Instead of blaming victimization on the victims, the Gospels blame it on the victimizers. What the myths systematically hide, the Bible reveals. Rene Girard More Quotes by Rene Girard More Quotes From Rene Girard We are aware that globalization doesn't mean global friendship but global competition and, therefore, conflict. That doesn't mean we will all destroy each other, but it is no happy global village, either. Rene Girard villagecompetitionhappyfriendship Individualism is a formidable lie. Rene Girard lieindividualismformidable If you scapegoat someone, it's a third party that will be aware of it. It won't be you. Because you will believe you are doing the right thing. Rene Girard doingsomeoneyoubelieve We don't even know what our desire is. We ask other people to tell us our desires. We would like our desires to come from our deepest selves, our personal depths - but if it did, it would not be desire. Desire is always for something we feel we lack. Rene Girard feelknowdesirepeople I do not read many periodicals, and I have little or no contact with progressive Christians, so I don't really know what goes on with them. It seemed to me that very often, the progressive Christianity was an initial step in de-Christianization, but this was probably unfair. Rene Girard stepknowmeunfair Each person must ask what his relationship is to the scapegoat. I am not aware of my own, and I am persuaded that the same holds true for my readers. We only have legitimate enmities. And yet the entire universe swarms with scapegoats. Rene Girard i-ammy-ownuniverserelationship A scapegoat remains effective as long as we believe in its guilt. Rene Girard remainsguiltlongbelieve When we judge, we are always in a psychic space which is circular. Rene Girard whichjudgealwaysspace When scandals proliferate, human beings become so obsessed with their rivals that they lose sight of the objects for which they compete and begin to focus angrily on one another. Rene Girard losehumanfocussight In preventing a riot and dispersing a crowd, the Crucifixion is an example of cathartic victimization. Rene Girard crowdvictimizationriotexample I think the most influential aspect of my work is to show that Judaism and Christianity exist in a continuity with archaic religions. Rene Girard religionsi-thinkthinkwork Western civilization is, no doubt, predominantly on the side of secular relativism. That is not true in the Islamic world, where faith dominates. Rene Girard truefaithdoubtworld Paradoxically, we have become so ethnocentric in our relativism that we feel it is only okay for others - not us - to think their religion is superior! Rene Girard feelthinkokayreligion All of my work has been an effort to show that Christianity is superior and not just another mythology. Rene Girard showjusteffortwork When the whole world is globalized, you're going to be able to set fire to the whole thing with a single match. Rene Girard yousinglefireworld The profound self is a universal self. Rene Girard universalselfprofound Humanity is the child of religion. Rene Girard childhumanityreligion Why is our own participation in scapegoating so difficult to perceive and the participation of others so easy? To us, our fears and prejudices never appear as such because they determine our vision of people we despise, we fear, and against whom we discriminate. Rene Girard nevervisionfearpeople Salvation lies in imitating Christ, in other words, in imitating the 'withdrawal relationship' that links him with his Father... To listen to the Father's silence is to abandon oneself to his withdrawal, to conform to it. Rene Girard wordssilencerelationshipfather More than ever, I am convinced that history has meaning - and that its meaning is terrifying. Rene Girard meaningi-ammorehistory
