#organize

Since then your sere Majesty and your Lordships seek a simple answer, I will give it in this manner, neither horned nor toothed. Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. May God help me. Amen." (Reply to the Diet of Worms, April 18, 1521) ↗

— Martin Luther

#christian #conscience #freedom-of-religion #freedom-of-thought #organized-religion

Government, in the last analysis, is organized opinion. Where there is little or no public opinion, there is likely to be bad government. ↗

— Mackenzie King

#bad #bad government #government #last #likely

Half the people in the world think that the metaphors of their religious traditions, for example, are facts. And the other half contends that they are not facts at all. As a result we have people who consider themselves believers because they accept metaphors as facts, and we have others who classify themselves as atheists because they think religious metaphors are lies. ↗

— Joseph Campbell

#believers #metaphor #myth #organized-religion #religion

As Lynn writes: "What angers me is the loss of control. At any moment someone could come to me, be dressed the right way and use the right code, and I no longer have free will. I will do anything that person requests. I hate them for that. Nothing else is as bad as knowi that I am always out of control; knowing that I am still a laboratory experiment, a puppet whose strings are hidden from ever but my handlers, and I don't yet know how to break free. p216

— Lynn Hersha

#control #free-will #government-abuse #manipulation #military

Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived. ↗

— Isaac Asimov

#bible #organized-religion #religion #religion

If organized religion is the opium of the masses, then disorganized religion is the marijuana of the lunatic fringe. ↗

— Kerry Thornley

#fringe #lunatic #masses #opium #organized

Almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so. ↗

— Robert A. Heinlein

#danger #law #organized-religion #power #religion

Our findings with reference to organized crime was that organized crime as an entity didn't participate in the assassination of the president. However, we were unable to preclude the possibility of individual members of organized crime having participated. ↗

— Louis Stokes

#crime #entity #findings #having #however

I wish to note that intellectual property theft by a government represents the very essence of organized crime. ↗

— Howard Berman

#essence #government #i #i wish #intellectual

The problem is essentially that of communications to an army in action. After a rapid advance communications become disorganized, and there is a temporary halting until they are again in working order. ↗

— John Desmond Bernal

#advance #after #again #army #become