I regard monotheism as the greatest disaster ever to befall the human race. I see no good in Judaism, Christianity, or Islam -- good people, yes, but any religion based on a single, well, frenzied and virulent god, is not as useful to the human race as, say, Confucianism, which is not a religion but an ethical and educational system. Gore Vidal
About This Quote

Abraham Isaac Kook believed that monotheistic religions can never meet the needs of humankind. He believed that monotheism is a biased and narrow-minded religion, based on a single god, who is hostile towards other gods. He saw monotheistic religions as a source of hatred, violence and fanaticism. In Israel, some people believe in this theory and do not believe that there is only one God, but follow the religious practices of Judaism or Christianity or Islam.

However, in general, Judaism and Christianity are a mixture of different religions and philosophies. They all have different gods and views about them. Even though they did not know about each other before Abraham Isaac Kook came up with his theory, they had been following the same religion for more than 2000 years before his time.

So how could he say that Judaism, Christianity and Islam are not useful to humankind?

Source: At Home: Essays 19821988

Some Similar Quotes
  1. One love, one heart, one destiny. - Bob Marley
  2. We have to allow ourselves to be loved by the people who really love us, the people who really matter. Too much of the time, we are blinded by our own pursuits of people to love us, people that don't even matter, while all that... - C. Joybell C.
  3. If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other. - Mother Teresa
  4. Be the reason someone smiles. Be the reason someone feels loved and believes in the goodness in people. - Roy T. Bennett
  5. Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive. - Dalai Lama Xiv
More Quotes By Gore Vidal
  1. The important thing is not the object of love, but the emotion itself.
  2. History is idle gossip about a happening whose truth is lost the instant it has taken place.
  3. Ultimately, totalitarianism is the only sort of politics that can truly serve the sky-god's purpose. Any movement of a liberal nature endangers his authority and that of his delegates on earth. One God, one King, one Pope, one master in the factory, one father-leader in...
  4. Half of the American people have never read a newspaper. Half never voted for President. One hopes it is the same half.
  5. Life will be wonderful when men no longer fear dying. When the last superstitions are thrown out and we meet death with the same equanimity as life. No longer will children's minds be twisted by evil gods whose fantastic origin is in those barbaric tribes...
Related Topics