You can't write about the past and ignore religion. It was such a fundamental, mind-shaping, driving force for pre-modern societies. I'm very interested in what religion does to us - its capacity to create love and empathy or hatred and violence. Geraldine Brooks
Supreme serenity still remains the Ideal of great Art. The shapes and transitory forms of life are but stages toward this Ideal, which Christ's religion illuminates with His divine light. Franz Liszt
It's fun being in Islamic countries, to know there's only one religion. There's order. You wear a burqa. There's no choice. People are happy with that. Prince
Difference of religion breeds more quarrels than difference of politics. Wendell Phillips
The first guy who came up with the concept of religion was sitting out under a tree. I'm sure of that. Tom T. Hall
It doesn't matter what color, sex, religion, age, sexual orientation, etc., everyone should have the same freedoms and liberties. Lance Bass
I am a Westerner. We're not going to change the West by going East. The East has a lot to teach us, but essentially it's like a mirror, saying, hey, can't you see what's here in your own religion, what are you, stupid? Matthew Fox
Violence against women in all its forms is a human rights violation. It's not something that any culture, religion or tradition propagates. Michelle Bachelet
How can you tell when a political ideology has become the equivalent of a religion? Andrew Sullivan
I have increasingly, over the years, felt that religion today does our civilization more harm than good. Mary Douglas
It is very reasonable to worry about the harm done by organized religion, and to prefer looser and more private arrangements. Mary Douglas
Just in our lifetime our society has become looser and more private, it becomes extremely difficult to hold to any permanent commitment whatever, least of all to organized religion. Mary Douglas
It is only partly true that religion does more harm than good in society. The community makes God into the image it wants, vengeful, or milky sweet, or scrupulously just, and so on. Mary Douglas
Those among them that have not received our religion do not fright any from it, and use none ill that goes over to it, so that all the while I was there one man was only punished on this occasion. Thomas More
I like to say magic is the world's second oldest profession, a mystical and often awe-inspiring spectacle that, throughout the ages, has blended superstition, trickery and religion. Criss Angel
I took religion much too seriously, however, and its overall effect was depressing. I would have really liked to discard it, but somehow I couldn't. Jack Dee
I was little there were times I wanted my parents to be normal. I wanted them to have a religion. I wanted them to have a job, like the parents of every other kid I went to school with. Gael Garcia Bernal
In every society in human history, including the United States, those in power seek to imbue themselves with the attributes of religion and patriotism as a way of getting greater support for their policy and insulating themselves from any criticism. George J. Mitchell
One of Dawkins' major gripes is against religion. I am in total agreement on that one. I abhor religion. Ray Comfort