One should be embarrassed to speak of God in the third person.

Men must fumble awhile with error to separate it from truth, I think- as long as they don't seize the error hungrily because it has a pleasanter taste.

What's to be believed? Or does it matter at all? When mass murder's been answered with mass murder, rape with rape, hate with hate, there's no longer much meaning in asking whose ax is bloodier. Evil, on evil, piled on evil. Was there any justification in our 'police action' in space? How can we know? Certainly there was no justification for what they did - or was there? We only know what that thing says, and that thing is a captive. The Asian radio has to say what will least displease it's government; ours has to say what will least displease our fine patriotic opinionated rabble, which is what, coincidentally, the government wants it to say anyhow, so where's the difference?

Bless me Father, I ate a lizard.

Because a doubt is not a denial. Doubt is a powerful tool, and it should be applied to history.

That's where all of us are standing now, he thought. On the fat kindling of past sins.

The trouble with being a priest was that you eventually had to take the advice you gave to others.