{"quotes":[{"text":"The differences between religions are reflected very clearly in the different forms of sacred art: compared with Gothic art, above all in its “flamboyant” style, Islamic art is contemplative rather than volitive: it is “intellectual” and not “dramatic”, and it opposes the cold beauty of geometrical design to the mystical heroism of cathedrals. Islam is the perspective of “omnipresence” (“God is everywhere”), which coincides with that of “simultaneity” (“Truth has always been”); it aims at avoiding any “particularization” or “condensation”, any “unique fact” in time and space, although as a religion it necessarily includes an aspect of “unique fact”, without which it would be ineffective or even absurd. In other words Islam aims at what is “everywhere center”, and this is why, symbolically speaking, it replaces the cross with the cube or the woven fabric: it “decentralizes” and “universalizes” to the greatest possible extent, in the realm of art as in that of doctrine; it is opposed to any individualist mode and hence to any “personalist” mysticism. To express ourselves in geometrical terms, we could say that a point which seeks to be unique, and which thus becomes an absolute center, appears to Islam—in art as in theology—as a usurpation of the divine absoluteness and therefore as an “association” (shirk); there is only one single center, God, whence the prohibition against “centralizing” images, especially statues; even the Prophet, the human center of the tradition, has no right to a “Christic uniqueness” and is “decentralized” by the series of other Prophets; the same is true of Islam—or the Koran—which is similarly integrated in a universal “fabric” and a cosmic “rhythm”, having been preceded by other religions—or other “Books”—which it merely restores. The Kaaba, center of the Muslim world, becomes space as soon as one is inside the building: the ritual direction of prayer is then projected toward the four cardinal points.If Christianity is like a central fire, Islam on the contrary resembles a blanket of snow, at once unifying and leveling and having its center everywhere.","author":"Frithjof Schuon","tags":["art","islam","perennial-philosophy","religions","sufism"],"id":946,"author_id":"Frithjof+Schuon"},{"text":"While you were busy trying to prove God stands behind you, God was before me lighting the trail, so he could lead us both.","author":"Shannon L. Alder","tags":["be-kind","building-people-up","commandments","communicate","conflict","dogma","end-it-with-talking","facebook","forgive","god","gospel","hidden-agendas","insecure","jilted","love-everyone","low-self-esteem","making-a-point","mental-illness","move-on","neighbors","novels","obviousness","out-there","over-the-top","piety","pious","practice-what-you-preach","preaching","privacy","problems","reach-out","relationships","relentless","religion","religions","ridiculous","rules","self-righteousness","silly","slighted","talk","tearing-people-down","upfront","worthless"],"id":7615,"author_id":"Shannon+L.+Alder"},{"text":"If your religion doesn't respect the rights of other religions, it is lacking something.","author":"Roger Ebert","tags":["religion","rights","religions "],"id":30165,"author_id":"Roger+Ebert"},{"text":"Whenever He answers prayers, God usually prioritizes those by people who, instead of their mouths, have prayed with their hands and/or feet.","author":"Mokokoma Mokhonoana","tags":["act","action","aphorism","aphorisms","aphorist","aphorists","arm","arms","atheism","atheist","atheists","believer","believers","church","churches","churchgoer","churchgoers","congregation","congregations","daydream","daydreamer","daydreamers","do","doer","doers","fate","feet","foot","funny","god","gods","hand","hands","hilarious","humor","humorous","humour","joke","jokes","karma","leg","legs","nonbeliever","nonbelievers","pagan","pray","prayed","prayer","prayers","praying","praying-man","praying-men","praying-woman","praying-women","prioritize","priority","quotations","quotes","religion","religions","satire","synagogue","synagogues","wish","wishful-thinking","worship","worshiper","worshipers","worshipper","worshippers"],"id":30707,"author_id":"Mokokoma+Mokhonoana"},{"text":"The esoteric finds the Absolute within the traditions, as poets find poetry within the poems.","author":"Frithjof Schuon","tags":["perennial-philosophy","religions","unity"],"id":32278,"author_id":"Frithjof+Schuon"},{"text":"Religion is that which congregate all the resources for spirituality (to attain the Self).","author":"Dada Bhagwan","tags":["knowledge-of-self","knowledge-of-the-self","religion","religions","religious","self","soul","spiritual","spiritual","spirituality","the-self","the-soul"],"id":37109,"author_id":"Dada+Bhagwan"},{"text":"The religion I am talking about here is plain everyday humanism. That’s exactly what the person named Jesus attempted to spread, but due to innate psychological reasons, his pupils ended up constructing yet another orthodox circle with its own distinct beliefs, ideals and fantasies.","author":"Abhijit Naskar","tags":["beliefs","brainy","christ","christianity","christians","compassion","consciousness","evolutionary-psychology","fantasies","gods","human-mind","human-nature","ideals","jesus","jesus-christ","jesus","love","love-thy-neighbor","neurotheology","philosophy","prophets","religion","religions","religious-diversity","science-and-religion","science-of-human-nature","science-of-mind","self-preservation","truth"],"id":47268,"author_id":"Abhijit+Naskar"},{"text":"Nationalism is form of collective narcissism, where the citizens possess an inflated self-love of 'their own people,' to the exclusion of other human beings.","author":"Bryant McGill","tags":["beliefs","faith","justification","religions","trust"],"id":49648,"author_id":"Bryant+McGill"},{"text":"Someone once said to me, 'There are so many religions in the world. They can't all be right.' And my reply was, 'Well, they can't all be wrong either.' All religions in the world today share more commonalities than differences, yet language blinds many from seeing these truths. Some people will tell me that what I write about is straight from their holy book, but the truth is that the main principles found in all holy books were already engraved in all our hearts. If you think common sense, the golden rule and knowing right from wrong are exclusive only to your faith, then you need to open yourself up to the rest of the world's religions.","author":"Suzy Kassem","tags":["belief","books","catholicism","christianity","common-sense","conscience","dualism","ethical","ethics","faith","god","god","golden-rule","higher-power","hinduism","honor","islam","judaism","literature","love","moral-philosophy","morality","philosophy","politics","principles","religion","religions","relkigion","right","right-and-wrong","suzy-kassem","truth","universe","world-religions","wrong"],"id":50935,"author_id":"Suzy+Kassem"},{"text":"Jerusalem! My Love,My TownI wept until my tears were dryI prayed until the candles flickeredI knelt until the floor creakedI asked about Mohammed and ChristOh Jerusalem, the fragrance of prophetsThe shortest path between earth and skyOh Jerusalem, the citadel of lawsA beautiful child with fingers charredand downcast eyesYou are the shady oasis passed by the ProphetYour streets are melancholyYour minarets are mourningYou, the young maiden dressed in blackWho rings the bells at the Nativity Church, On sunday morning?Who brings toys for the childrenOn Christmas eve?Oh Jerusalem, the city of sorrowA big tear wandering in the eyeWho will halt the aggressionOn you, the pearl of religions?Who will wash your bloody walls?Who will safeguard the Bible?Who will rescue the Quran?Who will save Christ, From those who have killed Christ?Who will save man?Oh Jerusalem my townOh Jerusalem my loveTomorrow the lemon trees will blossomAnd the olive trees will rejoiceYour eyes will danceThe migrant pigeons will returnTo your sacred roofsAnd your children will play againAnd fathers and sons will meetOn your rosy hillsMy townThe town of peace and olives.","author":"نزار قباني","tags":["aggression","bible","christ","jerusalem","muhammad","olives","peace","prophets","quran","religions","sepulchre"],"id":52045,"author_id":"%D9%86%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%B1+%D9%82%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A"}],"pagination":{"page":1,"page_size":10,"total":87,"pages":9,"next":"?page=2\u0026page_size=10"}}