Take St. Augustine, for instance. "Asshole” was the only word that fit him. A monster of ego and selfishness. St. Francis was about as saintly as a p… - Philip José Farmer

These people who expect to be saints in heaven, though they were not on Earth, have ignored the wisdom of the founders of the great religions. This wisdom is that the kingdom of heaven is within you and that you do not go to heaven unless you are already in it. The magic must be wrought by you and you alone. God has no fairy wand to tap the pig and turn it into a swan.

People ignore this. And those who believe in sinners burning in hell are, perhaps, not so much concerned with going to heaven as with being sure that sinners-–others-–roast forever in the flames.

By the Providence that did not exist, events had worked out perfectly.

You should have waited to find out the true situation, madame. But then…scarcely anyone ever does.