How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"Believe me, it gives us no pleasure to destroy men's faiths, but all the world's religions cannot be right, and they know it. Sooner or later man has to learn the truth: but that time is not yet." (2.82)
Religion as a source of truth and morality becomes obsolete when the Overlords arrive. As the quote says, they couldn't all be correct, and given the existence of the extraterrestrials, you'd think a prophet or two might have mentioned them.
Quote #2
Their interminable poker games were punctuated with violent political arguments, and it soon became obvious to Stormgren that the big Pole had never thought seriously about the causes for which he was fighting. Emotion and extreme conservatism clouded all his judgments. (3.79)
In Childhood's End, the source for morality is not centered on feelings or emotions, but on reason and thinking. This isn't to say that emotions don't have a purpose—there are still diehard sports fans in the future—it's just that ethics are not based upon them.
Quote #3
There were some things that only time could cure. Evil men could be destroyed, but nothing could be done with good men who were deluded. (4.96)
An interesting aspect of Childhood's End is that there really aren't any "bad guys" in the story. Instead, a couple of good men feel that other men are deluded, and vice versa. Which leads us to the Buffalo Springfield quandary: Is nobody right if everybody's wrong?