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Belief Quotes

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Belief Quotes

“No matter what god or doctrine you believe in, if you become attached to it, your belief will be based more or less on a self-centered idea.”

Ifs Believe Ideas Self Matter God Belief No Matter What Doctrine Believe In God Self Centered

Book:Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind

Source: Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind

“If we repeatedly read the Bible without the help of the Holy Spirit, it tends to reinforce our own prejudices and rock-hard doctrinal positions. We end up merely finding ammunition for what we already believe. We become so spiritually proud, so convinced of our own positions, that the Spirit is hindered in helping us to grow in the things of God.”

“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

“You will seek for God in vain till you understand that God can't be seen as a "thing"; he needs a special way of looking - similar to that of little children whose sight is undistorted by prefabricated doctrines and beliefs.”

Way Needs Children Littles Belief Special Sight Doctrine Vain

Author:Anthony de Mello

“In the face of the idea that truth might afford the opposite of satisfaction and turn out to be completely shocking to humanity at any given historical moment, ... the fathers of pragmatism made the satisfaction of the subject the criterion of truth. For such a doctrine there is no possibility of rejecting or even criticizing any species of belief that is enjoyed by its adherents.”

Source: Eclipse of Reason

“One of the main causes of trouble in the world is dogmatic and fanatical belief in some doctrine for which there is no adequate evidence”

World Belief Causes Trouble Evidence Doctrine Adequate Dogmatic

Book:Man's Peril, 1954-55

Source: Man's Peril, 1954-55

“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.”

“The grand reason of the burst of public sentiment in anathemas upon Christ and his disciples, causing his crucifixion, was evidently based upon polygamy, according to the testimony of the philosophers who rose in that age. A belief in the doctrine of a plurality of wives caused the persecution of Jesus and his followers. We might almost think they were 'Mormons.'”

Thinking Reason Might Age Jesus Belief Christ Wife Rose Philosopher Doctrine Sentiments Followers Disciple Persecution Testimony Crucifixion Polygamy Anathema

Author:Jedediah M. Grant

“The man who goes through life with an uncertain doctrine not knowing what he believes, what a poor, powerless creature he is! He goes around through the world as a man goes down through the street with a poor, wounded arm, forever dodging people be meets on the street for fear they may touch him.”

People Men World Believe May Belief Poor Forever Knowing Streets He Man Arms Creatures Doctrine Not Knowing Uncertain Wounded Powerless

Author:Phillips Brooks

“In your intercourse with sects, the sublime and abstruse doctrines of Christian belief belong to the Church; but the faith of the individual, centred in his heart, is, or may be, collateral to them. Faith is subjective.”

Heart May Christian Faith Individual Belief Church Doctrine Sublime Subjective Intercourse Sects Collateral

Author:Samuel Taylor Coleridge

“New doctrines ever displease the old. They like to fancy that the world has been losing wisdom, instead of gaining it, since they were young.”

World Has Beens Young Belief Losing Doctrine Fancy Newness

Author:Madame de Stael

“Habits of thought persist through the centuries; and while a healthy brain may reject the doctrine it no longer believes, it will continue to feel the same sentiments formerly associated with that doctrine.”

Feels Believe May Belief Brain Century Habit Healthy Doctrine Rejects Sentiments Persist

Book:The Humanness of Women: Theory and Practice of Feminism (Essays and Sketches): Studies and thoughts by the famous American writer, feminist, social reformer and deeply respected sociologist who holds an important place in feminist fiction, known for The Yellow Wallpaper story

Source: The Humanness of Women: Theory and Practice of Feminism (Essays and Sketches): Studies and thoughts by the famous American writer, feminist, social reformer and deeply respected sociologist who holds an important place in feminist fiction, known for The Yellow Wallpaper story

“The recurring theme of all religions is a sympathy, empathy, connection, capacity between the human and the divine - that we were made for union with one another. They might express this through different rituals, doctrines, dogmas, or beliefs, but at the higher levels they're talking about the same goal. And the goal is always union with the divine.”

Humans Made Different Might Belief Goal Levels Talking Divine Higher Empathy Capacity Connections Unions Doctrine Theme Ritual Dogma Higher Level Recurring Recurring Themes

Author:Richard Rohr

“Although the sovereignty of God is universal and absolute, it is not the sovereignty of blind power. It is coupled with infinite wisdom, holiness and love. And this doctrine, when properly understood, is a most comforting and reassuring one. Who would not prefer to have his affairs in the hands of a God of infinite power, wisdom, holiness and love, rather than to have them left to fate, or chance, or irrevocable natural law, or to short-sighted and perverted self? Those who reject God's sovereignty should consider what alternatives they have left.”

Source: The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination [Fifth Edition]

“Regardless of nationality, all men are brothers. God is "our Father who art in heaven." The commandment "Thou shalt not kill" is unconditional and inexorable. ... The lowly Nazarene taught us the doctrine of non-resistance, and so convinced was he of the soundness of that doctrine that he sealed his belief with death on the cross. ... When human law conflicts with Divine law, my duty is clear. Conscience, my infallible guide, impels me to tell you that prison, death, or both, are infinitely preferable to joining any branch of the Army.”

“The best doctrine may become the worst, if imperfectly understood, erroneously interpreted, or superstitiously followed.”

Ifs May Belief Worst Understood Doctrine

Book:The English Governess at the Siamese Court: Being Recollections of Six Years in the Royal Palace at Bangkok

Source: The English Governess at the Siamese Court: Being Recollections of Six Years in the Royal Palace at Bangkok

“What is important is not the right doctrine but the attainment of the true experience. It is giving up believing in belief.”

Giving Believe Important Belief Giving Up Doctrine Attainment

Author:Alan Keightley

“I often think the doctrine of fasting in Lent and having meatless days as old-fashioned...it might be better to give up television.”

Thinking Giving Might Belief Television Giving Up Doctrine Superstitions Old Fashioned Fasting

Author:Michael Ramsey

“Unlike Descartes, we own and use our beliefs of the moment, even in the midst of philosophizing, until by what is vaguely called scientific method we change them here and there for the better. Within our own total evolving doctrine, we can judge truth as earnestly and absolutely as can be, subject to correction, but that goes without saying.”

Moments Use Truth Science Belief Subjects Judging Method Doctrine Evolve Midst Here And There Corrections Scientific Method

Book:Word and Object

Source: Word and Object

“Christianity is not a set of beliefs or doctrines one believes in order to be a Christian, but rather Christianity is to have one's body shaped, one's habits determined, in such a way that the worship of God is unavoidable.”

Way Believe Body Christian Order Belief Christianity Habit Worship Determined Doctrine

Author:Stanley Hauerwas

“You can describe Christianity and you can also describe liberalism. Christianity has certain beliefs, tenets, doctrines. Not all Christians are always living up to them. Similarly, not all liberals are living up to the tenets of liberalism.”

Christian Certain Belief Christianity Doctrine Liberalism

Author:Ann Coulter

“I have never united myself to any church because I found difficulty in giving my assent without mental reservation to the long, complicated statements of Christian doctrine which characterize the articles of belief and the usual confession of faith.”

Giving Long Christian Found Belief Church United Difficulty Complicated Statements Doctrine Articles Usual Confession Reservations Christian Doctrine

Author:Abraham Lincoln

“I believe certain doctrines because God says they are true; and the only authority I have for their truth is the Word of God. I receive such and such doctrines, not because I can prove them to be compatible with reason, not because my judgment accepts them, but because God says they are true. Now this is one of the best services we can render to God,-to submit ourselves to him in our belief of what he has revealed, and ask him to fix his truths in our hearts, and make us obey them.”

Believe Heart I Can Reason Certain Asks Belief I Believe Accepting Truth Is Prove Authority Judgment Doctrine Word Of God Submit Because I Can Compatible Best Service

Author:Charles Spurgeon