--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm not religious in any formal sense…" description: "\"I'm not religious in any formal sense, not in any God sense.\" — Al Purdy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed1/al-purdy-39939_catholic_i-m-not-religious-in-any-formal-sense-no_1406789.png" --- # I'm not religious in any formal sense, not in any God sense. ![“I'm not religious in any formal sense, not in any God sense.” quote by Al Purdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed1/al-purdy-39939_catholic_i-m-not-religious-in-any-formal-sense-no_1406789.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed1/al-purdy-39939_catholic_i-m-not-religious-in-any-formal-sense-no_1406789.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed1/al-purdy-39939_catholic_i-m-not-religious-in-any-formal-sense-no_1406789.png) > “I'm not religious in any formal sense, not in any God sense.” [Al Purdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-purdy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He rejects organized religion and any concept of a deity, preferring personal belief over formal doctrine. **In simple terms:** No formal religion or God belief. Key Takeaway Embrace personal spirituality. Themes individualism skepticism spirituality Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical personal When to use this quote - Personal reflection - philosophical discussions - creative writing Key Concepts Secularism existentialism Questions to Reflect On - What does spirituality mean to you without organized religion? - How do you find purpose without belief in a deity? A Different Perspective May overlook community support found in shared faith. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Catholic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catholic/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) ## Related quotes > [My sense of god is my sense of wonder about the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/my-sense-of-god-is-my-sense-of-wonder-about-the-universe/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [There is no God in one sense. In another sense, there is nothing other than God. It is a thing to be experienced, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasari/there-is-no-god-in-one-sense-in-another-sense-there-is-nothing-other/) [Jasari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasari/) > [God has a sense of humor. If you don't believe me, tomorrow go to wal-mart and just look at people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-mencia/god-has-a-sense-of-humor-if-you-don-t-believe-me-tomorrow-go-to-wal/) [Carlos Mencia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-mencia/) > [I believe God, too, has a sense of humor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-thurman/i-believe-god-too-has-a-sense-of-humor/) [Keith Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-thurman/) > [God must have a sense of humor. I mean why a man weakness must be a woman ass? When God was programming the fellas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/god-must-have-a-sense-of-humor-i-mean-why-a-man-weakness-must-be-a/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [“If we only had eyes to see and ears to hear and wits to understand, we would know that the Kingdom of God in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/if-we-only-had-eyes-to-see-and-ears-to-hear-and-wits-to-understand-we/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [You are proof that God has a sense of humor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-are-proof-that-god-has-a-sense-of-humor/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think God has a sense of humor, and the way my lessons come from God is very funny. I have to laugh at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvette-nicole-brown/i-think-god-has-a-sense-of-humor-and-the-way-my-lessons-come-from-god/) [Yvette Nicole Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvette-nicole-brown/) > [There is hope for the future because God has a sense of humor and we are funny to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/there-is-hope-for-the-future-because-god-has-a-sense-of-humor-and-we/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [Samadhi is the absorption of God. There's no sense of time, place or condition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/samadhi-is-the-absorption-of-god-there-s-no-sense-of-time-place-or/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I guess God has a sense of humor, when he had a man that wanted to start his life as a priest, end up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-cain/i-guess-god-has-a-sense-of-humor-when-he-had-a-man-that-wanted-to/) [Jonathan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-cain/) > [“God sense little children to speak and act for him. In their simplicity and naivety they say and do things that we adults never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-steer/god-sense-little-children-to-speak-and-act-for-him-in-their/) Phil Steer > [God has a sense of humor though and he must see funny things in us. He must also have some love. We're still here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/god-has-a-sense-of-humor-though-and-he-must-see-funny-things-in-us-he/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [My Calvinism persuades me that we are open to God, in the sense that we are not delimited, not organisms with fixed attributes in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/my-calvinism-persuades-me-that-we-are-open-to-god-in-the-sense-that/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [Does God have a sense of humor? He must have if He created us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-gleason/does-god-have-a-sense-of-humor-he-must-have-if-he-created-us/) [Jackie Gleason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-gleason/) ## More by Al Purdy > [In my own mind, I was sort of a desperate kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-purdy/in-my-own-mind-i-was-sort-of-a-desperate-kid/) [Al Purdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-purdy/) > [At a certain age you're always uncertain how other people will take you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-purdy/at-a-certain-age-you-re-always-uncertain-how-other-people-will-take/) [Al Purdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-purdy/) > [Uneasily the leaves fall at this season, forgetting what to do or where to go; the red amnesiacs of autumn drifting thru the graveyard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-purdy/uneasily-the-leaves-fall-at-this-season-forgetting-what-to-do-or/) [Al Purdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-purdy/) > [A collected poems' is either a gravestone or a testimonial to survival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-purdy/a-collected-poems-is-either-a-gravestone-or-a-testimonial-to-survival/) [Al Purdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-purdy/) > [I was desperately unhappy trying to adjust to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-purdy/i-was-desperately-unhappy-trying-to-adjust-to-the-world/) [Al Purdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-purdy/) > [And it occurs to me that if I were aboard a rowboat floating in the middle of all the beer I've drunk in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-purdy/and-it-occurs-to-me-that-if-i-were-aboard-a-rowboat-floating-in-the/) [Al Purdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-purdy/) > [Things were so bad we ate rabbits that neighbours had run over and gave to us because they knew we were broke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-purdy/things-were-so-bad-we-ate-rabbits-that-neighbours-had-run-over-and/) [Al Purdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-purdy/) > [For me, the vast marvel is to be alive. For man, or for flowers or beast or bird, the supreme triumph is to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-purdy/for-me-the-vast-marvel-is-to-be-alive-for-man-or-for-flowers-or-beast/) [Al Purdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-purdy/) > [I started writing when I was about thirteen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-purdy/i-started-writing-when-i-was-about-thirteen/) [Al Purdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-purdy/) > [I don't think I do have a soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-purdy/i-don-t-think-i-do-have-a-soul/) [Al Purdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-purdy/) [Explore all 11 Al Purdy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-purdy/) ## More Catholic quotes > [I am a practicing Catholic, but my lineage is Jewish, so if someone asks me if I'm Jewish, I say yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-campbell/i-am-a-practicing-catholic-but-my-lineage-is-jewish-so-if-someone/) [Neve Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-campbell/) > [I'm Catholic and I can't commit suicide, but I plan to drink myself to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-m-catholic-and-i-can-t-commit-suicide-but-i-plan-to-drink-myself-to/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [ The young man \[Turgot\] destined for an ecclesiastical career was placed within walls carefully designed to keep out all currents of new thought; his… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-dickson-white/the-young-man-turgot-destined-for-an-ecclesiastical-career-was-placed/) [Andrew Dickson White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-dickson-white/) > [Like many other scientists who hold the Catholic faith, I see the Creator's plan and purpose fulfilled in our universe. I see a planet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-r-miller/like-many-other-scientists-who-hold-the-catholic-faith-i-see-the/) [Kenneth R. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-r-miller/) > [I'm the daughter of a Kenyan Catholic father and a Mauritian Hindu mother, and I have a Jewish husband who was born in South…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suella-braverman/i-m-the-daughter-of-a-kenyan-catholic-father-and-a-mauritian-hindu/) [Suella Braverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suella-braverman/) > [The reason I went to an all-boys Catholic school was because they had the best football team. We won the state championship my junior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theo-rossi/the-reason-i-went-to-an-all-boys-catholic-school-was-because-they-had/) [Theo Rossi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theo-rossi/) > [I grew up with a religious background.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-caruso/i-grew-up-with-a-religious-background/) [Alex Caruso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-caruso/) > [ Girded with faith and the performance of good works, let us follow in his \[Jesus\] paths by the guidance of the Gospel. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-of-nursia/girded-with-faith-and-the-performance-of-good-works-let-us-follow-in/) [Benedict of Nursia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-of-nursia/) > [“Even at the tender age of twelve, when I knelt in front of the bishop for my confirmation, I had the sneaking suspicion that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-edwards/even-at-the-tender-age-of-twelve-when-i-knelt-in-front-of-the-bishop/) Megan Edwards > [Pray, Hope, and Don't Worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pio-of-pietrelcina/pray-hope-and-don-t-worry/) [Pio of Pietrelcina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pio-of-pietrelcina/) > [My grandmother was a minister as well, which was not that common in the 1930s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-firth/my-grandmother-was-a-minister-as-well-which-was-not-that-common-in/) [Colin Firth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-firth/) > [My grandmother made sure that I went to church every Sunday. And she'd come over and pick us boys up, and we would go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/my-grandmother-made-sure-that-i-went-to-church-every-sunday-and-she-d/) [John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/) > [I think being raised within a Mexican Catholic family made magical realism a very natural part of who I am as a person and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-olivas/i-think-being-raised-within-a-mexican-catholic-family-made-magical/) [Daniel Olivas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-olivas/) > [I am surprised that anyone can profess to be an atheist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-comfort/i-am-surprised-that-anyone-can-profess-to-be-an-atheist/) [Ray Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-comfort/) > [You can never completely get it - being a Christian - but I think I really got it when my first son was born…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-teixeira/you-can-never-completely-get-it-being-a-christian-but-i-think-i/) [Mark Teixeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-teixeira/) [Browse all 4,027 Catholic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catholic/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm not religious in any formal sense, not in any God sense.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Al Purdy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-purdy/i-m-not-religious-in-any-formal-sense-not-in-any-god-sense/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Catholic" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-purdy/i-m-not-religious-in-any-formal-sense-not-in-any-god-sense/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed1/al-purdy-39939_catholic_i-m-not-religious-in-any-formal-sense-no_1406789.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed1/al-purdy-39939_catholic_i-m-not-religious-in-any-formal-sense-no_1406789.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed1/al-purdy-39939_catholic_i-m-not-religious-in-any-formal-sense-no_1406789.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm not religious in any formal sense, not in any God sense.” — Al Purdy", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Al Purdy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-purdy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'm not religious in any formal...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-purdy/i-m-not-religious-in-any-formal-sense-not-in-any-god-sense/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-purdy/i-m-not-religious-in-any-formal-sense-not-in-any-god-sense/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```