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Quote by Bernard of Clairvaux

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St. Bernard of Clairvaux: Seen Through His Selected Letters

St. Bernard of Clairvaux: Seen Through His Selected Letters is a compilation of letters that reveal the intellectual and spiritual depth of the medieval theologian and monk. The letters span various periods of his life, showcasing his insights on topics such as contemplation, prayer, and the nature of divine love. This volume provides a unique glimpse into the mind of one of the most influential figures in the history of Western Christianity. more

Author

Bernard of Clairvaux
Bernard of Clairvaux

Bernard of Clairvaux, born in 1090 and died on August 20, 1153, was an individual of an unknown profession/category. more

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“I call Christianity the one great curse, the one great intrinsic depravity, and the one great instinct of revenge, for which no means are venomous enough, or secret, subterranean and small enough - I call it the one immortal blemish on the human race.”

“Christianity persecuted, tortured, and burned. Like a hound it tracked the very scent of heresy. It kindled wars, and nursed furious hatreds and ambitions... Man, far from being freed from his natural passions, was plunged into artificial ones quite as violent and much more disappointing.”

“The careful student of history will discover that Christianity has been of very little value in advancing civilization, but has done a great deal toward retarding it.”

“There was a time when I believed in the story and the scheme of salvation, so far as I could understand it, just as I believed there was a Devil... Suddenly the light broke through to me and I knew this God was a lie... For indeed it is a silly story, and each generation nowadays swallows it with greater difficulty... Why do people go on pretending about this Christianity?”

“I can truly say, after an experience of seventy years, that all the cares and anxieties, the trials and disappointments of my whole life, are light, when balanced with my sufferings in childhood and youth from the theological dogmas which I sincerely believed. . . . The memory of my own suffering has prevented me from ever shadowing one young soul with the superstitions of the Christian religion.”