Religious people often prefer to be right rather than compassionate. Often, they dont want to give up their egotism. They want their religion to endorse their ego, their identity. – Karen Armstrong

After I left the convent, for 15 years I was worn out with religion, I wanted nothing whatever to do with it. I felt disgusted with it. If I saw someone reading a religious book on a train, Id think, how awful. – Karen Armstrong

Now I think one of the reasons why religion developed in the way that it did over the centuries was precisely to curb this murderous bent that we have as human beings. – Karen Armstrong