“The ultimate is a challenge, not an assertion. Dogmas are allusions, not descriptions.”

—  Abraham Joshua Heschel

"No Religion is an Island", p. 264
Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity: Essays (1997)
Context: Religion is critique of all satisfaction. Its end is joy, but its beginning is discontent, detesting boasts, smashing idols. It began in Ur Kasdim, in the seat of a magnificent civilization. Yet Abraham said, "No," breaking the idols, breaking away. And so every one of us must begin by saying no to all visible, definable entities pretending to be triumphant, ultimate. The ultimate is a challenge, not an assertion. Dogmas are allusions, not descriptions.

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Abraham Joshua Heschel 130
Polish-American Conservative Judaism Rabbi 1907–1972

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