“Monotheism at Sinai, primitive Christianity, messianic socialism: these are the three supreme moments in which Western culture is presented with what Ibsen termed "the claims of the ideal." These are the three stages, profoundly interrelated, through which Western consciousness is forced to experience the blackmail of transcendence.” MomentsCultureThreeConsciousnessChristianityStageIdealsClaimsWesternSupremeSocialismPrimitiveTranscendenceWestern CultureBlackmailMonotheismSinaiIbsen Author:George Steiner
“Monotheism is the primitive religion which centers human consciousness on Hive Authority. There is One God and His Name is _______ (substitute Hive-Label). If there is only One God then there is no choice, no option, no selection of reality. There is only Submission or Heresy. The word Islam means "submission". The basic posture of Christianity is kneeling. Thy will be done.” IfsHumansMeanDoneRealityChoicesNamesConsciousnessChristianityAuthorityIslamLabelsSubstitutesPrimitiveSelectionSubmissionHeresyPostureHuman ConsciousnessHivesMonotheismKneelingThy Will Be Done Author:Timothy Leary
“Christianity has held back any further advances in human consciousness for the past thousand years. And for the past century it's been in direct conflict with its illegitimate offspring, Communism (again with a capital C). Both ask the individual to sacrifice his self-interest to the higher goals of the organization. (Which is okay by me as long as it's voluntary; but as soon as either becomes too big - and takes on that damned capital C - they stop asking for cooperation and start demanding it.) Any higher states of human enlightenment have been sacrificed between these two monoliths.” YearsHumansLongHas BeensTwoSelfStatesBigsPastAsksIndividualGoalInterestConsciousnessChristianitySacrificeCenturyHigherThousandConflictEnlightenmentDirectOkayOrganizationAskingCommunismCooperationThousand YearsSelf InterestOffspringHuman ConsciousnessHigher Goals Author:David Gerrold
“Christianity is, I believe, about expanded life, heightened consciousness and achieving a new humanity. It is not about closed minds, supernatural interventions, a fallen creation, guilt, original sin or divine rescue.” MindBelieveHumanityI BelieveSinConsciousnessChristianityAchieveCreationDivineOriginalsGuiltFallenRescueInterventionOriginal SinClosed Mind Author:John Shelby Spong
“Judaism, Christianity, Islam, all of these are branches, the root is love and that's where I went. I went straight to the root, I forgot the branches and I went straight to the root so that is how I see it, that is after I said of research and study and going through different phases of mental evolution, mental and consciousness evolution, not just believing in a book, believing in a certain idea, being willing to think for yourself and formulate your own ideas.” ThinkingBelieveSaidBookIdeasDifferentCertainConsciousnessChristianityStudyWillingEvolutionResearchRootsIslamBranchesPhasesJudaismThink For Yourself Author:Ziggy Marley
“Once again, we are reminded that awakening, or enlightenment is not the property of Buddhism, any more than Truth is the property of Christianity. Neither the Buddha nor the Christ belongs exclusively to the communities that were founded in their names. They belong to all people of goodwill, all who are attentive to the secret which lives in the depths of their breath and their consciousness.” PeopleNamesChristCommunitySecretConsciousnessChristianityBuddhismTruth IsEnlightenmentBreathsPropertyDepthAwakeningGoodwill Author:Jean Leloup
“Religion, if it is genuine, is so profoundly interwoven with individual thought and experience that it is no more exhaustible than consciousness itself. And fiction whose purpose is didactic is bad no matter whether the matter to be "taught" is Christianity or the world view of Ayn Rand. It seems often to be assumed by writers that religion is a pose, meant to deceive oneself or others, or that it is a bad patch on doubt or complexity. This is only convention, however. The writers I know have a much deeper engagement with the real issues of religion.” WorldRealPurposeIndividualConsciousnessChristianityDoubtOneselfComplexityDeceivingWorld View Author:Marilynne Robinson