Religious Persecution Quotes

• Persecution is not an original feature in any religion; but it is always the strongly marked feature of all religions established by law.

  Thomas Paine

  Motivation, Law, Religion

  The Rights of Man pt. 1 (1791)

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• Once you attempt legislation upon religious grounds, you open the way for every kind of intolerance and religious persecution.

  William Butler Yeats

  Religious, Atheism, Way

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• I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do, because I notice it always coincides with their own desires.

  Susan B. Anthony

  Inspirational, God, Death

  Lynn Sherr, Susan B. Anthony (1995). “Failure Is Impossible: Susan B. Anthony in Her Own Words”, Crown

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• Religious persecution may shield itself under the guise of a mistaken and over-zealous piety.

  Edmund Burke

  Religious, Atheism, Zealous

  Speech, 18 February 1788, in E. A. Bond (ed.) 'Speeches...in the Trial of Warren Hastings' (1859) vol. 1, p. 104

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• The religious persecution of the ages has been done under what was claimed to be the command of God.

  Susan B. Anthony

  Religious, Atheist, Diversity

  Lynn Sherr, Susan B. Anthony (1995). “Failure Is Impossible: Susan B. Anthony in Her Own Words”, Crown

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• Religious tolerance is something we should all practice; however, there have been more persecution and atrocities committed in the name of religion and religious freedom than anything else.

  Walter Koenig

  Religious, Atrocities Committed, Practice

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• The spirit of religious persecution is not the special failing of any particular faith, but springs eternal in the human breast.

  Dion Fortune

  Religious, Spring, Special

  "Experience of the Inner Worlds". Book by Gareth Knight, 1975.

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• The sole purpose and effect of it is to exclude persecution and to secure the important right of religious liberty.

  Oliver Ellsworth

  Religious, Important, Atheism

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• Religious bondage shackles and debilitates the mind and unfits it for every noble enterprise.... During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. What have been its fruits? More or less, in all places, pride and indolence in the clergy; ignorance and servility in laity; in both, superstition, bigotry, and persecution.

  James Madison

  Religious, Atheist, Ignorance

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• I beg you be persuaded that no one would be more zealous than myself to establish effectual barriers against the horrors of spiritual tyranny, and every species of religious persecution.

  George Washington

  Spiritual, Religious, Religion

  George Washington (1837). “The Writings of George Washington: pt. V. Speeches and messages to Congress, proclamations, and addresses”, p.155

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• ... happily the Government of the United States... gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.

  George Washington

  Atheist, Government, Giving

  Letter to Hebrew congregation of Newport, R.I., 17 Aug. 1790

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• Religion which requires persecution to sustain, it is of the devil's propagation.

  Hosea Ballou

  Devil, Persecution, Persecuted

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• People who prefer to believe the worst of others will breed war and religious persecutions while the world lasts.

  Dorothy L. Sayers

  Religious, War, Believe

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• Systems of religious error have been adopted in times of ignorance. It has been the interest of tyrannical kings, popes, and prelates to maintain these errors. When the clouds of ignorance began to vanish and the people grew more enlightened, there was no other way to keep them in error but to prohibit their altering their religious opinions by severe persecuting laws. In this way persecution became general throughout Europe.

  Oliver Ellsworth

  Religious, Kings, Ignorance

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• It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights.

  George Washington

  Exercise, Rights, Class

  George Washington, John Clement Fitzpatrick, David Maydole Matteson (1792). “The Writings of George Washington from the Original Manuscript Sources, 1745-1799”, p.93

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• It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people, that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights. For happily the government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction - to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens.

  George Washington

  Patriotic, Exercise, Rights

  George Washington, John Clement Fitzpatrick, David Maydole Matteson (1792). “The Writings of George Washington from the Original Manuscript Sources, 1745-1799”, p.93

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• Religious freedom is often referred to as America's first freedom. Our country was founded by religious exiles and built on the belief that God has given all people certain inalienable rights. Government's role in society is to protect these rights and ensure that we are safe from religious persecution and discrimination.

  Marco Rubio

  Country, Religious, Rights

  Source: www.cnn.com

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• Historically the Puritans left England to escape religious persecution, and they promptly turned around and started persecuting the people they didn't agree with - the scarlet letter A, and the stocks and the dunking board came from that. That puritanism is still there.

  Hugh Hefner

  Religious, People, Boards

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• President Obama understands that, as a nation founded by those who fled religious persecution, freedom of religion is central to who we are as Americans. Our rights are not given to us by government, they are endowed by our Creator.

  Denis McDonough

  Religious, Rights, Government

  Denis McDonough's Speech on International Religious Freedom, obamawhitehouse.archives.gov. September 12, 2012.

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• Monotheistic religions alone furnish the spectacle of religious wars, religious persecutions, heretical tribunals, that breaking of idols and destruction of images of the gods, that razing of Indian temples and Egyptian colossi, which had looked on the sun 3,000 years: just because a jealous god had said, Thou shalt make no graven image.

  Arthur Schopenhauer

  Religious, War, Jealous

  "Religion: A Dialogue" by Arthur Schopenhauer,

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• The one distinct feature of our Association has been the right of the individual opinion for every member. We have been beset at every step with the cry that somebody was injuring the cause by the expression of some sentiments that differed with those held by the majority of mankind. The religious persecution of the ages has been done under what was claimed to be the command of God. I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do to their fellows, because it always coincides with their own desires.

  Susan B. Anthony

  Religious, Expression, People

  Speech at a meeting of the National-American Woman Suffrage Association Convention, www.thelizlibrary.org. 1896.

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• If Christianity were true religious persecution would become a pious and charitable duty: if God designs to punish men for their opinions it would be an act of mercy to mankind to extinguish such opinions. By burning the bodies of those who diffuse them many souls would be saved that would otherwise be lost, and so there would be an economy of torment in the long run. It is therefore not surprising that enthusiasts should be intolerant.

  William Winwood Reade

  Running, Religious, Men

  William Winwood Reade (1876). “The Martyrdom of Man”, p.228

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• Ever since you're little you hear this: 'The pilgrims left England to escape religious persecution and sneak religious freedom into the new world.' But even when you're little you're like, 'Umm.. Bullsh*t?'

  Greg Proops

  Religious, Funny Thanksgiving, World

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• Our two nations have a lot in common, when you think about it. We were both founded by immigrants escaping religious persecution in other lands. We both have built vibrant democracies. Both our countries are founded on certain basic beliefs, that there is an Almighty God who watches over the affairs of men and values every life. These ties have made us natural allies, and these ties will never be broken.

  George W. Bush

  Country, Religious, Men

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• Among all the religious persecutions with which almost every page of modern history is stained, no victim ever suffered but for violation of what Government denominated the law of God. To prevent a similar train of evils in this country, the Constitution has wisely withheld from our Government the power of defining the divine law.

  Richard Mentor Johnson

  Country, Religious, Government

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