THE POWER OF STORY

'Opposed to the brutally coercive power of the Roman state, Christians brought a conviction as potent as it was subversive: that they were actors in a cosmic drama.' 

Tom Holland, Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind. p.92. 

A VALID POINT?

'In my pastoral work I've started to suspect that the more someone was exposed to religious messages about controlling their desires, avoiding sexual thoughts, and not lusting in their hearts, the less likely they are to be integrated physically, emotionally, sexually, and spiritually. I've also noticed that the less integrated physically, emotionally, sexually, and spiritually someone is, the more pornography they tend to consume. This is anecdotal evidence and not a scientific study. Nonetheless, I'd like to congratulate conservative Christians on their success in bolstering an industry they claim to despise.' 

Nadia Bolz-Weber, Shameless: A Sexual Reformation, p.140.