Paine on national churches 5 Apr 2010 All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian, or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit. [Thomas Paine; Writings of Thomas Paine, volume 4, Age of Reason, chapter 1] This is sometimes misquoted as “All churches are human inventions…” Politics Quotes Religion Quotes
Evolution Popes, evolution, and creation 1 Feb 2008 A rather cute article at the Catholic News Service says this: In commentaries, papal speeches, scientific conferences and philosophical exchanges, the Vatican has been focusing more and more on the relationship between God and evolution. From the outside, this may seem a reaction to the U.S. debate over creationism versus… Read More
Administrative Australian Easter bits 9 Apr 2009 A young gorilla escaped from his enclosure at the Melbourne Zoo last night and wandered about for 20 minutes while craven visitors hid out. I would have sat and waited for him to introduce himself. And paid good money for the chance. A moron by the name of Cardinal George… Read More
Evolution Evolution quotes: Diderot 14 Aug 201115 Aug 2011 It seems that nature has taken pleasure in varying the same mechanism in a thousand different ways. She never abandons any class of her creations before she has multiplied the individuals of it in as many different forms as possible. When one looks out upon the animal kingdom and notes… Read More
I think the key word in this passage is “institutions”. Note Paine leaves out the word religion entirely in this context.