Thread: Jesse Ventura religious quote

I'm helping my wife out with a problem. She is a recovering alcoholic and is participating in AA. Seems like most in AA believe that a higher power is what provides recovery. We both would consider ourself agnostic so she feels disconnected. In looking into other options I came across the Jesse Ventura religious quote

“Organized religion is a sham and a crutch for weak-minded people who need strength in numbers.” Jesse Ventura

Now I can understand why this might agitate some of us in Minnesota him as Gov. and all but in my search I came across some other quotes that I found interesting.

"It appears to me (whether rightly or wrongly) that direct arguments against christianity and theism produce hardly any effect on the public; and freedom of thought is best promoted by the gradual illumination of men's minds which follows from the advance of science." [Darwin]

"I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own -- a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. Neither can I believe that the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotism." [Einstein]

"Faith means not wanting to know what is true." [Nietzsche]

"I cannot believe in the immortality of the soul.... No, all this talk of an existence for us, as individuals, beyond the grave is wrong. It is born of our tenacity of life – our desire to go on living … our dread of coming to an end." [Edison]

"The Bible is not my book nor Christianity my profession. I could never give assent to the long, complicated statements of Christian dogma." [Lincoln]

"Religion is a byproduct of fear. For much of human history, it may have been a necessary evil, but why was it more evil than necessary? Isn't killing people in the name of God a pretty good definition of insanity?" [Arthur C. Clarke]

"Religions are all alike – founded upon fables and mythologies." [Thomas Jefferson]

"Say what you will about the sweet miracle of unquestioning faith, I consider a capacity for it terrifying and absolutely vile." [Kurt Vonnegut]

"Religion is based . . . mainly on fear . . . fear of the mysterious, fear of defeat, fear of death. Fear is the parent of cruelty, and therefore it is no wonder if cruelty and religion have gone hand in hand. . . . My own view on religion is that of Lucretius. I regard it as a disease born of fear and as a source of untold misery to the human race." [Bertrand Russell]

My favorite is

"Faith means not wanting to know what is true." [Nietzsche]

I'll add a great one by Isaac Asimov:

There are many aspects of the universe that still cannot be explained satisfactorily by science; but ignorance only implies ignorance that may someday be conquered. To surrender to ignorance and call it God has always been premature, and it remains premature today.

Just so I can better help, what is it exactly are you looking for? Atheist/agnostic quotes that show the strength of the human condition?

If your just looking for Athiet/agnostic quotes then there are a TON.

Yea Pot

Just found this interesting but if anyone should have suggestions for my wife that would great.

"The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason" - Benjamin Franklin

"Truth in matters of religion is simply the opinion that has survived" - Oscar Wilde

"Is man one of god's blunders, or is god one of man's blunders?" - Frederich Nietzsche

And one of my personal favorites:
"I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours." - Stephen Roberts

Originally Posted by Potemkine

And one of my personal favorites:
"I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours." - Stephen Roberts

Also SlytherN, I hope that your wife has success.

Originally Posted by WickedTribe

Also SlytherN, I hope that your wife has success.

Thank you. There is always work to do but she is progressing far better than I ever imagined. I'm proud of her.