When confronted by a ‘believer’ it is easy for me to contrast the views of the skeptic with those of the rationalist. I simply reach into my pocket and pull out my change. Holding a quarter aloft, I say, ‘This is a most remarkable coin, for it is heavier than all the sins of humanity committed since the beginning of the human race.’ I then hold up a nickel and say, ‘This coin is even more amazing, as it is brighter and shinier than the flames that proceeded from the Burning Bush discovered on Mt. Sinai by Moses.’Then I raise a penny and state, ‘This portrait of President Lincoln is more realistic and true-to-life than any portrait of Satan ever painted.’ And finally, I hold out a bright, shiny dime and say, ‘And this dime is the most amazing of all because it is heavier and contains more precious metals than all the gold bricks in the streets of Heaven.’I end with ‘Give to Caesar what is his, and hold the rest of it dear–for it is all you see and touch–and the Christian god can take care of all his things, for they amount to less than this 41 cents I hold here in my hand. . E. HaldemanJulius
About This Quote

 A skeptic is a person who does not accept the world as it is, but as it could be.  This is a person who can look at everything and see both sides of an issue.  A rationalist, as its name implies, is a person who looks at things rationally without emotion.  These people do not believe in god or anything that cannot be proven by reason or evidence.

Some Similar Quotes
  1. You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching, Love like you'll never be hurt, Sing like there's nobody listening, And live like it's heaven on earth. - William W. Purkey

  2. Do people look the same when they go to heaven, mommy?"" I don't know. I don't think so."" Then how do people recognize each other?"" I don't know, sweetie. They just feel it. You don't need your eyes to love, right? - R.J. Palacio

  3. I think Heaven will be like a first kiss. - Sarah Addison Allen

  4. Earth's crammed with heaven... But only he who sees, takes off his shoes. - Elizabeth Barrett Browning

  5. Maybe there is no Heaven. Or maybe this is all pure gibberish–a product of the demented imagination of a lazy drunken hillbilly with a heart full of hate who has found a way to live out where the real winds blow–to sleep late, have fun,... - Hunter S. Thompson

More Quotes By E. HaldemanJulius
  1. Atheism is a conclusion reached by the most reasonable methods and one which is not asserted dogmatically but is explained in its every feature by the light of reason. The atheist does not boast of knowing in a vainglorious, empty sense. He understands by knowledge...

  2. We advocate the atheistic philosophy because it is the only clear, consistent position which seems possible to us. As atheists, we simply deny the assumptions of theism; we declare that the God idea, in all its features, is unreasonable and unprovable; we add, more vitally,...

  3. When confronted by a ‘believer’ it is easy for me to contrast the views of the skeptic with those of the rationalist. I simply reach into my pocket and pull out my change. Holding a quarter aloft, I say, ‘This is a most remarkable coin,...

  4. It is natural that people should differ most, and most violently, about the unknowable .. . There is all the room in the world for divergence of opinion about something that, so far as we can realistically perceive, does not exist.

Related Topics