I am treated as evil by people who claim that they are being oppressed because they are not allowed to read more

I am treated as evil by people who claim that they are being oppressed because they are not allowed to force me to practice what they do.

We are born believing. A man bears beliefs, as a tree bears apples.

We are born believing. A man bears beliefs, as a tree bears apples.

The true meaning of religion is thus not simply morality, but morality touched by emotion.

The true meaning of religion is thus not simply morality, but morality touched by emotion.

To speak of God, to think of God, is in every respect to show what one is made of. I read more

To speak of God, to think of God, is in every respect to show what one is made of. I have always wagered against God and I regard the little that I have won in this world as simply the outcome of this bet. However paltry may have been the stake (my life) I am conscious of having won to the full. Everything that is doddering, squint-eyed, vile, polluted and grotesque is summoned up for me in that one word: God!

At the core of every moral code there is a picture of human nature, a map of the universe, and read more

At the core of every moral code there is a picture of human nature, a map of the universe, and a version of history. To human nature (of the sort conceived), in a universe (of the kind imagined), after a history (so understood), the rules of the code apply.

In some awful, strange, paradoxical way, atheists tend to take religion more seriously than the practitioners.

In some awful, strange, paradoxical way, atheists tend to take religion more seriously than the practitioners.

The only Zen you find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there.

The only Zen you find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there.

Man's most valuable trait Is a judicious sense of what not to believe.

Man's most valuable trait Is a judicious sense of what not to believe.

Strong beliefs win strong men, and then make them stronger.

Strong beliefs win strong men, and then make them stronger.