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Church Quotes

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Church Quotes

“The barbarians, who possessed no books, no secular knowledge, no education, except in the schools of the clergy, and who had scarcely acquired the rudiments of religious instruction, turned with childlike attachment to men whose minds were stored with the knowledge of Scripture, of Cicero, of St. Augustine; and in the scanty world of their ideas, the Church was felt to be something infinitely vaster, stronger, holier than their newly founded States.”

Men World Mind Book Ideas States School Felt Church Religious Stronger Scripture Attachment Instruction Possessed Secular Barbarians Childlike Clergy Augustine

Book:The History of Freedom: Great Event

Source: The History of Freedom: Great Event

“The clergy profession is fundamentally self-defeating. Its stated purpose is to nurture spiritual maturity in the church - a valuable goal. In actuality, however; it accomplishes the opposite by nurturing a permanent dependence of the laity on the clergy. Clergy become to their congregations like parents whose children never grow up, like therapists whose clients never become healed, like teachers whose students never graduate.”

“It was in this year, 1828, that the standard of "the Christian Party in Politics" was openly unfurled... This was an evident attempt, through the influence of the clergy over the female mind - until this hour lamentably neglected in the United States - to effect a union of Church and State.”

“the Press has no band of critics who go the round of the churches and chapels, and are on the watch for a slip or defect in the preacher, to make a 'feature' in their article: the clergy are, practically, the most irresponsible of all talkers.”

Church Watches Band Presses Critics Rounds Features Articles Slips Preacher Defects Irresponsible Clergy Talkers Chapel

Book:The Essays of George Eliot: Top Novelist Focus

Source: The Essays of George Eliot: Top Novelist Focus

“It has not been without bitter resistance by the clergy that woman's property and educational rights have advanced. Woman's anti-slavery work, her temperance work, her demand for personal rights, for political equality, for religious freedom and every step of kindred character has met with opposition from the church as a body and from the clergy as exponents of its views.”

“It is a very rare church indeed that encourages its members to think for themselves in religious matters, or even tolerates this, and in most of them the clergy are quite ready to lay down the law in other fields too.”

Thinking Matter Law Church Religious Fields Ready Members Lays Tolerate Clergy

Author:Anne Roe

“[On women as priests:] It has always seemed very odd to me that this particular sphere of activity should remain a male closed shop, seeing that, to judge from church attendance, women are the more religious sex - while our criminal statistics make quite clear that they are the least wicked.”

Should Sex Church Religious Clear Seeing Particular Judging Activity Males Criminals Odd Wicked Shops Priests Statistics Spheres Clergy Attendance Church Attendance

Author:Mary Stocks, Baroness Stocks

“A just government has no need for the clergy or the church.”

Needs Government Church Clergy

Author:James Madison

“Erecting the 'wall of separation between church and state'... is absolutely essential in a free society.”

“The great object was to get rid of Christianity, and to convert our churches into halls of science. The plan was not to make open attacks on religion, although we might the clergy and bring them into contempt where we could: but to establish a system of state - we said national - schools, from which all religion was to be excluded.”

Said States Might School Christian Church Religious Christianity Plans Objects Halls Contempt Excluded Clergy

Book:An Address on Intemperance: Delivered in Walpole, N.H. February 26, 1833

Source: An Address on Intemperance: Delivered in Walpole, N.H. February 26, 1833

“The first reform must be the attitude. The ministers of the Gospel must be people who can warm the hearts of the people, who walk through the dark night with them, who know how to dialogue and to descend themselves into their people's night, into the darkness, but without getting lost. The people of God want pastors, not clergy acting like bureaucrats or government officials.”

“All live by seeming. The beggar begs with it, and the gay courtier Gains land and title, rank and rule, by seeming; The clergy scorn it not, and the bold soldier Will eke with it his service.--All admit it, All practise it; and he who is content With showing what he is, shall have small credit In church, or camp, or state.--So wags the world.”

World States Church Land Gay Gains Soldier Credit Titles Hypocrisy Live By Camps Scorn Beggar Seeming Clergy Practise Wags Courtiers

Book:The Waverley novels. 25 vols.

Source: The Waverley novels. 25 vols.

“It will, I believe, be everywhere found, that as the clergy are, or are not what they ought to be, so are the rest of the nation.”

Believe Found Literature Belief I Believe Nations Church Inspiring Ought Jane Clergy Mansfield Park

Book:The Complete Novels of Jane Austen

Source: The Complete Novels of Jane Austen