--- title: "1 God Absolute Quotes By Richard Holloway" description: "1 God Absolute quotes by Richard Holloway. Plus more from Richard Holloway and more God Absolute sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca0/richard-holloway-26700_figures-of-speech_all-theology-is-a-doomed-but-necessary-a_876489.jpg" --- > [“All theology is a doomed but necessary attempt to express the inexpressible. God is the elusive mystery we try to capture and convey in language, but how can that ever be done? If the word water is not itself drinkable,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-holloway/all-theology-is-a-doomed-but-necessary-attempt-to-express-the/) [Richard Holloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-holloway/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca0/richard-holloway-26700_figures-of-speech_all-theology-is-a-doomed-but-necessary-a_876489.jpg) ## More by Richard Holloway > [The wrong question to ask of a myth is whether it is true or false. The right question is whether it is living or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-holloway/the-wrong-question-to-ask-of-a-myth-is-whether-it-is-true-or-false/) [Richard Holloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-holloway/) > [God is waiting eagerly to respond with new strength to each little act of self-control, small disciplines of prayer, feeble searching after him. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-holloway/god-is-waiting-eagerly-to-respond-with-new-strength-to-each-little/) [Richard Holloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-holloway/) > [“We know you are going to be enthralled by the mystery of sexuality, which is hardly surprising since it is the energy of life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-holloway/we-know-you-are-going-to-be-enthralled-by-the-mystery-of-sexuality/) [Richard Holloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-holloway/) > [The institutions that claim to represent God, when they are not ignored altogether, are treated like other human institutions that have to earn their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-holloway/the-institutions-that-claim-to-represent-god-when-they-are-not/) [Richard Holloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-holloway/) > [“Hannah Arendt scorned this preoccupation with death and proposed a new symbolism that emphasized not the inevitability of our dying, but the actuality of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-holloway/hannah-arendt-scorned-this-preoccupation-with-death-and-proposed-a/) [Richard Holloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-holloway/) > [“We will go on producing myths, ways of explaining ourselves to ourselves but, like everything else about us, they are in constant transition and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-holloway/we-will-go-on-producing-myths-ways-of-explaining-ourselves-to/) [Richard Holloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-holloway/) > [The use of God in moral debate is so problematic as to be almost worthless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-holloway/the-use-of-god-in-moral-debate-is-so-problematic-as-to-be-almost/) [Richard Holloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-holloway/) > [“All theology is a doomed but necessary attempt to express the inexpressible. God is the elusive mystery we try to capture and convey in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-holloway/all-theology-is-a-doomed-but-necessary-attempt-to-express-the/) [Richard Holloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-holloway/) > [Simplicity, clarity, singleness: These are the attributes that give our lives power and vividness and joy as they are also the marks of great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-holloway/simplicity-clarity-singleness-these-are-the-attributes-that-give-our/) [Richard Holloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-holloway/) > [“Christian theological history is filled with stories of groups who have developed theories of the election of themselves to salvation and the damnation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-holloway/christian-theological-history-is-filled-with-stories-of-groups-who/) [Richard Holloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-holloway/) > [When true forgiveness happens it is one of the most astonishing and liberating of the human experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-holloway/when-true-forgiveness-happens-it-is-one-of-the-most-astonishing-and/) [Richard Holloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-holloway/) > [There are many strengths in modern society, but one of its weaknesses is the breakdown of many of the old structures and networks that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-holloway/there-are-many-strengths-in-modern-society-but-one-of-its-weaknesses/) [Richard Holloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-holloway/) > [When a popular phenomenon reaches the cover of 'Time,' it is already out of fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-holloway/when-a-popular-phenomenon-reaches-the-cover-of-time-it-is-already-out/) [Richard Holloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-holloway/) > [“One of the most important elements in the evolution of human institutions is the emergence of the difficult customer within the system itself, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-holloway/one-of-the-most-important-elements-in-the-evolution-of-human/) [Richard Holloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-holloway/) > [“Truth is rarely simple and seldom obvious, which is why mature institutions recognise the importance of conflict and disagreement. Christianity was born in conflict,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-holloway/truth-is-rarely-simple-and-seldom-obvious-which-is-why-mature/) [Richard Holloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-holloway/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-absolute/richard-holloway/#itemlist", "name": "1 God Absolute Quotes By Richard Holloway", "numberOfItems": 1, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“All theology is a doomed but necessary attempt to express the inexpressible. God is the elusive mystery we try to capture and convey in language, but how can that ever be done? If the word water is not itself drinkable, how can the words we use to express the mystery of God be themselves absolute? They are metaphors, analogies, figures of speech, yet religious people have slaughtered and condemned each other over these experimental uncertainties. Our glory and agony as humans is that we long to find words that will no longer be words, mere signifiers, but the very experience they are trying to signify; and our tragedy is that we never succeed. 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