If the concept of God has any validity or any use, it can only be to make us larger, freer, and more loving. If God cannot do this, then it is time we got rid of Him.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The value of a divine concept is measured by whether it expands human freedom and love; if not, it should be discarded.
- In plain terms
- God only makes sense if He makes people better and freer.
- What can you take from it?
- Evaluate spiritual beliefs by their practical impact on human growth.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What makes a belief system valuable?
- Does faith always liberate?
Another view
It assumes religion's sole purpose is individual moral expansion.
More from James Baldwin
Christianity has operated with an unmitigated arrogance and cruelty - necessarily, since a religion ordinarily imposes on those who have discovered the true fa…
Permalink to quote #25 I do not know many Negroes who are eager to be 'accepted' by white people, still less to be loved by them; they, the blacks, simply don't wish to be beaten ove…
Permalink to quote #27 Perhaps the whole root of our trouble, the human trouble, is that we will sacrifice all the beauty of our lives, will imprison ourselves in totems, taboos, cro…
Permalink to quote #24
Related quotes
Si Dieu nous a fait a son image, nous le lui avons bien rendu.
VoltaireVoltaire quote #23 What is this jest in majesty? This ass in passion? How do God and Devil combine to form a live dog?
Vladimir NabokovVladimir Nabokov quote #1 Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this divinity within, by controlling nature, external and internal. Do this either by work, or worship…
Swami VivekanandaSwami Vivekananda quote #1