--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no equality between fact and…" description: "\"“There is no equality between fact and fiction, and anyone who purports themselves to be an academic and still puts religious dogma up as an ante doesn..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dda/al-stefanelli-10033_fact-and-fiction_there-is-no-equality-between-fact-and-fi_1662906.jpg" --- # There is no equality between fact and fiction, and anyone… ![“There is no equality between fact and fiction, and anyone who purports themselves to be an academic and still puts religious dogma up as an ante doesn’t deserve the right to be called anything other than an ignoramus.” quote by Al Stefanelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dda/al-stefanelli-10033_fact-and-fiction_there-is-no-equality-between-fact-and-fi_1662906.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dda/al-stefanelli-10033_fact-and-fiction_there-is-no-equality-between-fact-and-fi_1662906.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dda/al-stefanelli-10033_fact-and-fiction_there-is-no-equality-between-fact-and-fi_1662906.jpg) > ““There is no equality between fact and fiction, and anyone who purports themselves to be an academic and still puts religious dogma up as an ante doesn’t deserve the right to be called anything other than an ignoramus.”” [Al Stefanelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stefanelli/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Equating academic credibility with religious bias is invalid; scholars must separate faith from scholarship. **In simple terms:** Academics should avoid religious bias. Key Takeaway Demand evidence‑based scholarship. Themes academia bias religion critical thinking Mood critical analytical Type academic debate When to use this quote - research - teaching - public discourse - policy making Key Concepts epistemology intellectual integrity Questions to Reflect On - How can scholars remain objective? - What role does personal belief play in research? A Different Perspective May dismiss genuine faith perspectives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dogma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dogma/) [Fact and fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fact-and-fiction/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religious dogma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-dogma/) ## Related quotes > [“Religious dogma not only results in the form of gross, zealous behavior such as the killing of ethnic minorities as part of a cultural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-dansky/religious-dogma-not-only-results-in-the-form-of-gross-zealous/) [Martin Dansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-dansky/) > [We seem to be the victims of religious dogma, both from the Christian Right here and, of course, in the East with the rise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-andrews/we-seem-to-be-the-victims-of-religious-dogma-both-from-the-christian/) [Naveen Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-andrews/) > [Old religious dogma attempts to convince you that you are on a journey to God, then makes you pay tolls along that roadway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/old-religious-dogma-attempts-to-convince-you-that-you-are-on-a/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [“Truths turn into dogmas the instant that they are disputed. Thus every man who utters a doubt defines a religion. And the scepticism of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/truths-turn-into-dogmas-the-instant-that-they-are-disputed-thus-every-2/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [Religious dogma creates a perfect fertilizer for the weeds of hypocrisy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/religious-dogma-creates-a-perfect-fertilizer-for-the-weeds-of/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [To achieve world government, it is necessary to remove from the minds of men, their individualism, loyalty to family traditions, national patriotism and religious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brock-chisholm/to-achieve-world-government-it-is-necessary-to-remove-from-the-minds/) [Brock Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brock-chisholm/) > [...there are still truths in the Bible and many other ancient texts despite what religions have done to destroy and debase them. Religious dogma…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-icke/there-are-still-truths-in-the-bible-and-many-other-ancient-texts/) [David Icke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-icke/) > [“The truth, however, is that the conflict between religion and science is unavoidable. The success of science often comes at the expense of religious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-truth-however-is-that-the-conflict-between-religion-and-science/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [Deep down, all of us are probably aware that some kind of mystical evolution is our true task. Yet we suppress the notion with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/deep-down-all-of-us-are-probably-aware-that-some-kind-of-mystical/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [I tend to believe that religious dogma is a consequence of evolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/i-tend-to-believe-that-religious-dogma-is-a-consequence-of-evolution/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [The Bible is not my book and Christianity is not my religion. I could never give assent to the long complicated statements of Christian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/the-bible-is-not-my-book-and-christianity-is-not-my-religion-i-could/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [“Had these people been living in, for example, the agricultural paradise of the Nile Delta, they might have been able to get away with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/had-these-people-been-living-in-for-example-the-agricultural-paradise/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [“It is because of religious dogma, (black health care professional Thelma) Delgado says, that young African Americans believe "God will make a way for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sikivu-hutchinson-in-moral-combat-black-atheists-gender-politics-and-the-values-wars/it-is-because-of-religious-dogma-black-health-care-professional/) Sikivu Hutchinson in Moral Combat Black Atheists Gender Politics and the Values Wars > [The conflict between religion and science is inherent and (very nearly) zero-sum. The success of science often comes at the expense of religious dogma;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-conflict-between-religion-and-science-is-inherent-and-very-nearly/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [I'm not religious in the sense that I do not subscribe to any particular set of religious dogma. I don't go to church. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/i-m-not-religious-in-the-sense-that-i-do-not-subscribe-to-any/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) ## More by Al Stefanelli > [“. The understanding that what is good supports basic human rights and anything that threatens it is bad. We do not need a supernatural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stefanelli/the-understanding-that-what-is-good-supports-basic-human-rights-and/) [Al Stefanelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stefanelli/) > [“Somewhere during the process of intellectual development there was a disconnect in the believer’s ability to discern fantasy from reality and the outlandish, scientifically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stefanelli/somewhere-during-the-process-of-intellectual-development-there-was-a/) [Al Stefanelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stefanelli/) > [“Fundamental Christianity and Islam are diseases. They are viruses that have infected our species, and I see no reason to cease my broad-brushed punditry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stefanelli/fundamental-christianity-and-islam-are-diseases-they-are-viruses-that/) [Al Stefanelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stefanelli/) > [“. Christianity is marketed as a religion of love and tolerance, but inwardly it is a destructive virus that causes division, promotes willful ignorance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stefanelli/christianity-is-marketed-as-a-religion-of-love-and-tolerance-but/) [Al Stefanelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stefanelli/) > [“When mystical elements are introduced into morality, the whole system ends up being corrupted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stefanelli/when-mystical-elements-are-introduced-into-morality-the-whole-system/) [Al Stefanelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stefanelli/) > [“Prayer – The Art Of Talking To Yourself”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stefanelli/prayer-the-art-of-talking-to-yourself/) [Al Stefanelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stefanelli/) > [“The vilification of atheists is becoming the anchor knot of religion. The more they resist us, the tighter it gets.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stefanelli/the-vilification-of-atheists-is-becoming-the-anchor-knot-of-religion/) [Al Stefanelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stefanelli/) > [“For unbelievers, evil can best be described as the abandonment of our minds to the minds of others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stefanelli/for-unbelievers-evil-can-best-be-described-as-the-abandonment-of-our/) [Al Stefanelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stefanelli/) > [“One competent scientist is worth more than a thousand evangelists.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stefanelli/one-competent-scientist-is-worth-more-than-a-thousand-evangelists/) [Al Stefanelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stefanelli/) > [“The belief in a god is irrational, and once this leap of faith is made it only takes short steps to abandon the standards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stefanelli/the-belief-in-a-god-is-irrational-and-once-this-leap-of-faith-is-made/) [Al Stefanelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stefanelli/) > [“Basically, the field of apologetics is an entire discipline built around the concept of getting people to believe the biggest bullshit stories to ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stefanelli/basically-the-field-of-apologetics-is-an-entire-discipline-built/) [Al Stefanelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stefanelli/) > [“When we could not explain the horizon, we simply calculated that the earth has an edge and if you go out too far, you’ll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stefanelli/when-we-could-not-explain-the-horizon-we-simply-calculated-that-the/) [Al Stefanelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stefanelli/) > [“Take Creationism. Please.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stefanelli/take-creationism-please/) [Al Stefanelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stefanelli/) > [“Equating abortion with murder is not only playing fast and furious with the truth, such a comparison is legally disingenuous.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stefanelli/equating-abortion-with-murder-is-not-only-playing-fast-and-furious/) [Al Stefanelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stefanelli/) > [“The scientific community thrives on probabilities, working theories and fact-based hypothesis that have resulted in the advances we have made in fields such as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stefanelli/the-scientific-community-thrives-on-probabilities-working-theories/) [Al Stefanelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stefanelli/) [Explore all 68 Al Stefanelli quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stefanelli/) ## More Dogma quotes > [“The characteristics of this kind of reading are perhaps summed up in the word “orthodox,” which is almost always applicable. The word comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/the-characteristics-of-this-kind-of-reading-are-perhaps-summed-up-in/) [Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/) > [In the end theologians are jealous of science, for they are aware that it has greater authority than do their own ways of finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/in-the-end-theologians-are-jealous-of-science-for-they-are-aware-that/) [Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/) > [Dogma is a powerful way of closing human mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-marley/dogma-is-a-powerful-way-of-closing-human-mind/) [Peter Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-marley/) > [How shall freedom be defended? By arms when it is attacked by arms, by truth when it is attacked by lies, by faith when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-macleish/how-shall-freedom-be-defended-by-arms-when-it-is-attacked-by-arms-by/) [Archibald MacLeish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-macleish/) > [fear has always been a diminisher of life. Whether bred in the bogs of superstition or clothed in the brocades of dogma and ritual,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-mannes/fear-has-always-been-a-diminisher-of-life-whether-bred-in-the-bogs-of/) [Marya Mannes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-mannes/) > [My rap comes from a sociological standpoint rather than picking a particular side or dogma or ideology. I just want people to be free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/killer-mike/my-rap-comes-from-a-sociological-standpoint-rather-than-picking-a/) [Killer Mike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/killer-mike/) > [I reject the idea there are just two sides. I think that with the amount of ideas and thoughts there are, it's not even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/i-reject-the-idea-there-are-just-two-sides-i-think-that-with-the/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [ “\[H\]e was damned if he was going to water down his arguments simply to satisfy the preference of the mob for dogma and ignorance.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-elton/h-e-was-damned-if-he-was-going-to-water-down-his-arguments-simply-to/) [Ben Elton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-elton/) > [The search for truth is a cooperative, unending endeavor. We can, and should, engage in it to the extent we can and encourage others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-search-for-truth-is-a-cooperative-unending-endeavor-we-can-and/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [A building is akin to dogma; it is insolent, like dogma. Whether or no it is permanent, it claims permanence, like a dogma. People…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/a-building-is-akin-to-dogma-it-is-insolent-like-dogma-whether-or-no/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Every well-thought-out rebuttal to dogma, every scrap of intelligent logic, every absurdist reduction of some bullying stance is the antidote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-sanders/every-well-thought-out-rebuttal-to-dogma-every-scrap-of-intelligent/) [George Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-sanders/) > [“Humans are capable of having transcendent, transformative experiences in the absence of any given dogma. We are capable of sustaining elaborate systems of false…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-loftus/humans-are-capable-of-having-transcendent-transformative-experiences/) John W. Loftus > [Increasingly constructive doubt is the sign of advancing civilization. We must put question marks along many of our inherited legal dogmas, since they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-frank/increasingly-constructive-doubt-is-the-sign-of-advancing-civilization/) [Jerome Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-frank/) > [“The dogma of the impossibility of determining the atomic constitution of substances, which until recently was advocated with such fervor by the most able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-korner/the-dogma-of-the-impossibility-of-determining-the-atomic-constitution/) Wilhelm Korner > [Hinduism... gave itself no name, because it set itself no sectarian limits; it claimed no universal adhesion, asserted no sole infallible dogma, set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/hinduism-gave-itself-no-name-because-it-set-itself-no-sectarian/) [Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/) [Browse all 748 Dogma quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dogma/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There is no equality between fact and fiction, and anyone who purports themselves to be an academic and still puts religious dogma up as an ante doesn’t deserve the right to be called anything other than an ignoramus.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Al Stefanelli" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stefanelli/there-is-no-equality-between-fact-and-fiction-and-anyone-who-purports/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dogma" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stefanelli/there-is-no-equality-between-fact-and-fiction-and-anyone-who-purports/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dda/al-stefanelli-10033_fact-and-fiction_there-is-no-equality-between-fact-and-fi_1662906.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dda/al-stefanelli-10033_fact-and-fiction_there-is-no-equality-between-fact-and-fi_1662906.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dda/al-stefanelli-10033_fact-and-fiction_there-is-no-equality-between-fact-and-fi_1662906.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is no equality between fact and fiction, and anyone who purports themselves to be an academic and…” — Al Stefanelli", "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 Stefanelli", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stefanelli/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“There is no equality between fact...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stefanelli/there-is-no-equality-between-fact-and-fiction-and-anyone-who-purports/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stefanelli/there-is-no-equality-between-fact-and-fiction-and-anyone-who-purports/#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 } } ] } ```