Every faith in the world is based on fabrication. That is the definition of faith―acceptance of that which we imagine to be true, that which we cannot prove. Every religion describes God through metaphor, allegory, and exaggeration, from the early Egyptians through modern Sunday school. Metaphors…
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Dan Brown
Daniel Gerhard "Dan" Brown (born June 22, 1964) is an American author of thriller fiction who is best known for the 2003 bestselling novel The Da Vinci Code. Brown's novels are treasure hunts set in a 24-hour period, and feature the recurring themes of cryptography, keys, symbols, codes, and conspiracy theories. His books have been translated into 52 languages, and as of 2012, sold over 200 million copies. Three of them, Angels & Demons (2000), The Da Vinci Code (2003), and Inferno (2013), have been adapted into films. Brown's novels that feature the lead character Robert Langdon also include historical themes and Christianity as motifs, and as a result, have generated controversy. Brown states on his website that his books are not anti-Christian, though he is on a 'constant spiritual journey' himself, and says that his book The Da Vinci Code is simply "an entertaining story that promotes spiritual discussion and debate" and suggests that the book may be used "as a positive catalyst for introspection and exploration of our faith." 2Early life Dan Brown was born and raised in Exeter, New Hampshire, the eldest of three children. He grew up on the campus of Phillips Exeter Academy, where his father, Richard G. Brown, was a teacher of mathematics and wrote textbooks from 1968 until his retirement in 1997. Brown's parents are singers and musicians, having served as church choir masters, with his mother, Constance (Gerhard), serving as church organist. Brown was raised an Episcopalian, but has stated he had drifted away from Christianity before finding a renewed interest in religion. Brown's interest in secrets and puzzles stems from their presence in his household as a child, where codes and ciphers were the linchpin tying together the mathematics, music, and languages in which his parents worke
Should we wave a flag and tell the Buddhists that we have proof the Buddha did not come from a lotus blossom? Or that Jesus was not born of a literal virgin birth? Those who truly understand their faiths understand the stories are metaphorical.
If we all worshipped gravity, there would be no disagreements over which way it pulled.
I am not saying I know for a fact there is no God. All I am saying is that if there is a divine force behind the universe, it is laughing hysterically at the religions we've created in an attempt to define it.
I call it 'Newton's Third Law of Child Rearing: For every lunacy, there is an equal and opposite lunacy.
"For the human brain," Edmond explained, "any answer is better than no answer. We feel enormous discomfort when faced with 'insufficient data,' and so our brains invent the data-- offering us, at the very least, the illusion of order--creating myriad philosophies, mythologies, and religions to…
We comfort our physical bodies in hopes our souls will follow.
Spiritual beliefs are etched deeply on our psyches at a young age by those we love and trust most -- our parents, our teachers, our religious leaders. Therefore, any religious shifts occur over generations, and not without great angst, and often bloodshed.
The devout can always benefit from listening to nonbelievers.
Historically, the most dangerous men on the earth were men of God...especially when their gods became threatened.
Well, science and religion are not competitors, they're two different languages trying to tell the same story. There's room in this world for both.