Quotes

"Reason is the Devil's harlot, who can do nought but slander and harm whatever God says and does." 

~ Martin Luther

“Reason is the Devil’s greatest whore; by nature and manner of being she is a noxious whore; she is a prostitute, the Devil’s appointed whore; whore eaten by scab and leprosy who ought to be trodden under foot and destroyed, she and her wisdom… Throw dung in her face to make her ugly. She is and she ought to be drowned in baptism… She would deserve, the wretch, to be banished to the filthiest place in the house, to the closets.”

~ Martin Luther, Works, Erlangen Edition v. 16, pp. 142-148.

“Reason is the greatest enemy that faith has; it never comes to the aid of spiritual things, but—more frequently than not—struggles against the divine Word, treating with contempt all that emanates from God.”

~ Martin Luther, Table Talks in 1569.

“Heretics are not to be disputed with, but to be condemned unheard, and whilst they perish by fire, the faithful ought to pursue the evil to its source, and bathe their heads in the blood of the Catholic bishops, and of the Pope, who is the devil in disguise.”

~ Martin Luther, Table Talks (as quoted in Religious History: An Inquiry by M. Searle Bates, p. 156).

Let me interject that there are many excuses made for what Luther said about Reason, and that these quotes are taken out of context, because Luther was only referring to Reason when in got in the way of people believing the Bible/listening to God, so it doesn't apply to Reason in general. *pfft! Such excuses seem to prove the point far greater than the quotes themselves! So, Reason is fine and dandy until it interferes with our ability to question the Bible and it's god? This whole thing makes me laugh...

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"We sacrifice the intellect to God."

~ Ignatius Loyola

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"Looking up at the stars, I know quite well

That for all they care, I can go to hell."

~ W.H. Auden, "The More Loving One"

This quote tickled my fancy more than anything else, but at the same time there was a certain profundity about it.