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Belief Quotes

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Belief Quotes

“To plead the organic causation of a religious state of mind, then, in refutation of its claim to possess superior spiritual value, is quite illogical and arbitrary, unless one have already worked out in advance some psycho-physical theory connecting spiritual values in general with determinate sorts of physiological change. Otherwise none of our thoughts and feelings, not even our scientific doctrines, not even our dis -beliefs, could retain any value as revelations of the truth, for every one of them without exception flows from the state of their possessor's body at the time.”

Source: The Varieties of Religious Experience

“I am not even an atheist so much as I am an antitheist; I not only maintain that all religions are versions of the same untruth, but I hold that the influence of churches, and the effect of religious belief is positively harmful. Reviewing the false claims of religion, I do not wish, as some sentimental materialists affect to wish, that they were true. I do not envy believers their faith. I am relieved to think that the whole story is a sinister fairy tale; life would be miserable if what the faithful affirmed was actually the case.”

Source: Letters to a Young Contrarian

“Unlike liberalism, with its fundamental belief in the long-range power of ideas, conservatism is bound by the stock of ideas inherited at a given time. And since it does not really believe in the power of argument, its last resort is generally a claim to superior wisdom, based on some self-arrogated superior quality.”

Believe Long Doe Ideas Self Lasts Belief Given Quality Authority Argument Claims Fundamentals Bounds Superiors Range Liberalism Resorts Conservatism Power Of Ideas

Author:Friedrich August von Hayek

“Way down deep the American people are afraid of an entangling relationship between formal religions - or whole bodies of religious belief - and government. Apart from constitutional law and religious doctrine, there is a sense that tells us it's wrong to presume to speak for God or to claim God's sanction of our particular legislation and his rejection of all other positions. Most of us are offended when we see religion being trivialized by its appearance in political throw-away pamphlets.”

“There is nothing I should care more to do, if it were possible, than to rouse the imagination of men and women to a vision of human claims in those races of their fellow-men who most differ from them in customs and beliefs.”

Ifs Men Should Humans Care Belief Imagination Race Vision Men And Women Claims Fellows Tolerance Customs Fellow Man

Book:Delphi Complete Works of George Eliot (Illustrated)

Source: Delphi Complete Works of George Eliot (Illustrated)

“We've formed many a theory and belief, but as we look about the human world, it is clear that nobody actually knows what's going on. Yet claims to Truth are being made at every hand, including the claim that there is no Truth.”

Knows World Humans Looks Made Hands Belief Clear Theory Claims Including

Book:Why the World Doesn't Seem to Make Sense: An Inquiry Into Science, Philosophy, and Perception

Source: Why the World Doesn't Seem to Make Sense: An Inquiry Into Science, Philosophy, and Perception

“Every concerned citizen and policy maker should read this book. The environmentalists will hate it. The world's destitute masses will love it. And everyone will be challenged by it to reexamine their beliefs and the environmental establishment's claims.”

World Should Book Hate Belief Policy Citizens Mass Concerned Claims Environmental Makers Establishment Environmentalist Destitute Policy Makers

Author:Niger Innis

“The claim of the Zen followers that they are transmitting the essence of Buddhism is based on their belief that Zen takes hold of the enlivening spirit of the Buddha, stripped of all its historical and doctrinal garments.”

Spirit Belief Buddhism Essence Claims Historical Followers Garments

Book:Essays in Zen Buddhism

Source: Essays in Zen Buddhism

“Harmonizing religion and science makes you seem like an open-minded and reasonable person, while asserting their incompatibility makes enemies and brands you as “militant.” The reason is clear: religion occupies a privileged place in our society. Attacking it is off-limits, although going after other supernatural or paranormal beliefs like ESP, homeopathy, or political worldviews is not. Accommodationism is not meant to defend science, which can stand on its own, but to show that in some way religion can still make credible claims about the world.”

“Atheism is the lack of belief in a god (or gods). It makes no claim. It merely rejects the claim that a god (or gods) exists. Nothing more.”

Belief Atheism Claims Rejects God Exists

Author:Ricky Gervais

“Contrary to popular belief, the Loch Ness Monster is not a dinosaur -- it's a huge mutant duck, a top researcher claims.... Most mainstream Nessie researchers consider Gluber's duck theory to be horse feathers and are trying to blast it out of the water.”

Trying Belief Water Theory Huge Claims Horse Contrary Monsters Ducks Mainstream Feathers Blast Dinosaurs Researchers Mutants Contrary To Popular Belief Loch Ness Monster

Author:Murphy J. Foster, Jr.

“It is a first class human tragedy that people of the earth who claim to believe in the message of Jesus, whom they describe as the Prince of Peace, show little of that belief in actual practice.”

People Firsts Believe Humans Littles Shows Earth Jesus Belief Christ Christianity Class Practice Messages Claims Tragedy First Class Prince Of Peace

Book:Gandhi on Nehru

Source: Gandhi on Nehru

“On religious issues there can be little or no compromise. There is no position on which people are so immovable as their religious beliefs. There is no more powerful ally one can claim in a debate than Jesus Christ, or God, or Allah, or whatever one calls this Supreme Being. But like any powerful weapon, the use of God's name on one's behalf should be used sparingly.”

“It is not realistic or hard-headed to solve problems and take action unguided by ultimate moral aims and values, although we all know some who claim that it is so. In my judgement, it is thoughtless folly. For it ignores the realities of human faith and of passion and of belief; forces ultimately more powerful than all the calculations of our economists or of our generals. Of course to adhere to standards, to idealism, to vision in the face of immediate dangers takes great courage and takes self-confidence. But we also know that only those who dare to fail greatly, can ever achieve greatly.”