--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no freedom in any religion. Only…" description: "\"“There is no freedom in any religion. Only the Freethinker is free…”\" — Al Stefanelli" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a4/al-stefanelli-10033_freedom_there-is-no-freedom-in-any-religion-only_1064961.jpg" --- # There is no freedom in any religion. Only the Freethinker… ![“There is no freedom in any religion. Only the Freethinker is free…” quote by Al Stefanelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a4/al-stefanelli-10033_freedom_there-is-no-freedom-in-any-religion-only_1064961.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a4/al-stefanelli-10033_freedom_there-is-no-freedom-in-any-religion-only_1064961.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a4/al-stefanelli-10033_freedom_there-is-no-freedom-in-any-religion-only_1064961.jpg) > ““There is no freedom in any religion. Only the Freethinker is free…”” [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. Religion restricts freedom; only free thinkers are truly free. **In simple terms:** Religion limits liberty; freethinkers are unbound. Key Takeaway Embrace independent thought. Themes philosophy religion freedom Mood contemplative provocative Type philosophical spiritual When to use this quote - academic debate - personal reflection - education Key Concepts critical thinking autonomy spirituality Questions to Reflect On - What does freedom mean to you? - How can you balance belief and independence? A Different Perspective Not all religious experiences are oppressive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Freedom Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-religion/) [Freethinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freethinker/) [Freethinker Free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freethinker-free-2621889/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religion Freethinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion-freethinker-2621888/) ## Related quotes > [“Plain speaking is necessary in any discussion of religion, for if the freethinker attacks the religious dogmas with hesitation, the orthodox believer assumes that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-marshall-brooks/plain-speaking-is-necessary-in-any-discussion-of-religion-for-if-the/) [David Marshall Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-marshall-brooks/) > [“To the freethinker, change is anticipated, and something to be embraced. To change our mind is our greatest strength, as it has led to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stefanelli/to-the-freethinker-change-is-anticipated-and-something-to-be-embraced/) [Al Stefanelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stefanelli/) > [I am for freedom of religion, and against all maneuvers to bring about a legal ascendency of one sect over another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-am-for-freedom-of-religion-and-against-all-maneuvers-to-bring-about/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Those who accept freedom of religion as a right are obligated by this acceptance to take the maintenance of freedom of religion as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-leon-blau/those-who-accept-freedom-of-religion-as-a-right-are-obligated-by-this/) [Joseph Leon Blau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-leon-blau/) > [“I am not worried about pleasing clever minds or fashionable people. In every period there will be men fated to be governed by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/i-am-not-worried-about-pleasing-clever-minds-or-fashionable-people-in/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [“What was good enough for the fiction fearing men of the past, is no yardstick for the civilized us. Just like what we carve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/what-was-good-enough-for-the-fiction-fearing-men-of-the-past-is-no/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“The First Human (Sonnet 2632) Apes have lords and ladies, I don't. Apes have kings and queens, I don't. My time is born of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/the-first-human-sonnet-2632-apes-have-lords-and-ladies-i-don-t-apes/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“Be aware of this truth that the people on this earth could be joyous, if only they would live rationally and if they would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/be-aware-of-this-truth-that-the-people-on-this-earth-could-be-joyous/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [What a state of society is this in which freethinker is a term of abuse, and in which doubt is regarded as sin?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-winwood-reade/what-a-state-of-society-is-this-in-which-freethinker-is-a-term-of/) [William Winwood Reade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-winwood-reade/) > [Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call on her tribunal for every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/fix-reason-firmly-in-her-seat-and-call-on-her-tribunal-for-every-fact/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/with-or-without-religion-you-would-have-good-people-doing-good-things/) [Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) > [To destroy guide-boards that point in the wrong direction . . . to drive the fiend of fear from the mind . . . is the task of the Freethinker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/to-destroy-guide-boards-that-point-in-the-wrong-direction-to-drive/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [By the time I was sixteen I had read many books and I had become a freethinker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/by-the-time-i-was-sixteen-i-had-read-many-books-and-i-had-become-a/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [Because the only people for me are the mad ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/because-the-only-people-for-me-are-the-mad-ones/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [ “\[n regard to Jesus believing himself inspired\] This belief carried no more personal imputation than the belief of Socrates that he was under the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/n-regard-to-jesus-believing-himself-inspired-this-belief-carried-no/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) ## 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 Freedom quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [If we gave up our freedom as the price of security, we would no longer be the great nation that we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/if-we-gave-up-our-freedom-as-the-price-of-security-we-would-no-longer/) [Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/) > [We live in the greatest country in the world because of the veterans who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom and the security…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-husted/we-live-in-the-greatest-country-in-the-world-because-of-the-veterans/) [Jon Husted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-husted/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [“No one was more surprised than I to realize that my newfound freedom had been purchased by giving up on eternity and settling for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-jessop/no-one-was-more-surprised-than-i-to-realize-that-my-newfound-freedom/) [Carolyn Jessop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-jessop/) > [“In a world of fixed future, there can be no right or wrong. Right and wrong demand freedom of choice, but if each action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/in-a-world-of-fixed-future-there-can-be-no-right-or-wrong-right-and/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [“In any case, white people, who had robbed black people of their liberty and who profited by this theft every hour that they lived,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/in-any-case-white-people-who-had-robbed-black-people-of-their-liberty/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“I have to blame myself for not finding any way of reaching him, but I can't feel that either Ruth or I had anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/i-have-to-blame-myself-for-not-finding-any-way-of-reaching-him-but-i/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) > [“It breaks my heart. Better than your words, your eye tells me all your peril. You are not yet free, you still search for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-breaks-my-heart-better-than-your-words-your-eye-tells-me-all-your/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [I don't want to be famous famous. I'm happy on the second tier, where I have autonomy on a professional level but I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-reece/i-don-t-want-to-be-famous-famous-i-m-happy-on-the-second-tier-where-i/) [Gabrielle Reece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-reece/) [Browse all 30,110 Freedom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There is no freedom in any religion. 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