the most common type of pessimism is neither philosophical nor religious: it is the pessimism of thwarted desire. ... It is the cynical sneer of the man who, seeking roses, finds only ashes.

One can be coerced to church, but not to worship.

Many now veer away from the time-honored use of the term Father as applied to the Christian God ... This difficulty rests mainly, I believe, on failure to distinguish between a symbol and a definition.

the truth is seldom found in extremes. Central truths can be revolutionary if put to work.

The tendency to turn human judgments into divine commands makes religion one of the most dangerous forces in the world.

churches, like all the rest of our major institutions, are rooted in capitalism. For a church to attack capitalism is to 'bite the hand that feeds it.

the principal sources of human misery may fairly be said to lie in the over-possession, under-possession, and the unwise use of economic goods.