I will follow my logic, no matter where it goes, after it has consulted with my heart. If you ever come to a conclusion without calling the heart in, you will come to a bad conclusion.
Robert Green IngersollRead
The Catholics have a Pope. Protestants laugh at them, and yet the Pope is capable of intellectual advancement. In addition to this, the Pope is mortal, and the church cannot be afflicted with the same idiot forever. The Protestants have a book for their Pope. The book cannot advance. Year after year, and century after century, the book remains as ignorant as ever.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote contrasts the adaptability of leadership in the Catholic Church with the static nature of Protestantism, suggesting that a living leader can evolve, while a book cannot.
Robert Green Ingersoll's quote highlights the distinction between the leadership structure of Catholicism, represented by the Pope, and Protestantism, represented by the Bible. He points out that while the Pope can grow intellectually, learn, and change, the Protestant reliance on a static text results in an unchanging and potentially outdated perspective. The critique suggests that progress and enlightenment lie in human thought and adaptability rather than in rigid doctrines.
Themes
PopeProtestantsIntellectualKnowledgeAdvancementBook
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about the evolution of religious thought.
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I believe that there is something far nobler than loyalty to any particular man. Loyalty to the truth as we perceive it - loyalty to our duty as we know it - loyalty to the ideals of our brain and heart - is, to my mind, far greater and far nobler than loyalty to the life of any particular man or God. . . .
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