“There can be, therefore, no true education without moral culture, and no true moral culture without Christianity. The very power of the teacher in the school-room is either moral or it is a degrading force. But he can show the child no other moral basis for it than the Bible. Hence my argument is as perfect as clear. The teacher must be Christian. But the American Commonwealth has promised to have no religious character. Then it cannot be teacher.” ChildrenCharacterShowsSchoolChristianCultureForceReligiousPerfectRoomsEducationMoralChristianityClearTeacherArgumentBasesCommonwealthDegradingTrue Education Author:Robert Dabney
“Sam Harris fearlessly describes a moral and intellectual emergency precipitated by religious fantasies--misguided beliefs that create suffering, that rationalize violence, that have endangered our nation and our future. His argument for the morality, the honesty, and the humility of atheism is galvanizing. It is a relief that someone has spoken so frankly, with such passion yet such rationality. Now when the subject arises, as it inevitably does, I can simply say: Read Sam Harris’ Letter to a Christian Nation.” DoeI CanChristianSufferingPassionBeliefNationsReligiousMoralFantasyViolenceAtheismSubjectsHonestyHumilityMoralityIntellectualArgumentLettersAriseReliefOur FutureRationalityEmergenciesMisguidedRationalizeChristian Nation Author:Janna Levin
“Any person of any philosophic persuasion who sits on a hot stove will verify without any intellectual argument whatsoever that he is in an undeniably low-quality situation: that the value of his predicament is negative. This low quality is not just a vague, woolly-headed, crypto-religious, metaphysical abstraction. It is an experience. It is not a judgment about an experience. It is not a description of experience. The value itself is an experience. As such it is completely predictable. It is verifiable by anyone who cares to do so.” PersonsCareValuesReligiousQualitySituationJudgmentIntellectualLowsNegativeArgumentHotDescriptionVaguePersuasionMetaphysicalWho CaresAbstractionPredictablePredicamentsPhilosophicStovesVerify Author:Robert M. Pirsig
“In science , all conclusions are provisional, subject to new evidence and better arguments, the very antithesis of religious faith.” FaithReligiousSubjectsEvidenceArgumentConclusionReligious FaithAntithesis Book:Science Friction: Where the Known Meets the Unknown Source: Science Friction: Where the Known Meets the Unknown
“Any comprehensive doctrine, religious or secular, can be introduced into any political argument at any time, but I argue that people who do this should also present what they believe are public reasons for their argument. So their opinion is no longer just that of one particular party, but an opinion that all members of a society might reasonably agree to, not necessarily that they would agree to. What's important is that people give the kinds of reasons that can be understood and appraised apart from their particular comprehensive doctrines.” PeopleGivingShouldBelieveKindImportantReasonMightPoliticalReligiousPartyOpinionParticularMembersUnderstoodArgumentAgreeArguingDoctrineSecularComprehensiveWhat's ImportantPolitical Arguments Author:John Rawls
“There are two kinds of comprehensive doctrines, religious and secular. Those of religious faith will say I give a veiled argument for secularism, and the latter will say I give a veiled argument for religion. I deny both. Each side presumes the basic ideas of constitutional democracy, so my suggestion is that we can make our political arguments in terms of public reason. Then we stand on common ground. That's how we can understand each other and cooperate.” GivingKindTwoIdeasReasonPoliticalSidesTermReligiousCommonDemocracyArgumentDenyDoctrineLatterSecularSuggestionsReligious FaithSecularismComprehensiveCommon GroundPolitical Arguments Author:John Rawls
“Even though their arguments did not invoke religion, I think we all know what's behind these arguments. They're trying to protect religious beliefs from contradiction by science. They used to do it by prohibiting teachers from teaching evolution at all; then they wanted to teach intelligent design as an alternative theory; now they want the supposed "weaknesses" in evolution pointed out. But it's all the same program - it's all an attempt to let religious ideas determine what is taught in science courses.” ThinkingKnowsWantTryingIdeasWantedUsedCoursesBeliefReligiousBehindsTeachTeacherAtheismTeachingDesignTaughtTheoryEvolutionProtectWeaknessProgramArgumentIntelligentDeterminePositive AtheismAlternativesContradictionReligious BeliefInvokeIntelligent Design Author:Steven Weinberg
“The modern concept of separation is an argument for a total separation of religion from the state. The consequence of the acceptance of the doctrine leads to the removal of religion as an influence in civil government.” StatesGovernmentChristianReligiousInfluenceModernAcceptanceConceptsConsequenceArgumentSeparationDoctrineRemoval Author:Francis Schaeffer
“A lot of arguments happen among religious and non religious people about the question of who's going to hell and who's going to heaven and uh, a lot of times Christians get into this argument by saying 'we have the only way to heaven.' And uh, people often ask me what do I think is the way to heaven. I have a problem when they ask me this question because it assumes that the primary purpose of Jesus' coming and the primary message of Jesus was a message about how to get to heaven.” PeopleThinkingWayProblemHappensChristianPurposeAsksJesusHeavenReligiousHellMessagesArgumentAssumingPrimariesAsk MeGoing To HeavenNon Religious Author:Brian D. McLaren
“Old texts, myths, and religions have always fascinated me, though I prefer learning about them to writing papers and trying to make thoughts and arguments regarding their effect or meaning - this being the essence of my time in religious studies.” WritingTryingReligiousStudyEffectsPaperArgumentEssenceMythMy TimeFascinatedPapersReligious Studies Author:Tom Shields
“Well, it has done terrifying things. Religious ideas are inflammatory in a way that I find difficult to understand. There are very few wars over the theory of relativity. Very few heated arguments, for that matter. Whereas, in Northern Ireland, they are killing one another over religion.” WayWellsIdeasWarMatterDoneEvilDifficultReligiousTheoryArgumentKillingIrelandRelativityNorthern IrelandTheories Of Relativity Author:Quentin Crisp
“The difficulty with pragmatic arguments for a religion is that truths do not always "work", and beliefs that "work" are by no means always true.” MeanBeliefReligiousArgumentDifficultyPragmatic Author:John Warwick Montgomery