P. J. O'Rourke Quotes

Religion as a whole specializes in sin management. It's all about organizing humanity in such a way that we cause as little damage as possible.

Priests have to have the right to say that a sin is a sin.

The Bible and several other self help or enlightenment books cite the Seven Deadly Sins. They are: pride, greed, lust, envy, wrath, sloth, and gluttony. That pretty much covers everything that we do, that is sinful... or fun for that matter.

Most people are willing to take the Sermon on the Mount as a flag to sail under, but few will use it as a rudder by which to steer.

A nation that turns it back on Christ and God's words of truth will inevitably regret it.

The fact that monasticism preceded the identification of greed as a primal sin is an important reminder that our very ability to name sin is a theological achievement.

The Ten Commandments are the most visible symbol because these commandments are recognized by Christians and Jews alike as being the foundation of our system of public morality.

The flame of Christian ethics is still our highest guide.

My father was a first reader in the Christian Science Church, which is similar to being a preacher. There was no drinking, smoking or cursing.

The message I always received was God is good. You're bad. Try harder. I pretty much kept my hand up at anything that represented God.

I don't do things which are wrong according to Jesus. Like don't make 'bad' relations with anyone except your husband.

We must look at the personality of Jesus and see him under various circumstances - circumstances not unlike our own - and then praise him by imitating him to the best of our ability.

I can promise you none of these things. No sphere of usefulness; you are not needed there at all. No scope of your talents; only forgiveness for having perverted them. No atmosphere of inquiry, for I will bring you to the land not of questions but of answers, and you shall see the face of God. (pg 40)

Most people believe that the Christian commandments are intentionally a little too severe

As Christians, we have an obligation and responsibility to abide by the principles of the Bible.

America's religion, this is it, gang. This is all you need to know: There is a God. He is going to judge us. We should be good to each other, because daddy is going to be pissed in the end if we're not. That's it. That's called a big principle.

Every Christian church has tried to impose a code of morals of some kind for which it has claimed divine sanction. As these codes have always been opposed to those of the gospels a loophole has been left for moral progress such as hardly exists in other religions.

Sins are timeless. Sins are an everyday reality for every one. Sin has been in existence since the beginning of man, since Adam and Eve. It will always be pertinent.

The operation of the Church is entirely set up for the sinner; which creates much misunderstanding among the smug.” (August 9, 1955)

I consider Christianity to be one of the great disasters of the human race... It would be impossible to imagine anything more un - Christianlike than theology.

Christian principles are, admittedly, stricter than the others; but then we think you will get help towards obeying them which you will not get towards obeying the others.

When the focus becomes 'What would Jesus do?' instead of 'What has Jesus done?' the [conservative/liberal] labels no longer matter.

God uses prayer to educate His people and to produce holiness of character in them.

religion and morality are a much better whip to keep people in submission than even the club and the gun.

Shouldn't the commandments be re-written? No, they should be re-read!