Erica Jong Quotes

It is very reasonable to worry about the harm done by organized religion, and to prefer looser and more private arrangements.

We seem to be the victims of religious dogma, both from the Christian Right here and, of course, in the East with the rise of Islamic fundamentalism.

It is true Christians have done terrible things throughout history. But they've always been acting in opposition to their Christian faith. There are no New Testament verses that say, Kill unbelievers.

Religion has been a curse on the world and humanity will never know freedom until this curse has been exorcised. It is the curse of ignorance, which has cast its dark shadow over thousands of years of human suppression.

I hate religion. I think it's a neurological disorder.

Religion is the worst thing that ever happened to mankind - the ironic part is that it's presented as a good thing, and its effect is absolutely catastrophic to individuals and to societies.

Historically, more people have died of religion than cancer.

When you forcefully suppress religious nationalism, you radicalize it.

The tension between the essence of spiritual teachings and the harmful fundamentalism that often arises in the name of religion is an issue that has engaged my mind practically as far back as I can remember.

Kill the unbelievers wherever you find them, capture and besiege them and prepare for them every kind of ambush…But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then leave their way free.

Arab Christians are not Christians, I am not leaving them until they become Muslims or I cut their throats.

If the Shiites in a Sunni-dominated country insisted on practicing their religion openly, then … the Sunni state had no choice but to wage war on them.

Adherents of almost all religions, as they move away in time from the source, are invariably known to have employed coercion either to keep people within the fold of their religion, or to convert others into their faith.

There are things about organized religion which I resent. Christ is revered as the Prince of Peace, but more blood has been shed in His name than any other figure in history. You show me one step forward in the name of religion, and I'll show you a hundred retrogressions.

Religion has really spawned some monsters. It always has, historically. Go all the way back to the Inquisition, you know, the Crusades, the Jehad and so on.

In the past, most wars were motivated by the idea of nationhood. Today, however, wars are incited above all using religion as an excuse.

Well, it has done terrifying things. Religious ideas are inflammatory in a way that I find difficult to understand. There are very few wars over the theory of relativity. Very few heated arguments, for that matter. Whereas, in Northern Ireland, they are killing one another over religion.

Religion is the root of quite a lot of evil.

Organized religion is good for wars, battles, pissin' and moanin' and not much else.

How many evils have flowed from religion.

Religion put claws on Aunt Sally and gave her a post to whet them on.

Christians have burnt each other, quite persuaded. That all the Apostles would have done as they did.

If Jews in the name of their religion were killing Americans, then I think that would be an appropriate comparison. But as far as I know, there's only one religion that's doing that, and it is a segment of the religion of Islam that's doing that.

Persecution is as necessary to religion as pruning to an orchard.