Philosophy Of Religion Quotes

“All religions are based on obsolete terminology.”
― Vladimir Nabokov, Pale Fire

“BLACK AND WHITE


I was born into
A religion of Light,
But with so many other
Religions and
Philosophies,
How do I know which
ONE
Is right?

Is it not
My birthright
To seek out the light?
To find Truth
After surveying all the proof,
Am I supposed
To love
Or fight?
And why do all those who
Try to guide me,
Always start by dividing
And multiplying me –
From what they consider
Wrong or right?
I thought,
There were no walls
For whoever beams truth and light.
And how can one speak on Light's behalf,
lf all they do
Is act black,
But talk WHITE?”
― Suzy Kassem, Rise Up and Salute the Sun: The Writings of Suzy Kassem

“All creation necessarily ends in this: Creators, powerless, fleeing from the things they have wrought.”
― David M. Eagleman, Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives

“Being unable to cure death, wretchedness and ignorance, men have decided, in order to be happy, not to think about such things.”
― Blaise Pascal, Pensées

“Not bad, not bad at all," Diotallevi said. "To arrive at the truth through the painstaking reconstruction of a false text.”
― Umberto Eco, Foucault’s Pendulum

“…evils are not caused by God; rather, that they are a part of the nature of matter and of mankind; that the period of mortal life is the same from beginning to end, and that because things happen in cycles, what is happening now — evils that is — happened before and will happen again.”
― Celsus, On the True Doctrine: A Discourse Against the Christians

“There may be some truth (atheists) do not need to believe in a god to be good, but then if they do not believe in a god, who do they believe gives the Universal Law of following good and shunning evil? Obviously, mankind. But then that is a dangerous thing, for if a man does not believe in a god capable of giving perfect laws, he is in the position of declaring all laws come from man, and as man is imperfect, he can declare that as fallible men make imperfect laws, he can pick and choose what he wishes to follow, that which, in his own mind seems good. He does not believe in divine retribution, therefore he can also declare his own morality contrary to what the divine may decree simply because he believes there is no divine decree. He may follow his every whim and passion, declaring it to be good when it may be very evil, for he like all men is imperfect, so how can he tell what is verily good? The atheist is in danger of mistaking vice for good and consequently follow another slave master and tyrant, his own physical and mental weakness. Evil would be wittingly or unwittingly perpetrated, therefore, to recognise the existence of a perfect divine being that gives perfect Universal Laws is much better than not to believe in a god, for if there is a perfect god, they will not allow their laws to be broken with impunity as in the case with many corrupt judges on earth, but will punish accordingly in due time. Therefore, to be pious and reverent is the surest path to true freedom as a perfect god will give perfect laws to prevent all manner of slavery, tyranny and moral wantonness, even if we do not understand why they are good laws at times.”
― E.A. Bucchianeri, Brushstrokes of a Gadfly

“It is a bitter thought, how different a thing the Christianity of the world might have been, if the Christian faith had been adopted as the religion of the empire under the auspices of Marcus Aurelius instead of those of Constantine.”
― John Stuart Mill, On Liberty

“Morality is totally God’s standard, and his standards and conditions are revealed to us through his written word, the Scriptures (The Bible).”
― Reid A. Ashbaucher, Made in the Image of God: Understanding the Nature of God and Mankind in a Changing World

“فرغم الوعي، من جهة، بضرورة وجدوى ما قام به الخليفة الثالث "عثمان بن عفان" من تقنين المصحف، فإنه يبقى لزوم الإشارة إلى ما صاحب هذا العمل مما يُقال أنه الإنتقال من القرآن "الناطق" إلى القرآن "الصامت"، وبما ينطوى عليه هذا الإنتقال من إهدار ثرائه وحيويته. ومن جهة أخري، فإن ما قام به الأمويون، إبان صراعهم السياسى مع الإمام على بن أبى طالب، من رفع المصاحف على أسنّه الرماح والسيوف كان الواقعة الكاشفة عن إرادتهم فى تثبيت القرآن كسلطة حارسة لسلطانهم، وذلك بعد أن تبدى لهم جلياً أن فاعليته فى إنقاذ هذا السلطان تفوق فاعلية السيف بكثير. وغنيٌّ عن البيان أن هذا التمييز بين قرآن النبى الحى وبين القرآن المنحبس وراء التقييدات التى تفرضها السلطة، إنما يعكس ما يكاد يكون تقابلاً يعرفه دارسو الأديان على العموم بين "دين التقليد" الذى تحرسه مؤسسات السلطة لتسوس به الناس، وبين "الدين الحي" الذى يقصد إلى إذكاء الوعى وتحرير الإرادة. وإذ تحرس المؤسسة دين التقليد، لأنه يكون حارساً لها بدوره، فإن سعياً إلى تحرير الدين من سطوة التقليد، واستعادته فى انفتاحه وحيويته الأولي، سوف يعرى تلك المؤسسة مما تستر به عورتها. ومن هنا أن انتقام المؤسسة من هؤلاء الساعين إلى استعادة الدين الحى يكون قاسياً حقاً، لأن ذلك يكون بمثابة تعرية لها من غطائها الإيديولوجي”
― علي مبروك

“Question every damn ism, including atheism and god-ism.”
― Fakeer Ishavardas

“فقد أدرك الرجل (يقصد نصر حامد أبو زيد رحمة الله عليه) أن القرآن قد حُوصر بشبكة من المفاهيم والتصورات التى وجَّهت عمليات فهمه وقولبتها، ووضعت لها حدوداً وآفاقاً لا تخرج عنها، واكتسبت على مدى القرون - ورغم مصدرها البشري - قداسة توازى تلك التى للقرآن ذى المصدر الإلهي. ولسوء الحظ، فإن هذا الحصار قد أضرَّ بالقرآن وبالمسلمين فى آنٍ معاً. فقد أعجز القرآن عن أن يكون مصدراً للإلهام فى عالم متغير، وأجبر المسلمين، إبتداءً من اضطرارهم للانحباس ضمن تحديدات هذه المفاهيم الراسخة، على التعيُّش عالة على غيرهم من صُنَّاع العصر والفاعلين فيه. ومن هنا ما بدا من ضرورة الانعتاق من أسر تلك التحديدات، واستعادة القرآن الحى السابق عليها، والذى كان - وللمفارقة - قرآن النبى وصحابته الأكرمين.”
― علي مبروك

“وبالطبع فإنه يبقى وجوب الانتباه إلى ما يؤشر عليه هذا المسعى الانعتاقى من التمييز بين "القرآن" الذى صار موضوعاً لتقليدٍ جامد تقوم عليه مؤسسة حارسة ترعاه وتحفظه، وبين القرآن المنفتح الحى السابق على رسوخ هذا التقليد، والذى تزخر المصادر القديمة بما يرسم صورة متكاملة له مما يتواتر منسوباً إلى النبى الكريم والجيل الأول من الذين تلقَّوا وحيه الخاتم. وهنا يلزم التأكيد على أن الأمر لايتعلق بأى تحول ٍ فى طبيعة القرآن ذاته، بقدر ما يتعلق بتحولٍ فى نوع العلاقة معه، وأعنى من علاقة مع القرآن كان فيها ساحة يتواصل فوقها الناس بما تسمح به مقتضيات الواقع والأفهام، إلى علاقة بات يجرى معها فرضه كسلطةً إخضاع بالأساس.”
― علي مبروك

“The problem is not our imaginary friend, it is our loyalty to it at the expense of our humanity. Keep your faith if it helps you through hard times, but never let it be an impediment to universality.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Handcrafted Humanity: 100 Sonnets For A Blunderful World

“Intolerance and religion don't go together, if they do, you are a far cry from being religious.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Handcrafted Humanity: 100 Sonnets For A Blunderful World

“Not all christians are loving, but anyone who is loving is a christian. Not all jews are just, but anyone who is just is a jew. Not all buddhists are compassionate, but anyone who is compassionate is a buddhist. Not all muslims are peace-loving, but anyone who is peace-loving is a muslim. Not all hindus are advaita or nonsectarian, but anyone who is nonsectarian is a hindu. Not all humanists are accountable, but anyone who is accountable is a humanist. Our religious identity says nothing about our character, but our behavior towards others says it all.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Either Reformist or Terrorist: If You Are Terror I Am Your Grandfather

“The unwholesome cannot know the Whole. Only the Whole can know the Whole. Be wholesome, become Whole. There is no other way to know What Is: God.”
― Fakeer Ishavardas

“Not everyone who has a lifetime account except for those who are currently assured and written in Messiah's book...”
― Habineza Charles

“If theology is to contribute anything good to the world, then it must shift its focus from the study of scriptures to the outspoken advocacy of religious integration. And if theologians cannot be the forerunners of religious integration, then such theology isn't worth a penny.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Mukemmel Musalman: Kafir Biraz, Peygamber Biraz

“Land of love is godland,
There's nothing else more divine.
Divinity is but a lesser synonym,
There's no god, only lover divine.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Amor Apocalypse: Canım Sana İhtiyacım

“Human life can be seen as a process of revelations and inner learning. While many people refer to it as one process of learning the outside world. I will argue that the outside world directly reflects each person’s inner world up to a certain limit.”
― Amitai Rosengart, The Human Perspective: New Lessons from Genesis

“Tiba-tiba sekarang saya merasa, atau menyadari, atau mengakui, bahwa hati nurani tidak cukup. Ada sesuatu yang lebih tinggi, agung, dan murni. Saya tidak tahu di mana letaknya yang saya cari. Akan tetapi, lebih mudah bagi saya mencarinya dengan jalan berlutut dan menengadah. Inilah gerak refleks saya dalam menyerahkan diri, memohon pengampunan, dan memohon pertolongan. Saya merasa kecil, tidak berarti, dan tidak berdaya.”
― Budi Darma, Olenka

“Constructive criticism is the mere acceptance that other's care about the collective common outcome”
― Husam Wafaei, Honourable Defection

“The Buddha explicitly rejected a creator God, yet Buddhism is counted as the fourth largest world religion after Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism—suggesting that the hallmark of religion is not a belief in a creator God, or any god, but a belief in the conservation of values, that is, in something like karma, about which the Indian religions, especially Jainism, have a great deal to say. Karma is the greatest constant in Indian thought, lending a family resemblance to Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Gandhi, for one, regarded Buddhism and Jainism as traditions of Hinduism, which has adaptively assimilated the Buddha as the ninth avatar of Vishnu, after Rama and Krishna, and before Kalki, who will preside over the apocalypse. In Hindu thought, the universe has a moral order that is independent of the gods, who are less than omnipotent. In the Chandogya Upanishad, Indra, the king of the gods, is made to wait 101 years before being told the secret to the self—not a bad deal, considering. Towards the end of the Mahabharata, Krishna is killed by a hunter who mistakes him for a deer.”
― Neel Burton, Indian Mythology and Philosophy: The Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Kama Sutra… And How They Fit Together

“Have not found God? Well, become naught. And, sooner or later, now in this birth or in times thereafter, you'll get a visit from That Which Is. Some call "it" God.”
― Fakeer Ishavardas

“Which is it? Is man only a blunder of God, or is God only a blunder of man?”
― Friedrich Nietzsche

“The pattern sees you before you see it—slipping between moments, between thoughts. By the time you notice, it’s everywhere. Some doors open on their own—some were never closed.”
― William F. Blume

“Starving before the devil’s feast, wisdom is to eat only enough to survive, never enough to be satisfied.”
― Alex Atolagbe

“1. Everything made up of pieces is dependent.
2. The universe is made up of pieces.
3. Therefore, the universe is dependent”
― Mohammad Hijab

“1. Anything that could be conceived of otherwise in abstraction was arranged by
something else.
2. The universe could be conceived of otherwise in abstraction.
3. Therefore, the universe was arranged by something else.”
― Mohammad Hijab