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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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All Men Ifs Knows Justice Religious Humans People Thinking Church Democracy Form Social Accepting Christian Giving Groups Nations Political Problem Reason

Famous Reinhold Niebuhr Quotes

“Even as rigorous a determinist as Karl Marx, who at times described the social behaviour of the bourgeoisie in terms which suggested a problem in social physics, could subject it at other times to a withering scorn which only the presupposition of moral responsibility could justify.”

Problem Social Term Responsibility Moral Subjects Physics Justify Behaviour Scorn Bourgeoisie Moral Responsibility Withering

Book:An Interpretation of Christian Ethics

Source: An Interpretation of Christian Ethics

“For democracy is a method of finding proximate solutions for insoluble problems.”

Problem Democracy Findings Solutions Method

Book:The Irony of American History

Source: The Irony of American History

“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

“When a church reaches up beyond its group and tries to enforce its standards upon a society that doesn't accept these standards, and perhaps for good reason, perhaps for bad reason, but anyway this is the problem we face in pluralistic society, that not necessarily every standard that every church tries to enforce upon the society is from the society's standpoint a good standard.”

Trying Reason Problem Faces Church Accepting Groups Standards Standpoint

Author:Reinhold Niebuhr

“That's why history is not an answer to our problem, because history complicates, enlarges every problem of human existence. Now, the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries didn't believe this.”

Believe Humans Problem Answers Existence Century Human Existence Nineteenth Century

Author:Reinhold Niebuhr

“Democracy is finding proximate solutions to insoluble problems.”

Problem Democracy Findings Solutions

Author:Reinhold Niebuhr

“Nationalism: One of the effective ways in which the modern man escapes life's ethical problems.”

Men Way Problem Nations Modern Nationalism Ethical Modern Man

Author:Reinhold Niebuhr

“Man has always been his own most vexing problem.”

Author:Reinhold Niebuhr

“Every experience proves that the real problem of our existence lies in the fact that we ought to love one another, but do not.”

Real Facts Problem Lying Existence Ought Prove Brotherhood Real Problems Love One Another

Author:Reinhold Niebuhr