Today's "Freethought of the Day" from the Freedom From Religion Foundation is this insightful little quotation from Blaise Pascal:
I have pointed out (here, here, here, and here) that, far from being a source of morality, religion is actually a source of moral insanity. It causes believers to do things that are morally insane because their morality has been twisted to serve the charlatans who sell religious "services". As usual, my observations are mere echoes of those made in the past. Pascal is usually known as a religious apologist, but apparently even he could not help but notice that the alleged fount of morality often seemed to have the direct opposite effect from that advertised. It is too bad he didn't give that observation more thought; he might have begun to wonder whether he should ever defend religion.
“Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction.”
— Blaise Pascal, French philosopher, Pensees (1623-1662)
I have pointed out (here, here, here, and here) that, far from being a source of morality, religion is actually a source of moral insanity. It causes believers to do things that are morally insane because their morality has been twisted to serve the charlatans who sell religious "services". As usual, my observations are mere echoes of those made in the past. Pascal is usually known as a religious apologist, but apparently even he could not help but notice that the alleged fount of morality often seemed to have the direct opposite effect from that advertised. It is too bad he didn't give that observation more thought; he might have begun to wonder whether he should ever defend religion.
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