We cannot start with God and deduce the universe from his existence we must start with the world as we know it, and deduce God from the world.

Religion is very enlightening - to those who don't understand it.

Who knows the origin of religion? Certainly not the one who believes in it. Understanding and belief are quite antagonistic. The man who understands religion does not believe in it, the man who believes in it does not understand it.

Worship God. It’s easier than thinking.

Atheism, the absence of belief in gods, is a comparatively late phenomenon in history.

If one believes in a god, one is a Theist. If one does not believe in a god, then one is an A-theist — he is without that belief. The distinction between atheism and theism is entirely, exclusively, that of whether one has or has not a belief in God.

Gods are fragile things, they may be killed by a whiff of science or a dose of common sense.

If there is a god, the only genuine friend he has is an atheist. He does not blame him for anything.

All my life I have made it a rule never to permit a religious man or woman take for granted that his or her religious beliefs deserved more consideration than non-religious beliefs or anti-religious ones. I never agree with that foolish statement that I ought to respect the views of others when I believe them to be wrong.

It's usually easier to rouse stupidity to action than to arouse wisdom to effort, for wisdom sees alternatives while stupidity lacks the imagination to do this. All sinister interests in a country can depend ultimately upon the strength of stupidity.

Persecution is the compliment paid by a threatened lie to a conquering truth.