Religion is our human response to the dual reality of being alive and having to die. Knowing we are going to die not only places an acknowledged limit upon our lives, it also gives a special intensity and poignancy to the time we are given to live and love. The fact that death is inevitable gives meaning to our love, for the more we love the more we risk losing. Love’s power comes in part from the courage required to give ourselves to that which is not ours to keep: our spouses, children, parents, dear and cherished friends, even life itself. It also comes from the faith required to sustain that courage, the faith that life, howsoever limited and mysterious, contains within its margins, often at their very edges, a meaning that is deceptive.
— Forrest Church
Quote contexts:
http://oruuc.blogspot.com/2010/01/religion-is-our-human-response-to-dual.html
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2009/02/27/february-27-2009-forrest-church-interview/860/
