"Even the most fervent atheists often have sacred things in their life: They see humanity or the natural world as inviolable, uniquely precious and mysterious.... It may be that the atheism that is taking hold is a rejection of a widespread idolatry which has forgotten that any conception of the divine is bound to be inadequate."
Karen Armstrong
"I am confident that a dialogue with those who call themselves “atheists” would not only be good for the church but it would also allow deep and profound truth to emerge"
(ex-Bishop) John Shelby Spong
"...we have too much in common for us not to talk."
Pastor Lyle Dukes
"The moderate voice has been a weak one, allowing both religious extremism and militant atheism to capture the headlines"
Baroness Rabbi Julia Neuberger
"I would say to my friends who don’t believe in God: Those of us who do believe, know—and honor—more about your position that we or our institutions may say. We should do better. We should be clearer that we include doubt in the life of faith. And, we don’t expect to be free of your hard questions, ever. Yet we believe, and practice, and face life everyday as you do. There’s common ground here, plenty enough to have a productive conversation."
Rev William Tully
""..one’s underlying emotional stance is something that cannot really be changed, and therefore there cannot be a really productive, fruitful dialogue. However, what sometimes happens is that people of different belief systems meet each other and somehow come to appreciate that the other is also a person. And that is a great achievement."
Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz
"There are innumerable opportunities for believers and those who deny any belief to work for the betterment of other human beings as well as the earth and its non-human inhabitants."
Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori
"Atheists deserve respect and a respectful hearing. But the acoustics necessary for such a hearing are not to be found in an arena of argument, only in a context of conversation."
Reverend William J. Byron
"I know lots of atheists. They include some of the most moral and selfless people I have ever met...I have discovered that there is much more that unites them than divides them. What could unite theists and atheists? Values. The commitment to make the world a better place...Some theists are saints and some are scoundrels, and exactly the same is true of atheists. You can't determine a person's character by finding out his or her theory of reality....People don't need to fear eternal torture in hell in order to be moral."
Rev. Chris Schriner, Mission Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation
"We are not saying that only people or communities of faith have anything to offer in the making of good cities. We pay tribute to the thousands of people who would not claim - and in some cases would shun - association with religion or faith yet who selflessly work for the common good. We also want to recognise that there are many people of faith who chose to put their talents and energy at the disposal of secular organisations and institutions rather than through specifically religious initiatives. It is all to the good"
The Commission on Urban Life and Faith
"It is not to say there are no ethical standards outside of faith"
Tim Stevens, Bishop of Leicester
"Let me offer the universe to people. We are in the universe and the universe is in us. I don't know any deeper spiritual feeling that those thoughts."
Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist, Hayden Planetarium, New York
"Let's teach our children about the story of the universe and its incredible richness and beauty. It is so much more glorious and awesome and even comforting than anything offered by any scripture or God-concept that I know of."
Carolyn Porco, planetary scientist, Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colorado
"The axiom that values come from reason or religion is wrong... There are better ways of ensuring moral motivation than scaring the crap out of people."
Patricia Churchland, philosopher, University of California, San Diego
"It doesn't take away from love that we understand the biochemical basis of love."
Sam Harris, author of The End of Faith