“Original sin is that thing about man which makes him capable of conceiving of his own perfection and incapable of achieving it.”
Quote by Reinhold Niebuhr
Author
Reinhold Niebuhr
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. more
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Source: Love and Justice: Selections from the Shorter Writings of Reinhold Niebuhr
“Democracy is finding proximate solutions to insoluble problems.”
“Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in a lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope.”
Source: The Irony of American History
“Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore we are saved by love.”
Source: The Irony of American History
“The sad duty of politics is to establish justice in a sinful world.”
“Goodness, armed with power, is corrupted; and pure love without power is destroyed.”
“If we survive danger it steels our courage more than anything else.”
Source: Reinhold Niebuhr: Major Works on Religion and Politics: (Library of America #263)
“If we can find God only as he is revealed in nature we have no moral God.”
“The mastery of nature is vainly believed to be an adequate substitute for self mastery.”