“The obscene and vulgar stories in the Bible are as repugnant to our ideas of the purity of a Divine Being, as the horrid cruelties and murders it ascribes to Him are repugnant to our ideas of His justice.” IdeasStoriesJusticeDivineBibleMurderCrueltyPurityVulgarObscene Book:The Theological Works of Thomas Paine: To which are Added the Profession of Faith of a Savoyard Vicar Source: The Theological Works of Thomas Paine: To which are Added the Profession of Faith of a Savoyard Vicar
“Something about the possession of a book - an object that can contain infinite fables, words of wisdom, chronicles of times gone by, humorous anecdotes and divine revelation - endows the reader with the power of creating a story, and the listener with a sense of being present at the moment of creation.” BookMomentsStoriesGoneCreationObjectsDivineReaderWords Of WisdomCreatingHumorousInfinitePossessionRevelationsListenersFablesAnecdotesChroniclesDivine RevelationTimes Gone By Author:Alberto Manguel
“The entire Bible, viewed as a "divine comedy," is contained within a U-shaped story of this sort, one in which man, as explained, loses the tree and water of life at the beginning of Genesis and gets them back at the end of Revelation.” MenEndsStoriesWaterLosesComedyTreeDivineRevelationsGenesisDivine ComedyWater Of Life Author:Northrop Frye
“I've always assumed that every time a child is born, the Divine reenters the world. Okay? That's the meaning of the Christmas story. And every time that child's purity is corrupted by society, that's the meaning of the Crucifixion story. Your man Jesus stands for that child, that pure spirit, and as its surrogate, he's being born and put to death again and again, over and over, every time we inhale and exhale, not just at the vernal equinox and on the twenty-fifth of December.” MenWorldChildrenStoriesSpiritReligionJesusBornDivineMoralityPureOkayPurityAgain And AgainDecemberCrucifixionInhaleSurrogatesEquinox Author:Tom Robbins
“There is an old, old story about a theologian who was asked to reconcile the Doctrine of Divine Mercy with the doctrine of infant damnation. 'The Almighty,' he explained, 'finds it necessary to do things in His official and public capacity which in His private and personal capacity He deplores.” StoriesReligionDivineCapacityMercyDoctrineOfficialsAlmightyTheologianInfantReconcileDamnationDivine Mercy Author:Robert A. Heinlein
“There are mythic patterns under all of our lives. Each one of us, often unbeknownst to ourselves, is engaged in a drama of soul that is not reserved only for gods, heroes, and saints. Story is one bridge between the human realm and the divine.” HumansSoulGodStoriesOur LivesDivineHeroDramaSaintPatternsFeministBridgesNovelistsRealmsEngagedReserved Author:Deena Metzger