Faith Discussion Quotes

I can't gather around and talk about how much everybody in the room doesn't believe in God. I just don't - I don't have the energy for that, and so I... Agnostic separates me from the conduct of atheists whether or not there is strong overlap between the two categories, and at the end of the day I'd rather not be any category at all.

Let us resolve to talk more to believers about the Bible when we meet them. Alas, the conversation of Christians, when they do meet, is often sadly unprofitable! How many frivolous, and trifling, and uncharitable things are said! Let us bring out the Bible more, and it will help to drive the devil away, and keep our hearts in tune. Oh, that we may all strive so to walk together in this evil world; that Jesus may often draw near, and go with us, as He went with the two disciples journeying to Emmaus!

I went to Catholic high school for half a year and religion wasn't the cool thing to talk about even at a catholic high school. It never came up.

There are Christians who think there were seven actual days, or that creation was over time. They have answers for dinosaurs and things of that nature. And I don't claim to have any of those answers. And I understand people wanting to have discussions about it.

Christians need to embrace that there need to be believers talking about love and social issues and all other aspects of life.

Whether or not God is dead: it is impossible to keep silent about him who was there for so long.

Maybe we need more dialogue in terms of our faith, in terms of those who are believers, or even nonbelievers, about that aspect, and what that might mean if you were interpreting. You don't have to believe it; maybe you could draw a metaphor from it.

Back in the '50s and '60s, most politicians were concerned about not talking about faith, partly because there were consequences you had to deal with - (for instance) Catholicism had been made an issue.

If we take away any of the attributes of God, we do not weaken God but we weaken our concept of God.

Painless preaching is as good a term as any for what we do.

I will always try to share my faith with any person who is willing to listen. When I feel a wall go up, we can talk about something else... and I will pray for you.

I'm very, very serious about my Catholicism and Hillary Clinton views that as a real asset. And we've talked about our faith lives, as she asked me to be on the ticket with her.

I got a sense of the amazingness of ordinary life, and I became aware of the marvel that we're around to begin with. I visited a lot of extreme communities, like the Amish, Hasidic Jews, and serpent-handlers. And I was proud, because I think I'm the first person to ever out-Bible-talk a Jehovah's Witness. After four hours, he said, "Okay, I have to go."

Is it possible to have a grown-up debate about the failings of Islam, Christianity and Judaism? And how do you offer criticisms of Islam in particular without appearing - however unintentionally - to back up some very nasty stereotypes and prejudices?

For as spiritual as some people think my books are, I've never really dealt with religious things.

I don't like to talk about it in those terms; it's impossible to describe who or what God "is." Suppose you were a horse, and you were asked to describe what a human being was like. You couldn't do it.

I do not purpose to discuss faith in its dogmatic sense today.

Some of the cases which have come to light of employers being disciplined or sacked for simply trying to talk about their faith in the workplace I find quite extraordinary. The sanitisation will lead to people of faith excluding themselves from the public space and being excluded.

I miss the days when faith was discussed in public and not the most intimate details of our personal lives.

I argue that the resurrection was not the Great Resuscitation. It was a total transformation. I just don't accept the black-and-white thinking that goes along with needing to regard the gospels are literally true.

Debating religious beliefs are a red line, a deep red line.

Much as I like and admire Richard Dawkins, I do think that to call a book 'The God Delusion' is very worrying because the title implies that if you don't believe in what I believe then you are 'deluded.' That, I think, is a dangerous concept and one that is unlikely to win hearts and minds.

Religion embarrasses the commentators. It is offbounds. An editor of the old Life magazine once assigned me a book on religion with remark that I was the only 'religious nut' - his term for a believer - in his stable of regular reviewers.

God has hardwired me to thoroughly enjoy and be sharpened by good and friendly theological discussion about the gospel.

Sincere Christians can disagree about the details of Scripture and theology - absolutely.