Quotes - Page B

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S TA U V W X Y Z

Baaz, Sheik Abdel-Aziz Ibn
"The earth is flat, and anyone who disputes this claim is an atheist who deserves to be punished."
[Muslim religious edict, 1993, Supreme religious authority, Saudi Arabia]

Babinski, E. T.
"My spell-checker lacks the word 'creationism' in its dictionary, so each time that word is encountered, an alternative pops up at the bottom of my screen, 'cretinism'"

Bacon, Sir Francis
"Atheism leaves a man to sense, to philosophy, to natural piety, to
laws, to reputation, all which may be guides to an outward moral
virtue, though religion were not; but superstition dismounts all
these, and erects an absolute monarchy in the minds of men...the
master of superstition is the people; and arguments are fitted to
practice, in a reverse order."
Of Superstition

Barker, Dan
"Truth does not demand belief. Scientists do not join hands every Sunday, singing, 'Yes, gravity is real! I will have faith! I will be strong! I believe in my heart that what goes up, up, up must come down, down. down. Amen!' If they did, we would think they were pretty insecure about it."

Beethoven,
"Applaud, friends, the comedy is over."
[Beethoven's sarcastic remarks after a priest's last rites as he
lay dying in 1827; the priest had been summoned by religious
friends. Fellow composer Joseph Haydn considered Beethoven an
atheist. As quoted in "2000 Years of Disbelief, Famous People with
the Courage to Doubt", by James A. Haught, Prometheus Books, 1996]

Bierce, Ambrose
"Some heathens whose Idol was greatly weatherworn threw it into a
river, and erecting a new one, engaged in public worship at its base.
'What is this all about?' inquired the New Idol.
'Father of Joy and Gore,' said the High Priest, 'be patient and I
will instruct you in the doctrines and rites of our holy religion.'
A year later, after a course of study in theology, the Idol asked
to be thrown into the river, declaring himself an atheist.
'Do not let that trouble you,' said the High Priest -- 'so am I.'"
"Two Sceptics", Fantastic Fables

"Faith; noun. Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel."

"Pray, v. To ask that the laws of the universe be annulled in behalf of a single petitioner confessedly unworthy."

" Scriptures; noun. The sacred books of our holy religion, as distinguished from the false and profane writings on which all other faiths are based."

"Infidel: In New York, one who does not believe in the Christian
religion; in Constantinople, one who does."

Branden, Nathaniel
"Anyone who engages in the practice of psychotherapy confronts every day the devastation wrought by the teachings of religion."

Bradlaugh, Charles
"The Atheist does not say "there is no god", but he says "I do not know what you mean by god; I am without the idea of god; the word god is to me a sound conveying no clear or distinct affirmation. I do not deny god, because I cannot deny that of which I have no conception and the conception of which by its affirmer is so imperfect that he is unable to define it to me."
National Review, Nov. 25, 1883

Brown and Bohn, 1989; Finkelhor, 1986; Fortune, 1983; Goldstein et al, 1973; Van Leeuwen, 1990
"A disturbing fact continues to surface in sex abuse research. The first best predictor of abuse is alcohol or drug addiction in the father. But the second best predictor is conservative religiosity, accompanied by parental belief in traditional male-female roles. This means that if you want to know which children are most likely to be sexually abused by their father, the second most significant clue is whether or not the parents belong to a conservative religious group with traditional role beliefs and rigid sexual attitudes. (emphasis in original) Sexual Abuse in Christian Homes and Churches, by Carolyn Holderread Heggen, Herald Press, Scotdale, PA, 1993 p. 73

Brown, Justin
"If the Bible is mistaken in telling us where we came from, how can we trust it to tell us where we're going?"

Bruce, Lenny
"If Jesus had been killed 20 years ago, Catholic school children would be wearing little Electric Chairs around their necks instead of crosses."

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