To call on them to give up their illusions about their condition is to call on them to give up a condition that requires illusions. The criticism of religion is, therefore, in embryo, the criticism of that vale of tears of which religion is the halo.

The weapon of criticism can never replace the criticism of weapons.

For great men, religion is a way of making friends; small people make religion a fighting tool.

Just in terms of allocation of time resources, religion is not very efficient. There's a lot more I could be doing on a Sunday morning

The moral systems of religion, I think, are super important.

I agree with people like Richard Dawkins that mankind felt the need for creation myths. Before we really began to understand disease and the weather and things like that, we sought false explanations for them. Now science has filled in some of the realm - not all - that religion used to fill.