The Bible is one of the most genocidal books in history.

The people who were honored in the Bible were the false prophets. It was the ones we call the prophets who were jailed and driven into the desert.

Human decency is not derived from religion. It precedes it.

Many religions now come before us with ingratiating smirks and outspread hands, like an unctuous merchant in a bazaar. They offer consolation and solidarity and uplift, competing as they do in a marketplace. But we have a right to remember how barbarically they behaved when they were strong and were making an offer that people could not refuse.

Our belief is not a belief. Our principles are not a faith. We do not rely soley upon science and reason, because these are necessary rather than sufficient factors, but we distrust anything that contradicts science or outrages reason. We may differ on many things, but what we respect is free inquiry, openmindedness, and the pursuit of ideas for their own sake.

God did not create man in his own image. Evidently, it was quite the other way about, which is the painless explanation for the profusion of gods and religions, and the fratricide both between and among faiths, that we see all about us and that has so retarded the development of civilization.

To terrify children with the image of hell, to consider women an inferior creation—is that good for the world?

One must state it plainly. Religion comes from the period of human prehistory where nobody-not even the mighty Democritus who concluded that all matter was made from atoms-had the smallest idea what was going on. It comes from the bawling and fearful infancy of our species, and is a babyish attempt to meet our inescapable demand for knowledge (as well as for comfort, reassurance and other infantile needs). Today the least educated of my children knows much more about the natural order than any of the founders of religion, and one would like to think-though the connection is not a fully demonstrable one-that this is why they seem so uninterested in sending fellow humans to hell.

I suppose that one reason I have always detested religion is its sly tendency to insinuate the idea that the universe is designed with 'you' in mind or, even worse, that there is a divine plan into which one fits whether one knows it or not. This kind of modesty is too arrogant for me.

Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful.

God enjoins you to treat women well, for they are your mothers, daughters, aunts.

In the Bible it says they asked Jesus how many times you should forgive, and he said 70 times 7. Well, I want you all to know that I'm keeping a chart.

All thinking men are atheists.

I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live my life as if there isn't and die to find out there is.

A Muslim must not hate his wife; and if he be displeased with one bad quality in her, then let him be pleased with another that is good.

The love of the world is the root of all evil.

This world is a prison for the Faithful, but a Paradise for unbelievers.

The most excellent Jihad is that for the conquest of self.

Do you love your creator? Love your fellow-beings first.

The mystery of the beginning of all things is insoluble by us; and I for one must be content to remain agnostic.

Attach yourself to what is spiritually superior, regardless of what other people think or do. Hold to your true aspirations no matter what is going on around you.

We should take care not to make the intellect our god; it has, of course, powerful muscles, but no personality.

I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own - a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. Neither can I believe that the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotisms.

I believe in Spinoza's God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with the fates and actions of human beings.

A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death.

We are now in the twenty-first century... The world is also facing a lot of new problems, most of which are man made. The root cause of these man made problems is the inability of human being to control their agitated minds. How to control such a state of mind is taught by the various religions of this world.

The impermanence of this present life will force you to leave all wealth behind, bu by giving it away, you can take it with you as good karma.

In general, I always state that I have three commitments in life. On the level of a religious practitioner, my second commitment is the promotion of religious harmony and understanding amongst different religious traditions. Despite philosophical differences, all major world religions have the same potential to create better human beings. It is therefore important for all religious traditions to respect one another and recognize the value of each other's respective traditions.

All major religious traditions have teachings on the practice o compassion, love, forgiveness, but the Buddha has become a symbol of nonviolence around the world, a symbol of compassion. All ancient masters teach the same message, but the Buddha's message is not just for humanity alone; it is for all sentient beings. It puts a strong emphasis on respect for all forms of life.

Buddhist are concerned not only for this life but for life after life, on and on. We count not weeks or months or even years, but lives and eons.

Mischievous people often use religious faith for their own interest and create conflict. We have to look at the real message of all these traditions.

Some Westerners follow Tibetan Buddhism and adopt the dress - this is too extreme. The important thing is to take the spiritual aspects and not the cultural side.

The Tibetan Buddhist tradition teaches us to view all sentient beings as our dear mothers and to show our gratitude by loving them all. For, according to Buddhist theory, we are born and reborn countless numbers of times, and it is conceivable that each being has been our parent at one time or another. In this way all beings in the universe share a family relationship.

In theistic religions like Buddhism, Buddhist values are incorporated. In nontheistic religions, like some of the ancient Indian thought, the law of karma applies. If you do something good, you get a good result. Now, what we need is a way to educate nonbelievers. These nonbelievers may be critical of all religions, but they should be decent at heart. The happiness and success of humanity depend on this.

I always consider myself as a simple Buddhist monk. I feel that is the real me. I feel that the Dalai Lama as a temporal ruler is a man-made institution. As long as the people accept the Dalai Lama, they will accept me. But being a monk is something which belongs to me. No one can change that.

Buddhism is more than a religion. It is a science of the mind.

One cannot comprehend Him through reason, even if one reasoned for ages.

Music is my religion.

You have to go on and be crazy. Craziness is like heaven.

I've looked on many women with lust. I've committed adultery in my heart many times. God knows I will do this and forgives me.

I don't know whether I believe in God or not. I think, really, I'm some sort of Buddhist. But the essential thing is to put oneself in a frame of mind which is close to that of prayer.

A Muslim has five duties towards another Muslim; to return a salutation, visit the sick, follow funerals, accept an invitation and say 'God have mercy on you' when one sneezes.

Act kindly towards women, for they were created from a rib and the most crooked part of the rib is its top. If you attempt to straighten it you will break it, if you leave it alone it will remain crooked: so act kindly towards women.

He who has in his heart as much faith as a grain of mustard seed will not enter hell, and he who has in his heart as much pride as a grain of mustard seed will not enter paradise.

A powerful, yet often misunderstood, aim of spiritual study is purity. Purity of the soul means to return to its original divine qualities. The soul has become so polluted with less than divine qualities, it can hardly enjoy being alive. Purifying the soul puts the higher self back in charge - useless and negative thoughts are removed and annoying habits finish. A pure soul cannot be touched by sorrow; indeed the power of purity is such, it serves to remove the sorrow of the whole world. Purity restores happiness - even bliss. All you need to do, in order to re-establish your purity, is want it. But you need to want it intensely, to the exclusion of everything else. The one thought, "I must become completely pure". sparks a fire of love between you and God. This fire melts away all the pollution, and your purity becomes such a power that it frees you from all battles for ever.

It is when we silence the chattering of our mind that we can truly hear what is in our heart and find the still, clear purity that lies within the soul. Spiritual love carries us into the silence of our original state of being. This silence contains the power to create harmony in all relationships and the sweetness to sustain them. And it is when I am silent within that I can let God into my heart and mind filling me with peace, love and power.

Silence is not a lack of communication. There is a subtle language that connects us to one another through the eyes, with a smile, or a gesture. In moving into an inner space of silence, we are attuning ourselves to the spirit of nature and letting go of the tendency to be critical. Silence provides the opportunity for me to identify the qualities in myself that have the capacity to transform me. In silence I can connect to the highest quality of my lightest, clearest thinking. In silence I can listen to the call of God, the call of nature, the call of others in need.

Nothing around us is constant. The stock markets go up and down; natural resources alternate between abundance and scarcity; people move between happiness and sadness. If we fluctuate with those scenes we are unable to be constant internally. But when we turn to the One who is permanently radiating virtues, we receive power and become unshakable. God offers all His potential to us. He is ever constant in being the light that never fades.

I don't believe in an afterlife, so I don't have to spend my whole life fearing hell, or fearing heaven even more. For whatever the tortures of hell, I think the boredom of heaven would be even worse.

God exists, if only in the form of a meme with high survival value, or infective power, in the environment provided by human culture.