How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"The expulsion from Eden to the bitter lands of the east is a parable for the massive deployment of Israelites to Assyria following Sargon II's victory." (30.70)
The story of Eden from the Bible may not be about good and evil; it may be a recasting of actual historical events. A political parable, even. Chew on that one for a while.
Quote #5
"Ninety-nine percent of everything that goes on in most Christian churches has nothing whatsoever to do with the actual religion. Intelligent people all notice this sooner or later, and they conclude that the entire one hundred percent is bulls***, which is why atheism is connected with being intelligent in people's minds." (8.63)
You go, Juanita—tell those atheists not to throw out the baby with the bathwater. Even smart people can fall victim to that mentality.
Quote #6
For example, when one of his programmers and her husband engaged in oral sex in their own bedroom one night, the next morning she was called into Rife's office, where he called her a slut and a sodomite and told her to clean out her desk. (14.39)
And here we see one of the downsides of religion: It can make you into a judgmental jerk like Rife. Okay, so Rife probably would've been a jerk no matter what, but having rigid religious beliefs made it easier for him to condemn others' behavior.