“I just have a sense that, you know, I'm curious about what is religion...” — Elaine Pagels Quote

“I just have a sense that, you know, I'm curious about what is religion about, you know? Why do some of us still engage it? It's not because it's a set of old beliefs or old ideas. Or even, particularly, the view that this is the only true religion. Many of us no longer accept those views.”

“We use the word 'synoptic' to talk about Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and it really means 'seeing together,' because they all have a similar perspective. Matthew and Luke - whoever wrote those Gospels - used Mark as a focus and as a basic story. So all of them have a lot in common.”

“People who study the way religions develop have shown that if you have a charismatic teacher, and you don't have an institution develop around that teacher within about a generation to transmit succession within the group, the movement just dies.”

“The Romans weren't trying to kill all the Jews, but they did destroy Jewish resistance to Roman rule. Jerusalem was turned into a Roman army camp, and it was a total devastation.”

“Startling as the Gospel of Judas sounds, it amplifies hints we have long read in the Gospels of Mark and John that Jesus knew and even instigated the events of his passion, seeing them as part of a divine plan.”

“Writing a novel is an incredibly free experience. One puts one's self in a narrative mode. You can go off in any direction - the past, the future, or go laterally, or include one's own beliefs. It's total freedom.”

“There is nothing that can help you understand your beliefs more than trying to explain them to an inquisitor.”

“Social media should be more like a cocktail party than anything else. You can have your fun jokes, and you can also express yourself and your beliefs. It's a conversation, not a sledgehammer.”

“I think that the Conservative Party has to do better in reaching diverse communities, in letting people know that they're inclusive of people of all beliefs and persuasions and races and religions... People see the party as too white and too male, and they don't see diverse representation.”

“While everyone I work with may not share my beliefs, I have been surrounded by nothing but support.”

“Please continue to voice your beliefs, as your participation is the foundation of our country's democracy.”