Sunday, August 12, 2007

Quotes of the minute

"The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one." - George Bernard Shaw

Imagine a world without religion; that is, imagine a world in which the Twin Towers were still standing, where the "troubles" of Northern Ireland would have to confront their true roots, where the Inquisitors of Spain, the "missionaries" who "evangelized" the New World natives, and so many others besides, no longer had the putative authority of a deity behind which to hide while committing despicable deeds.

"Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful." - Seneca the Younger

"Pray: To ask that the laws of the universe be annulled in behalf of a single petitioner confessedly unworthy." - Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary

"Many people would sooner die than think; in fact, they do so." - Bertrand Russell

...yeah, I'm kind of on a roll today...

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