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"Children of men! the unseen Power, whose eye Forever doth accompany mankind, Hath lookd on no religion scornfully That men did ever find."
ReligionAnd now, after making due allowance for evils that are natural and can — Religion
"And now, after making due allowance for evils that are natural and cannot be avoided... I will point out the greatest, the chief cause of nearly two-thirds of the evils that pursue humanity ever since that cause became a power. It is religion under whatever form and in whatever nation. It is the sacerdotal caste, the priesthood and the churches. It is in those illusions that man looks upon as sacred, that he has to search out the source of that multitude of evils which is the great curse of humanity and that almost overwhelms mankind. Ignorance created Gods and cunning took advantage of opportunity. Look at India and look at Christendom and Islam, at Judaism and Fetichism. It is priestly imposture that rendered these Gods so terrible to man ; it is religion that makes of him the selfish bigot, the fanatic that hates all mankind out of his own sect without rendering him any better or more moral for it. It is belief in God and Gods that makes two-thirds of humanity the slaves of a handful of those who deceive them under the false pretence of saving them. Is not man ever ready to commit any kind of evil if told that his God or gods demand the crime? ; voluntary victim of an illusionary God, the abject slave of his crafty ministers."
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Religion
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"To surrender to ignorance and call it God has always been premature, and it remains premature today."
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"Men use religion just as they use buoys and life-preservers; they do not intend to navigate the vessel with them, but they keep just enough of them on hand to float into a safe harbor when a storm comes up and the vessel is shipwrecked; and it is only then that they intend to use them. I tell you, you will find air-holes in all such life-preservers as that."
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"The greatest vicissitude of things amongst men, is the vicissitude of sects and religions."
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"The primary epiphenomenona of any religions foundation are the production and flourishment of hypocrisy, megalomania and psychopathy, and the first casualties of a religions establishment are the intentions of its founder."
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