 Behind a leader there must be followers, but they should always be on the lookout for the main chance and ready to change sides if the current leader doesn't deliver. |
| Inside a religious body you get sects and hierarchies, inside an information network you get bazaars and cathedrals, it is the same, call them what you like. They survive by pointing the finger of blame at each other. |
| When we are reflecting on terrorism we can grieve for many things we do and have done. |
| If people want to compete for leadership of a religious group, they can compete in piety. A chilling thought. Or funny. |
| Inequality can have a bad downside, but equality, for its part, sure does get in the way of coordination. |
| It is very reasonable to worry about the harm done by organized religion, and to prefer looser and more private arrangements. |
| An escalating, violent tit-for-tat may lead to terrorism. |
| Some scholars have been arguing that a civilizational clash between organized religions is the next step in human history. |
| Just in our lifetime our society has become looser and more private, it becomes extremely difficult to hold to any permanent commitment whatever, least of all to organized religion. |
| It's unlikely that the organized religions will get more sectarian... or is it? I am not at all sure. |
| The history of the Church of Rome is a constant leakage of members into such breakaway cults, which go on splitting. |
| Hierarchy works well in a stable environment. |
| Pretensions to moral superiority are devastatingly destructive. |
| It is only partly true that religion does more harm than good in society. The community makes God into the image it wants, vengeful, or milky sweet, or scrupulously just, and so on. |
| Enclave life becomes very tense, Even when they do elect a leader, the factions remain, with the threat of splitting off. |
| What did our nation ever do to provoke these madly vicious enemies? What is seen as injustice in one place is seen as just requital in the other. |
| Without that assured American largesse Israel would have been obliged to come to an accommodation with her neighbours. |
| Mormons... are so strong, they can handle wealth, they are confident. I think it is because they are not bogged down by rules for equality, but have a firmly defined system of relative status and responsible command. |
| I am sure it must be true that people opt out of the mainstream society because they feel that there are going to be no rewards for them, if they stay. |
| Any great organization can go through sectarian phases. |
