Clergymen almost necessarily fail in two ways as teachers…
“Clergymen almost necessarily fail in two ways as teachers of morals. They condemn acts which do no harm and they condone acts which do great harm.”
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The quote critiques moral teachers who inconsistently condemn harmless acts while condoning harmful ones.
In simple terms: Points out inconsistency in moral teaching.
Demand consistent moral standards.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- academic curricula
- public discourse
- media commentary
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- What criteria define harmful versus harmless?
- How can moral educators avoid inconsistency?
Complex moral issues may resist simple categorization.