Charles Kimball
Charles Kimball
easier knows
It is easier to know the truth than to seek the truth.
war names people
[M]ore wars have been waged, more people killed, and more evil perpetrated in the name of religion than by any other institutional force in human history. The sad truth continues in our present day.
religious people suffering
Whatever religious people may say about their love of God or the mandates of their religion, when their behavior toward others is violent and destructive, when it causes suffering among their neighbors, you can be sure the religion has been corrupted and reform is desperately needed.
thinking evil inquiry
Blind obedience is a sure sign of trouble. The likelihood of religion becoming evil is greatly diminished when there is freedom for individual thinking and when honest inquiry is encouraged.
thinking your-side matter
Anytime you have anyone who thinks he or she has God in their pocket, you have the potential for disaster, ... Throughout history, the claim that God is on your side has been used to justify any action, no matter how violent or destructive.
mistake tunnels historical
Demanding historical (or scientific) veracity as a prerequisite for truth is another kind of tunnel vision. To do so is to mistake poetry for prose.
empathy tolerance should
Religion should be a source for reconciliation, for tolerance and for empathy.
actively agree call certainly comparable easier easy involved issues left people political rally religious seeing seen side spectrum sphere themes
There aren't as many easy themes or uniting themes that people who come from the left side of the political and religious spectrum all agree on the way we've seen some of the issues on the religious right that have been easier to rally people around. So I don't know that you'll see something comparable - but you are certainly seeing more people getting actively involved in the political sphere from what we could call the religious left.