Forced Belief Quotes

Religion has certainly been shoved down my throat.

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

It is as absurd to argue men, as to torture them, into believing.

... we ought even to hold as a fixed principle that what I see white I believe to be black, if the superior authorities define it to be so.

PESSIMISM- philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile.

Belief is with them mechanical, voluntary: they believe what they are paid for - they swear to that which turns to account. Do you suppose, that after years spent in this manner, they have any feeling left answering to the difference between truth and falsehood?

I'm an atheist - a good old North Korean-style atheist.

Faith is like love, it cannot be forced. Therefore it is a dangerous operation if an attempt be made to introduce or bind it by state regulations; for, as the attempt to force love begets hatred, so also to compel religious belief produces rank unbelief.

The man who says to me, "Believe as I do, or God will damn you," will presently say, "Believe as I do, or I shall assassinate you."

We cannot command the religion of our subjects, since no-one can be forced to believe against his will.

A man must now swallow more belief than he can digest.

Freedom of religion also implies the right not to have or profess a religion. This is sometimes overlooked. It is a sad commentary on religion that religionists, probably quite well-meaning at times, have throughout history tried to force fellow human beings into a required religious mold. Apart from the very wrong theological assumptions involved, this is a flagrant violation of the dignity of the human person. Coerced religion is demeaning and of little value.

A pious man is one who would be an atheist if the king were.

No one has ever abandoned a belief because he was forced to do so.

Some people say that we here have no freedom of religion, ... In reality, the people in that country are the ones who were forced to embrace a religion.

unless a religion springs from within the people themselves, it is a weapon of the system.

The daughter of an ordained minister, I had been forced to go to church since I was a toddler. I hated church and resented being forced to recite the Apostle's Creed, mumbling, 'I believe... ' when I didn't.