant in these misjudgments as irreligious people.”

People Knows Problem Bigs Religious Groups Big Problems

Author:Reinhold Niebuhr

“I've long ago felt, I have many Jewish friends and I very I think creative Jewish friends, and I've long felt that the average Christian didn't realize the tremendous capacity for civic righteousness among our Jewish people.”

People Thinking Long Christian Felt Realizing Creative Capacity Average Righteousness Long Ago Civics Jewish Friends

Author:Reinhold Niebuhr

“There has been a religious revival because - let me put it like this, the people that weren't traditionally religious, conventionally religious, had a religion of their own in my youth. These were liberals who believed in the idea of progress or they were Marxists. Both of these secular religions have broken down.”

People Has Beens Ideas Religious Progress Youth Broken Let Me Secular Revival Marxist Broken Down

Author:Reinhold Niebuhr

“The nuclear age has refuted the idea of progress and Marxism has been refuted by Stalinism. Therefore people have returned to the historic religion.”

People Has Beens Ideas Age Progress Nuclear Historic Marxism Stalinism

Author:Reinhold Niebuhr

“I know that the Communists are atheistic and godless, but I don't think that that's what's primarily the matter with them. What's primarily the matter with them is that they worship a false god. That's much more dangerous than when people don't believe anything; they may be confused, they may not have a sense of the meaning of life, but they're not dangerous.”

People Thinking Knows Believe May Matter Dangerous Worship Don't Believe Confused Meaning Of Life Communist Atheistic False Gods

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.”

“Ultimately evil is done not so much by evil people, but by good people who do not know themselves and who do not probe deeply.”

People Knows Done Evil Good People Evil People

Author:Reinhold Niebuhr

“Civilization depends upon the vigorous pursuit of the highest values by people who are intelligent enough to know that their values are qualified by their interests and corrupted by their prejudices.”

People Knows Enough Values Interest Depends Civilization Highest Prejudice Intelligent Pursuit Qualified Vigorous

Book:Reinhold Niebuhr: Major Works on Religion and Politics: (Library of America #263)

Source: Reinhold Niebuhr: Major Works on Religion and Politics: (Library of America #263)

“Toleration of people who differ in convictions and habits requires a residual awareness of the complexity of truth and the possibility of opposing view having some light on one or the other facet of a many-sided truth.”

People Light Views Awareness Possibility Habit Conviction Equality Complexity Opposing Facets Toleration Residual Opposing Views

Author:Reinhold Niebuhr