Ill tell you, Mr. Thomas, why some Christians are afraid of me. They're not sure that what they believe is really true. If they were sure, I wouldn't be a threat to them at all.

Legality can't create love if it isn't there, or preserve it if it's dying, but it can destroy love by making it compulsory.

The history of the Church has been a history of divisiveness, repression and reaction. For almost 2000 years, Christianity has held mankind back in politics, in economics, in industry, in science, in philosophy, in culture.

I feel that everyone who wants to say anything, do anything, should be able to say anything or do anything, within the limits of not hurting another person.

In an unconstitutional partnership with the state, the church can impose the most irresistible, if covert, controls conceivable.

Religion has caused more misery to all of mankind in every stage of human history than any other single idea.

I'm saying that there's absolutely no conclusive evidence that Jesus ever really existed, even as a mortal. I don't believe he was a historical figure at all.