Goodness, armed with power, is corrupted; and pure love without power is destroyed. Reinhold Niebuhr More Quotes by Reinhold Niebuhr More Quotes From Reinhold Niebuhr All men are naturally included to obscure the morally ambiguous element in their political cause by investing it with religious sanctity. Reinhold Niebuhr political religious men The separation of church and state is necessary partly because if religion is good then the state shouldn't interfere with the religious vision or with the religious prophet. There must be a realm of truth beyond political competence, that's why there must be a separation of churches, but if religion is bad and a bad religion is one that gives an ultimate sanctity to some particular cause. Then religion mustn't interfere with the state - so one of the basic Democratic principles as we know it in America is the separation of church and state. Reinhold Niebuhr religious giving america Humor is a prelude to faith and laughter is the beginning of prayer. Reinhold Niebuhr laughter prayer happiness Evil is not to be traced back to the individual but to the collective behavior of humanity. Reinhold Niebuhr behavior humanity evil Love is the motive, but justice is the instrument. Reinhold Niebuhr instruments justice love-is We don't properly discriminate. We never discriminate properly when we're dealing with another group and one of the big problems about religion is that religious people don't know that they are probably as flagrant in these misjudgments as irreligious people. Reinhold Niebuhr groups religious people The significance of the law of love is precisely that it is not just another law, but a law which transcends all law. Reinhold Niebuhr significance law love-is Self-righteousness is the inevitable fruit of simple moral judgments. Reinhold Niebuhr fruit simple self Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in a lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope. Reinhold Niebuhr accomplishment lifetime success Frantic orthodoxy is never rooted in faith but in doubt. It is when we are unsure that we are doubly sure. Reinhold Niebuhr orthodoxy wisdom doubt The final test of religious faith... is whether it will enable men to endure insecurity without complacency or despair, whether it can so interpret the ancient verities that they will not become mere escape hatches from responsibilities but instruments of insights into what civilization means. Reinhold Niebuhr responsibility religious mean All men who live with any degree of serenity live by some assurance of grace. Reinhold Niebuhr serenity grace men There are historic situations in which refusal to defend the inheritance of a civilization, however imperfect, against tyranny and aggression may result in consequences even worse than war. Reinhold Niebuhr political war civilization The final wisdom of life requires not the annulment of incongruity but the achievement of serenity within and above it. Reinhold Niebuhr moving-on achievement wisdom Cheese, wine, and a friend must be old to be good. Reinhold Niebuhr cheese be-good wine One of the most pathetic aspects of human history is that every civilization expresses itself most pretentiously, compounds its partial and universal values most convincingly, and claims immortality for its finite existence at the very moment when the decay which leads to death has already begun. Reinhold Niebuhr decay moments civilization The cross symbolizes a cosmic as well as historic truth. Love conquers the world, but its victory is not an easy one. Reinhold Niebuhr conquer-the-world historic victory If we survive danger it steels our courage more than anything else. Reinhold Niebuhr survival steel courage [There is] an increasing tendency among modern men to imagine themselves ethical because they have delegated their vices to larger and larger groups. Reinhold Niebuhr groups vices men The chief source of man's inhumanity to man seems to be the tribal limits of his sense of obligation to other men. Reinhold Niebuhr inhumanity-to-man limits men
