One of the important things about religion is that it is a sphere which is partially protected from selection. Religious creativity occurs when people pull out of the whole selectivity issue. Becoming celibate - obviously you couldn't be less selective that that. Yes, selection is always in the background. But it's not always there in the foreground. If you don't understand that, you're missing a lot.
Robert Neelly BellahThat happiness is to be attained through limitless material acquisition is denied by every religion and philosophy known to mankind, but is preached incessantly by every American television set.
Robert Neelly BellahWe have to treat others as part of who we are, rather than as a 'them' with whom we are in constant competition.
Robert Neelly BellahHowever painful the process of leaving home, for parents and for children, the really frightening thing for both would be the prospect of the child never leaving home.
Robert Neelly BellahWe have imagined ourselves a special creation, set apart from other humans. In the last twentieth century, we see that our povertyis as absolute as that of the poorest nations. We have attempted to deny the human condition in our quest for power after power. It would be well for us to rejoin the human race, to accept our essential poverty as a gift, and to share our material wealth with those in need.
Robert Neelly Bellah