Religion isn't best understood primarily as a collection of beliefs held by backward people with fear and trembling for most of human history (religion as brainwash). It is rather, among other things, a scriptorium of beleaguered witness, a record of collated information, both fragmentary and sometimes systematic, with which we may feel compelled to reckon as it somehow, across history, reckons with us, an inheritance, if you like, of difficult wisdom. David Dark
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History is full of examples of how religions have been used to divide people between good and evil, to justify violence, and to make people believe in the power of their own religious beliefs. The truth is that there are human beings who are bad, evil, and cruel. And there are many more who do good things. Powerful people in the world have used religion in order to manipulate others into following them in accordance with their beliefs.

They use religion as a way to take control of the whole world by giving people a reason to hate other groups. This quote explains that when you look at history, you see examples of how different religions have used religion to control people. Also, this quote explains that when you look at history, you see how different religions have used religion for good.

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  2. Damn it, how will I ever get out of this labyrinth? - Simon Bolivar
  3. That which is true must always remain true, though the applications may change greatly from generation to generation. It is the absence of such fundamental certainties, no doubt, that leads men into continual search for a satisfying religion, or that drives them away from their... - John A. Widtsoe
  4. The better men know the Lord, the better may the eternal truths we learn be applied in our daily lives. - John A. Widtsoe
  5. The immature think that knowledge and action are different, but the wise see them as the same. - Anonymous
More Quotes By David Dark
  1. Religion isn't best understood primarily as a collection of beliefs held by backward people with fear and trembling for most of human history (religion as brainwash). It is rather, among other things, a scriptorium of beleaguered witness, a record of collated information, both fragmentary and...
  2. And for the sake of humility--a characteristic crucial to sacred questioning we might do well to confess that we're capable at any moment of such bad religion ourselves.
  3. Feeling offended is invigorating. Feeling offended is a reassuring sensation. It's easier than asking ourselves if the redeeming love of God is evident in the way we communicate with people.
  4. If we've deluded ourselves into thinking that our angry mass emails or conversation-stopping talking points serve as a ministry or carry out the purposes of God, we need to slow down and take a breath.
  5. What the pundits call wishy-washiness, the Bible calls repentance.
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