49 quotes found
"I do feel one learns more from one's failures than from one's successes,"
"Without my work I would be a neurotic mess."
"The Vicomtesse alias Moira Lister - even though she is on the wrong side of 60, is looking like an exquisite, flawless Gainsborough cameo."
"[A] cigar-smoking Barbara Cartland,"
"The sinners would have included those who did not pay their tithes (one tenth of their income) to the priests, and those who were negligent about the sabbath rest and about ritual cleanliness. The laws and customs on these matters were so complicated that the uneducated were quite incapable of understanding what was expected of them. Education in those days was a matter of knowing .. the law and all its ramifications. The illiterate and uneducated were inevitably lawless and immoral. The ‘am ha-arez, or uneducated peasants, ‘the rabble who know nothing of the law’ (John 7:49) were regarded by even the most enlightened Pharisees, like Hillel, as incapable of virtue and piety."
"The sinners … did not even have the consolation of feeling they were in God’s good books. The educated people told them that they were displeasing to God and “they ought to know.”"
"The sinners … had been taught to think of sin as the failure of observe laws of which they were usually quite ignorant. Sin was therefore not always a fully deliberate act."
"The remarkable thing about Jesus was that, although he came from the middle class and had no appreciable disadvantages himself, he mixed socially with the lowest of the low and identified himself with them. He became an outcast by choice. Why did Jesus do this? What would make a middle-class man talk to beggars and mix socially with the poor? What would make a prophet associate with the rabble who know nothing of the law? The answer comes across very clearly in the gospels: compassion."
"Miracles are very often thought of, both by those who believe in them and by those who do not, as events, or purported events, that contradict the laws of nature and that therefore cannot be explained by science or reason. But this is not at all what the Bible means by a miracle, as any Biblical scholar will tell you. “The laws of nature” is a modern scientific concept. The Bible knows nothing about nature, let alone the laws of nature."
"Rejoicing and celebrating with sinners was incomprehensibly scandalous (Luke 15:1). They [the Pharisees] could only assume that he [Jesus] had become a pleasure-seeker, “a drunkard and a glutton” (Luke 7:34)."
"There can be no doubt that Jesus was a remarkably cheerful person and that his joy, like his faith and hope, was infectious. This was in fact the most characteristic and most noticeable difference between Jesus and John. As we shall see later, Jesus feasted while John fasted (Luke 7:31-34)."
"The Christian belief in heaven originated after the death of Jesus with the idea that he had been taken up into heaven or exalted to the right hand of God."
"Many Christians have been misled for centuries about the nature of God’s kingdom by the well-known mistranslation of Luke 17:21: “The kingdom of God is within you.” Today all serious scholars and translators would agree that the test should read: “The kingdom of God is among you or in your midst.” The Greek word entos can means “within” or “among.”"
"The kingdom of God, like any other kingdom, cannot be within a man; it is something within which a man can live."
"The much quoted text, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36) does not mean that the kingdom is not, or will not be, in this world or on this earth. … When Jesus and his disciples are said to be in the world but not of the world, the meaning is clear enough. Although they live in the world they are not worldly, they do not subscribe to the present values and standards of the world. … The values of the kingdom [of God] are different from, and opposed to, the values of this world. There is no reason for thinking that it means the kingdom will float in the air somewhere above the earth or that it will be an abstract entity without any tangible social and political structure."
"“Those who humble themselves will be exalted” is not a promise of future prestige to those who have no prestige now or to those who have given up all reliance upon prestige. It is the promise that they will no longer be treated as inferior but will receive full recognition as human beings. Just as the poor are not promised wealth but the satisfaction of their needs — no one shall want; so the little ones are not promised status and prestige but the full recognition of their dignity as human beings."
"The leaders and scholars of Jesus’ time had first enslaved themselves to the law. This not only enhanced their prestige in society, it also gave them a sense of security. Man fears the responsibility of being free. It is often easier to let others make the decisions or to rely upon the letter of the law. Some men want to be slaves. After enslaving themselves to the letter of the law, such men always go on to deny freedom to others. They will not rest until they have imposed the same oppressive burdens upon everyone (Matt 23:4,15)."
"Jesus wanted to liberate everyone from the law — from all laws. But this could not be achieved by abolishing or changing the law. He had to dethrone the law. He had to ensure that the law be man’s servant and not his master (Mark 2:27-28). Man must therefore take responsibility for his servant, the law, and use it to serve the needs of mankind."
"Martyrdom in Africa will bear credible testimony when it has that particular courage which enables it to rise above the racial and tribal divides that terrorize this continent."
"In the South African society there is an increase of the temptation to resort to violence to deal with any problem. There are still many people living in poverty, who are losing hope for a better future. Especially among the young unemployed despair prevails. I think we should solve problems by involving all: government, mining companies, trade unions and churches."
"South Africa's leadership thinks that respect for human rights is a sufficient basis for democracy. However all the country's religious leaders, not only Catholics, say this is not enough: strong supported must be given to moral values to ensure correct social progress."
"We'll get through this, the Church has been through a whole lot worse than this, but the thing is when you're in the middle of the storm, most of the time, all you comprehend is the storm. And when you're in that storm, it's like, when will this ever end? Because all your energy is focused on getting out of the storm and getting through the storm alive. You lose sense that it was calm before the storm, and there'll be calm afterwards and life will go on."
"It would be a tragedy if in our deliberations we gave the impressions that the modem section of our communities is not of concern to us. This pain and suffering calls for the defence of the dignity of the African people. It makes it imperative that the Church in Africa continue to place at the heart of its ministry matters of justice. This justice must embrace both the way in which we treat each other as Africans and the manner of dealings of others who interact with us."
"He spent most of his time and energy putting up structures in his new diocese and renewing institutions. He was a servant leader, who was influential, humble and a community builder. The clergy and laity of Klerksdorp remember him as a leader of faith, who trusted God and who insisted on the love of God and the love of neighbor."
"We can't forget that we are just laborers in the Lord's vineyard; we can't forget that the Church will outlive us and will continue to operate even after we are gone"
"I asked her where the posters in his room came from. She told me she had found some magazines in the forest at a spot where some soldiers had camped and had brought them home. This was shortly before the sexual murders started. I believe those pin-ups were the catalyst that triggered the fantasy that had been brewing inside Zikode since his childhood. His mother had unwittingly lit the tinder which had erupted into a blaze and cost many women their lives."
"The motive is settled deep within the unconscious psyche, and the serial killer is unaware of this. By ‘irresistible compulsion’ I do not mean that serial killers have absolutely no power over the urge to kill. Many of them experience the urge as an external force taking control of their own will and forcing them to commit murder, a force they perceive they cannot resist."
"South Africa has the third highest murder rate in the world, with Colombia and Swaziland ahead of it. The high rate of murder illustrates the amount of work that a Murder and Robbery detective has to cope with, and yet South Africa holds the record for apprehending serial killers within three to six months of a special investigation team being established, provided the serial killer stays active."
"Every human being passes through five psychosexual developmental phases. They are the oral phase, anal phase, Oedipus or phallic phase, latency phase and the genital phase. A person can fixate in any of these phases and failure to resolve the fixation would be cause for pathology. A layman’s term for a fixation would be a mental short-circuit. It is an individualistic reaction to being exposed to too much or too little of something."
"I had never thought when I did my work that someone would make a TV series about it."
"I was recommended and appointed, as I was writing my doctorate thesis about serial killers."
"I was a tool to help them perform their job of catching criminals and when they saw that my contribution was valuable, they taught me about investigation for I knew nothing about it. In return, I taught them about profiling, and this is how this whole idea came about to train and teach them. I founded the Investigative Psychology Unit of the South African Police Service and worked actively with the detectives I trained."
"Good men and good women can stand together to fight injustice."
"It came after the weeks of intense classes that I conducted in order to teach detectives. There was also an advanced course. At the end of it, I told them “Well, what are you waiting for? Go catch me a killer!” This is how it became the title of the book."
"Since television series or films are often a dramatization of the events that happen in our lives, this has prompted me to launch my own YouTube Channel where I authentically speak about my experiences."
"One of the drawbacks we face today with the internet is the existence of clickbait or synthetic sensational information."
"As a professional psychologist, I therefore, through my YouTube Channel, offer authentic knowledge about forensic psychology. I want this platform to be inspirational and educational for everyone, free of cost and accessible."
"They are not Artificial Intelligence (AI)--generated monsters or Marvel comic book superheroes as often depicted in fictional series. The majority are not mentally ill. They are human beings, they could be your neighbour. Many people would presume that serial killers would be super intelligent, but they are not. They are normal people with average intelligence; few are intelligent and most are not."
"I am somewhere in Mauritius, for example, at the Odysseo oceanarium where one can see the sharks swimming with other fish. Now to us, it’s a dangerous shark but to the other fish, it’s just another fish. It is dangerous, but not a monster, just a fish. This is an analogy of how serial killers are, they move among us; just another person going about their daily lives."
"Having trained the detectives, I told them that if we think of serial killers as enemies, it will be difficult but if we understand them, we will be a step ahead and able to arrest them. But, it isn’t about just arresting them, it is about gathering evidence to get them convicted."
"I never told my family about the full nature of my work. Years later, my father read my book and he was shocked, saying that this was dangerous. I had to reassure him that it was all in the past, and I was now safe. I resigned from the police with the rank equivalent to senior superintendent in 2000."
"I am living from a place of healing."
"Serial killers are not monsters; they are human beings with tortured souls. I will never condone what they do, but I can understand them."
"Serial killers exist there, and if one really wants to find them, that is where one has to look. One cannot begin to understand a serial killer's mind if one is unprepared and if one does not know what they feel. One does not have to be raped to acquire empathy for a rape victim. I did not have to kill to understand why others do, but I had to go through some harrowing experiences in order to understand."
"Post modernity maintains that reality is a social construct, that truth is what you make of it. There is no objective truth. It further asserts that reality is a text to be interpreted and your interpretation is as valid as that of the next person. God himself has been knocked off the pedestal."
"It is my personal conviction that inculturation proper goes hand in hand with the emergence of the local clergy who are born and bred and work in their milieu. Such men will know and understand both their own traditional culture and Christ's gospel message. This is to say the promotion of local diocesan priests forms an essential part of inculturation."
"Although South Africa is only 9% Catholic, of the 440 members of Parliament, 22% are Catholic. However, and this is an important point, the Office liaises with, does research for and informs ALL Parliamentarians irrespective of their religious or political backgrounds. We have a number of full-time researchers who do in-depth research on all aspects of legislation coming before Parliament. We do this from a Gospel-based value system, drawing heavily from Catholic Social Teaching. Parliamentarians have neither the resources nor the time to do their own in-depth research on any given subject. Therefore these research papers are very much appreciated by many."
"We must make sure that our country does not become one of those nations where the murder of candidates before elections is considered normal. Given the sacredness of life, the death of even one candidate during an election must be considered one too many."
"We came to recognise him as a gentle, caring and warm-hearted pastor. Through his gentleness, caring and warmth, he made an immediate impact on everyone who was privileged to make his acquaintance."