The Problem Is That Once The Untrained Mind Has Made A Formal Commitment To A Religious Philosophy - And It Does Not Matter Whether That Philosophy Is Generally Reasonable And High-minded Or Utterly Bizarre And Irrational

-Steve Allen

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The Problem Is That

Steve Allen

Topic

Religious

Philosophy

Commitment

More From Steve Allen

Nothing Is Better Than The Unintended Humor Of Reality.

Reality

Impartial Observers From Other Planets Would Consider Ours An Utterly Bizarre Enclave If It Were Populated By Birds, Defined As Flying Animals, That Nevertheless Rarely Or Never Actually Flew. They Would Also Be Perplexed If They Encountered In Our Seas, Lakes, Rivers, And Ponds, Creatures Defined As Swimmers That Never Did Any Swimming. But They Would Be Even More Surprised To Encounter A Species Defined As A Thinking Animal If, In Fact, The Creature Very Rarely Indulged In Actual Thinking.

Swimming

Thinking

Animal

Thousands Of Years Ago Only Christ Could Walk On The Water. Today Anybody Can Do It; You Just Step On The Garbage.

Years

Water

Today

Everybody Is Somewhere.

There Are Few Pages Of History Which Do Not Demonstrate That Public Prayer And Ritual Never Inoculated People Against Mass-madness And Cruelty. What Is Needed Is Emphasis On Morality And Manners.

Prayer

People

Religion

One Of The Nice Things About Problems Is That A Good Many Of Them Do Not Exist Except In Our Imaginations.

Positive

Nice

Imagination

Just As With Cars, It's Critical To Know The Fuel Efficiency Of Black Holes.

Car

Black

Fuel

To Those Who Wish To Punish Others -- Or At Least To See Them Punished, If The Avengers Are Too Cowardly To Take Matters In To Their Own Hands -- The Belief In A Fiery, Hideous Hell Appears To Be A Great Source Of Comfort.

Hands

Religion

Wish

There Is Not The Slightest Question But That The God Of The Old Testament Is A Jealous, Vengeful God, Inflicting Not Only On The Sinful Pagans But Even On His Chosen People Fire, Lighting, Hideous Plagues And Diseases, Brimstone, And Other Curses.

Jealous

Fire

People

Ours Is A Government Of Checks And Balances. The Mafia And Crooked Businessmen Make Out Checks, And The Politicians And Other Compromised Officials Improve Their Bank Balances.

Government

Balance

Mafia

We Must Never Forget That Both Good And Evil Flow From The Bible. It Is Therefore Not Above Criticism.

Evil

Religion

Criticism

Physical Fitness Is In. I Recently Had A Physical Fit Myself.

Exercise

Dieting

Fit

There Is Scarcely A Page Of The Bible On Which An Open Mind Does Not Perceive A Contradiction, An Unlikely Story, An Obvious Error, An Historical Impossibility Of One Sort Or Another.

Bible

Religious

Errors

Civilization Itself . . . Can Easily Be Swept Aside When Mob Passions Are Aroused.

Passion

Civilization

Evil

If There Is A God, The Phrase That Must Disgust Him Is - Holy War.

War

If There Is A God

Phrases

Millions Of Germans Had Absolute Faith In Hitler. Millions Of Russians Had Faith In Stalin. Millions Of Chinese Had Faith In Mao. Billions Have Had Faith In Imaginary Gods.

Chinese

Religion

Mao

Asthma Doesn't Seem To Bother Me Any More Unless I'm Around Cigars Or Dogs. The Thing That Would Bother Me Most Would Be A Dog Smoking A Cigar.

Funny

Dog

Smoking

The Fundamentalist Believer Is Mostly A Weird Intellectual Who Often Lacks Real Faith Altogether. As A Self-appointed Attorney For God, Who Is In No Need Of Attorneys, He Very Easily Turns Out To Be More Godless Than The Agnostic And The Unbeliever. At All Events, He Seems Deaf To Poetry.

Real

Self

Intellectual

If The Old Testament Were A Reliable Guide In The Matter Of Capital Punishment, Half The People In The United States Would Have To Be Killed Tomorrow.

Punishment

People

United States

Humor Is A Social Lubricant That Helps Us Get Over Some Of The Bad Spots.

Helping

Social

Spots

...we Are Entitled To Make Almost Any Reasonable Assumption, But Should Resist Making Conclusions Until Evidence Requires That We Do So.

Without Laughter Life On Our Planet Would Be Intolerable. So Important Is Laughter To Us That Humanity Highly Rewards Members Of One Of The Most Unusual Professions On Earth, Those Who Make A Living By Inducing Laughter In Others. This Is Very Strange If You Stop To Think Of It: That Otherwise Sane And Responsible Citizens Should Devote Their Professional Energies To Causing Others To Make Sharp, Explosive Barking-like Exhalations.

Laughter

Thinking

Humanity

Ideas Have Consequences, And Totally Erroneous Ideas Are Likely To Have Destructive Consequences.

Ideas

Religion

Destructive

Radio Is The Theater Of The Mind; Television Is The Theater Of The Mindless.

Mind

Television

Radio

This Is The Tonight Show. I Can't Tell You Too Much About It, Other Than The Fact That This Program Is Going To Go On Forever.

Forever

Tonight

Goes On

Sometimes Things Which At The Moment May Be Perceived As Obstacles-and Actually Be Obstacles, Difficulties, Or Drawbacks-can In The Long Run Result In Some Good End Which Would Not Have Occurred If It Had Not Been For The Obstacle.

Running

Adversity

Long

In A Rational Society We Would Want Our Presidents To Be Teachers. In Our Actual Society We Insist They Be Cheerleaders.

Teacher

President

Want

I Do Not Understand Those Who Take Little Or No Interest In The Subject Of Religion. If Religion Embodies A Truth, It Is Certainly The Most Important Truth Of Human Existence. If It Is Largely Error, Then It Is One Of Monumentally Tragic Proportions—and Should Be Vigorously Opposed.

Errors

Important

Littles

Laughter Would Appear To Be A Physical Reflex, Although Even If It Is, This Still Leaves Unanswered The Question Of Why The Human Response To Humor Is A Convulsive Spasm Of The Respiratory Mechanism Rather Than A Crossing Of The Eyes Or A Waving Of The Arms.

Laughter

Eye

Arms

One Social Evil For Which The New Testament Is Clearly In Part Responsible Is Anti-semitism.

Evil

Religion

Social

God Is By Definition The Holder Of All Possible Knowledge, It Would Be Impossible For Him To Have Faith In Anything. Faith, Then, Is Built Upon Ignorance And Hope.

Faith

Ignorance

Religion

Totalitarianism Is Patriotism Institutionalized.

Patriotism

Totalitarianism

I Cannot See How It Can Be Argued That One Should Speak In Tones Of Reverence And Awe About The Alleged Divine Instruction-in Psalms-to Grab The Defenseless Bodies Of Innocent Infants And Dash Their Brains Out Against The Nearest Rocks Or Walls.

Bible

Religious

Wall

The Bible Is Unfortunately Unclear On A Long List Of Moral And Social Questions And Sex Is One Of Them. On The One Hand, There Are Expressions Of Admiration For The Reportedly Virgin Mother Of Jesus, But Other Portions Of Scripture Speak Quite Accommodatingly Of Polygamy.

Mother

Jesus

Sex

I'm All For Sex. Seven Nights A Week. Days, Too.

Sex

Night

Week

Consider The Wave Of Revulsion That Floods The Average Person When He Or She Hears Of The Practice Of Human Sacrifice By The Aztecs And Other So-called Primitive Peoples. How Savage And Barbaric Such Practices Seem. But When A Christian Or Jew Comes Across Human Sacrifice In The Bible (see Jephthah's Immolation Of His Daughter In Judges 11:30-40), Is He Or She Repulsed?

Bible

Christian

Daughter

Dark Energy Is Perhaps The Biggest Mystery In Physics.

Dark

Energy

Mystery

There Are Hundreds Of Millions Who Believe The Messiah Has Come. If He Did, Then It Is Unfortunately The Case That His Heroic Sacrifice And Death Have Had No Effect Whatsoever On The Very Problem His Coming Might Have Been Expected To Address, For History Demonstrates, Beyond Question, That We Christians Have Been Just As Dangerous, Singly And En Masse, As Non-christians.

Christian

Believe

Sacrifice

Religious Believers Of The World, You Are Free To Continue To Debate The Simple, Narrow Question That Divides You From Atheists, But You Have No Right, In So Doing, To Treat The Humanists Of The World With Contempt. You Owe Them A Deep Debt Of Gratitude, For Not Only Have They Shed Much Light On A Naturally Dark World But They Have Very Probably Helped Civilize Your Own Specific Religion.

Gratitude

Religious

Atheist

Understanding Quotes: Their Essence and Application

Quotes, or quotations, are powerful tools in communication, encapsulating ideas, emotions, and wisdom in concise expressions. They serve various purposes across different contexts, from academic writing to everyday conversation.

1. Defining Quotes

A quote is a repetition of someone else's statement or thoughts. It can be a direct replication of words spoken or written by another individual, often used to support arguments, provide evidence, or convey profound insights.

2. The Importance of Quotes

2.1. Enhancing Credibility

Incorporating quotes from authoritative sources can bolster the credibility of your work. By referencing experts or primary sources, you demonstrate thorough research and a solid foundation for your arguments.

2.2. Providing Evidence

Quotes serve as concrete evidence to support claims. In academic and professional writing, they validate points made, offering readers a basis to trust the information presented.

2.3. Conveying Emotions and Perspectives

Quotes can encapsulate emotions and perspectives succinctly. They allow writers to express complex feelings or viewpoints through the words of others, often more eloquently than paraphrasing.

3. Types of Quotes

3.1. Direct Quotes

Direct quotes involve copying the exact words from a source, enclosed in quotation marks. They are used when the original wording is significant or particularly well-expressed.

3.2. Indirect Quotes (Paraphrasing)

Indirect quotes restate the original message in your own words. While not enclosed in quotation marks, they still require proper attribution to the original source.

3.3. Block Quotes

Block quotes are lengthy direct quotations, formatted as a separate block of text. They are typically used for quotes exceeding a certain length, varying by citation style. For instance, in APA style, quotes longer than 40 words are formatted as block quotes.

4. Proper Usage of Quotes

4.1. Contextual Relevance

Ensure that the quote you choose is relevant to the topic and adds value to your content. Avoid inserting quotes solely for decorative purposes.

4.2. Integration into Your Writing

Seamlessly integrate quotes into your writing. Introduce them appropriately and follow up with analysis or commentary to connect them to your main points.

4.3. Attribution and Citation

Always attribute quotes to their original authors and provide proper citations according to the required style guide (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.).

5. Common Mistakes to Avoid

5.1. Overusing Quotes

Relying too heavily on quotes can overshadow your voice. Use them sparingly to support your arguments, not replace them.

5.2. Lack of Analysis

Presenting a quote without analysis or explanation can leave readers questioning its relevance. Always follow up with your interpretation or discussion.

5.3. Misquoting or Taking Out of Context

Ensure that quotes are accurate and not taken out of context, as this can mislead readers and undermine your credibility.

6. Quotes in Different Contexts

6.1. Academic Writing

In academic writing, quotes are used to support arguments, provide evidence, and engage with existing literature. Proper citation is crucial to avoid plagiarism.

6.2. Journalism

Journalists use quotes to provide firsthand accounts, add authenticity, and present multiple perspectives within a story.

6.3. Literature and Creative Writing

In literature, quotes can be used to convey character voices, themes, and stylistic elements. They enrich narratives and provide depth to storytelling.

7. Punctuation and Formatting

Understanding the correct punctuation and formatting of quotes is essential:

Quotation Marks: Always enclose direct quotes within quotation marks.

Punctuation Placement: In American English, periods and commas are placed inside quotation marks, while colons and semicolons are placed outside.

Block Quotes: For longer quotes, format them as block quotes without quotation marks, and indent the entire block.

8. Ethical Considerations

Ethical use of quotes involves accurate representation, proper attribution, and respect for intellectual property. Misuse can lead to plagiarism, which carries serious academic and professional consequences.

9. Tools for Managing Quotes

Utilize tools like citation generators and plagiarism checkers to manage quotes effectively. These tools help ensure proper formatting and originality in your writing.

Conclusion

Quotes are invaluable in enriching content, providing evidence, and conveying complex ideas succinctly. When used appropriately, they enhance the quality and credibility of your writing. Always ensure relevance, proper integration, and ethical usage to maximize their impact.

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