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Religion is a superstition that originated in man`s mental inability to solve natural phenomena. The Church is an orgainized institution that has always been stumbling to block progress.
Emma Goldman
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Emma Goldman critiques religion as a mental construct born from humanity's struggle to explain nature, suggesting that organized religion hinders progress.

This quote by Emma Goldman reflects her critical view of religion and organized institutions. She argues that religion is born from humanity's inability to comprehend natural phenomena, portraying it as a superstition rooted in fear and misunderstanding. Furthermore, she suggests that organized religious institutions have historically impeded social and intellectual progress, stifling innovation and development. Goldman's perspective emphasizes the need for rational thought and the potential for human advancement when liberated from outdated beliefs.

Themes

ReligionSuperstitionProgressInstitutionNatural Phenomena

In practice

Example use cases

In a debate about the role of religion in education, one might cite this quote to argue for a more secular approach.

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To the indefinite, uncertain mind of the American radical the most contradictory ideas and methods are possible. The result is a sad chaos in the radical movement, a sort of intellectual hash, which has neither taste nor character.
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John Burroughs has stated that experimental study of animals in captivity is absolutely useless. Their character, their habits, their appetites undergo a complete transformation when torn from their soil in field and forest. With human nature caged in a narrow space, whipped daily into submission, how can we speak of its potentialities?
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Anarchism is the only philosophy which brings to man the consciousness of himself; which maintains that God, the State, and society are non-existent, that their promises are null and void, since they can be fulfilled only through man's subordination.
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If love does not know how to give and take without restrictions, it is not love, but a transaction that never fails to lay stress on a plus and a minus.
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