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The old Catholic church traditions are worth more than all…

“The old Catholic church traditions are worth more than all you have said. Here is a principle of logic that most men have no more sense than to adopt. I will illustrate it by an old apple tree. Here jumps off a branch and says, I am the true tree, and you are corrupt. If the whole tree is corrupt…” quote by Joseph Smith, Jr
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“The old Catholic church traditions are worth more than all you have said. Here is a principle of logic that most men have no more sense than to adopt. I will illustrate it by an old apple tree. Here jumps off a branch and says, I am the true tree, and you are corrupt. If the whole tree is corrupt, are not its branches corrupt? If the Catholic religion is a false religion, how can any true religion come out of it? If the Catholic church is bad, how can any good thing come out of it?”

Joseph Smith, Jr

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 argues that if an institution is fundamentally corrupt, any offsprings or teachings from it are also corrupt.

In simple terms: If the source is bad, its products are bad.

Key Takeaway

Question the foundations before accepting derived ideas.

Themes

religion logic criticism

Mood

skeptical critical

Type

philosophical argumentative

When to use this quote

  • theological debate
  • personal belief
  • institutional critique

Key Concepts

corruption inheritance authority null

Questions to Reflect On

  • Can a good idea emerge from a flawed system?
  • How do we evaluate the purity of a tradition?
A Different Perspective

Assumes all branches inherit corruption equally; exceptions may exist.

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