It is the test of a good religion whether you can joke about it.

It is the test of a good religion whether you can joke about it.

The savior who wants to turn men into angels is as much a hater of human nature as the totalitarian read more

The savior who wants to turn men into angels is as much a hater of human nature as the totalitarian despot who wants to turn them into puppets.

As a first approximation, I define "belief" not as the object of believing (a dogma, a program, etc.) but as read more

As a first approximation, I define "belief" not as the object of believing (a dogma, a program, etc.) but as the subject's investment in a proposition, the act of saying it and considering it as true.

Faith is not contrary to reason….

Faith is not contrary to reason….

Even a band of angels can turn ugly and start looting if enough angels are unemployed and hanging around the read more

Even a band of angels can turn ugly and start looting if enough angels are unemployed and hanging around the Pearly Gates convinced that all the succubi own all the liquor stores in Heaven.

A civilization is destroyed only when its gods are destroyed.

A civilization is destroyed only when its gods are destroyed.

When we debunk a fanatical faith or prejudice, we do not strike at the root of fanaticism. We merely prevent read more

When we debunk a fanatical faith or prejudice, we do not strike at the root of fanaticism. We merely prevent its leaking out at a certain point, with the likely result that it will leak out at some other point. Thus by denigrating prevailing beliefs and loyalties, the militant man of words unwittingly creates in the disillusioned masses a hunger for faith. For the majority of people cannot endure the barrenness and futility of their lives unless they have some ardent dedication, or some passionate pursuit in which they can lose themselves. Thus, in spite of himself, the scoffing man of words becomes the precursor of a new faith.

Faith in a holy cause is to a considerable extent a substitute for the lost faith in ourselves.

Faith in a holy cause is to a considerable extent a substitute for the lost faith in ourselves.

I feel no need for any other faith than my faith in the kindness of human beings. I am so read more

I feel no need for any other faith than my faith in the kindness of human beings. I am so absorbed in the wonder of earth and the life upon it that I cannot think of heaven and angels.