--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The simple truth is that there isn't a…" description: "\"The simple truth is that there isn't a single civil right I would deny to an evangelical Christian. I've defended their freedom of religion, of associa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4de/andrew-sullivan-4198_alas_the-simple-truth-is-that-there-isn-t-a-s_473581.png" --- # The simple truth is that there isn't a single civil right… ![“The simple truth is that there isn't a single civil right I would deny to an evangelical Christian. I've defended their freedom of religion, of association, of disassociation, and believe they should be treated with respect. I wouldn't dream of drumming them out of the military, firing them for…” quote by Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4de/andrew-sullivan-4198_alas_the-simple-truth-is-that-there-isn-t-a-s_473581.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4de/andrew-sullivan-4198_alas_the-simple-truth-is-that-there-isn-t-a-s_473581.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4de/andrew-sullivan-4198_alas_the-simple-truth-is-that-there-isn-t-a-s_473581.png) > “The simple truth is that there isn't a single civil right I would deny to an evangelical Christian. I've defended their freedom of religion, of association, of disassociation, and believe they should be treated with respect. I wouldn't dream of drumming them out of the military, firing them for their faith, tearing up their relationships, or taking their children away from them. The favor, alas, is not returned.” [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author argues that civil rights should be universally applied, even to groups that may not reciprocate respect, emphasizing consistent protection of freedom of religion and association. **In simple terms:** Civil rights must be applied equally to everyone. Key Takeaway Treat all groups with the same rights regardless of their attitudes. Themes e justice religious freedom civil rights respect Mood thoughtful serious Type ethical political When to use this quote - Military service - Employment - Family law - Public policy Key Concepts Equality Reciprocity Human rights Questions to Reflect On - Should rights be unconditional? - What limits, if any, should be placed on civil protections? A Different Perspective Some argue that extending rights to hostile groups may enable harmful ideologies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alas/) [Association](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/association/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) [Civil Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-right/) [Deny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deny/) [Deny Evangelical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deny-evangelical-4088208/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Drumming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drumming/) [Evangelical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evangelical/) [Evangelical Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evangelical-christian-778172/) [Favors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/favors/) [Firing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firing/) [Freedom of religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-of-religion/) [Freedom Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-religion/) [Military](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Simple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simple/) [Simple truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simple-truth/) [Simple truths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simple-truths/) [Treated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treated/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Truth is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-is/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [America was founded by religious people; devout people who came here because they wanted freedom of religion, It's what made America different from every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/america-was-founded-by-religious-people-devout-people-who-came-here/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [“In March 1947, he publicly condemned the abolition of religion in all schools, warning that, “promising freedom of religion while creating institutions of irreligiousness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/in-march-1947-he-publicly-condemned-the-abolition-of-religion-in-all/) [Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/) > [“just as America was the first modern land where people could practice freedom of religion, perhaps someday America will be a place where we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-villoldo/just-as-america-was-the-first-modern-land-where-people-could-practice/) [Alberto Villoldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-villoldo/) > [The price of freedom of religion or of speech or of the press is that we must put up with, and even pay for,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-h-jackson/the-price-of-freedom-of-religion-or-of-speech-or-of-the-press-is-that/) [Robert H. Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-h-jackson/) > [The framers of our Constitution meant we were to have freedom of religion, not freedom from religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/the-framers-of-our-constitution-meant-we-were-to-have-freedom-of/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [ “The \[Apache\] tribe was under siege by government agents, who had jailed some of the medicine men for practicing their rituals. Freedom of religion… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-egan/the-apache-tribe-was-under-siege-by-government-agents-who-had-jailed/) [Timothy Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-egan/) > [Israel can't be the only country in the Western world not to have freedom of religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yair-lapid/israel-can-t-be-the-only-country-in-the-western-world-not-to-have/) [Yair Lapid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yair-lapid/) > [Neither the wording of the amendment itself nor common practice challenged the widely held belief that government guaranteed freedom of religion, not freedom from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-chavez/neither-the-wording-of-the-amendment-itself-nor-common-practice/) [Linda Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-chavez/) > [The freedom to convert is fundamental to freedom of religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-inglis/the-freedom-to-convert-is-fundamental-to-freedom-of-religion/) [Bob Inglis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-inglis/) > [Religious freedom does not mean freedom from religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perry/religious-freedom-does-not-mean-freedom-from-religion/) [Rick Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perry/) > [Everyone claims to be okay with freedom of religion, but the moment you mention God there is a strange tension that fills the air.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/everyone-claims-to-be-okay-with-freedom-of-religion-but-the-moment/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [I am an Iranian by birth and of my Islamic faith. I am also an American Citizen and I seek to help change America…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-jarrett/i-am-an-iranian-by-birth-and-of-my-islamic-faith-i-am-also-an/) [Valerie Jarrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-jarrett/) > [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 known for a life spent in the struggle for freedom, and freedom includes the freedom of religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/i-am-known-for-a-life-spent-in-the-struggle-for-freedom-and-freedom/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) ## More by Andrew Sullivan > [True belief is not about blind submission. It is about open-eyed acceptance, and acceptance requires persistent distance from the truth, and that distance is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/true-belief-is-not-about-blind-submission-it-is-about-open-eyed/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [I'm gay. I always have been and I always will be, and I'm happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/i-m-gay-i-always-have-been-and-i-always-will-be-and-i-m-happy/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [What modernity requires is not that you cease living according to your faith, but that you accept that others may differ and that therefore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/what-modernity-requires-is-not-that-you-cease-living-according-to/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [Although I never publicly defended promiscuity, I never publicly attacked it. I attempted to avoid the subject, in part because I felt, and often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/although-i-never-publicly-defended-promiscuity-i-never-publicly/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [The day of reckoning is not just coming for Saddam Hussein. It's coming for the anti-war movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/the-day-of-reckoning-is-not-just-coming-for-saddam-hussein-it-s/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [For me, friendship has always been the most accessible of relationships - certainly far more so than romantic love. Friendship, I learned, provided a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/for-me-friendship-has-always-been-the-most-accessible-of/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [The first person I came out to was God. And the first conversation I ever had with anybody was in prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/the-first-person-i-came-out-to-was-god-and-the-first-conversation-i/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [If religion is about truth, why is it so afraid of error?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/if-religion-is-about-truth-why-is-it-so-afraid-of-error/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [“Even if it's deep unhappiness, it's your unhappiness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/even-if-it-s-deep-unhappiness-it-s-your-unhappiness/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [Monsters remain human beings. In fact, to reduce them to a subhuman level is to exonerate them of their acts of terrorism and mass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/monsters-remain-human-beings-in-fact-to-reduce-them-to-a-subhuman/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [Well, in the past, the size of government was one of the more fundamental dividing lines between Right and Left. The Right was supposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/well-in-the-past-the-size-of-government-was-one-of-the-more/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [I've never been a partisan, I've never been a Republican, I've never been a Democrat, ever, which is why I was very frustrated being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/i-ve-never-been-a-partisan-i-ve-never-been-a-republican-i-ve-never/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [I think essentially corrupting institutions in Washington are turning conservatism into something that is really very creepy, but also emotionally and psychically powerful for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/i-think-essentially-corrupting-institutions-in-washington-are-turning/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [I believe that there are moments in sex that are so awesome that they actually reflect God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/i-believe-that-there-are-moments-in-sex-that-are-so-awesome-that-they/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [Every generation is born into, for the most part, a heterosexual family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/every-generation-is-born-into-for-the-most-part-a-heterosexual-family/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) [Explore all 114 Andrew Sullivan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) ## More Alas quotes > [“Muchos de los ángeles de Dios no tienen alas...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-n-harris/muchos-de-los-ngeles-de-dios-no-tienen-alas/) [José N. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-n-harris/) > [We are all potentially such sick men. The sanest and best of us are of one clay with lunatics and prison-inmates. And whenever we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/we-are-all-potentially-such-sick-men-the-sanest-and-best-of-us-are-of/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Alas, you don't need monsters for monstrous deeds to be accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/alas-you-don-t-need-monsters-for-monstrous-deeds-to-be-accomplished/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [Time, time - that is our greatest master! Alas, like Ugolino, time devours its own children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hector-berlioz/time-time-that-is-our-greatest-master-alas-like-ugolino-time-devours/) [Hector Berlioz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hector-berlioz/) > [Removing prejudices is, alas! too often removing the boundary of a delightful near prospect in order to let in a shockingly extensive one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-fulke-greville/removing-prejudices-is-alas-too-often-removing-the-boundary-of-a/) [Sir Fulke Greville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sir-fulke-greville/) > [Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-pharcellus-church/yes-virginia-there-is-a-santa-claus-he-exists-as-certainly-as-love/) [Francis Pharcellus Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-pharcellus-church/) > [Alas, Postumus, the fleeting years slip by, nor will piety give any stay to wrinkles and pressing old age and untamable death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/alas-postumus-the-fleeting-years-slip-by-nor-will-piety-give-any-stay/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [Sensible Catholics have for generations been ignoring the views on contraception held by reactionary old men in the Vatican, but alas, since it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/sensible-catholics-have-for-generations-been-ignoring-the-views-on/) [A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/) > [The flesh is sad, alas, and I have read all the books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-phane-mallarm/the-flesh-is-sad-alas-and-i-have-read-all-the-books/) [Stephane Mallarme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-phane-mallarm/) > [Alas! all music jars when the soul's out of tune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/alas-all-music-jars-when-the-soul-s-out-of-tune/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [In spite of the honestest efforts to annihilate my I-ity, or merge it in what the world doubtless considers my better half, I still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-welsh-carlyle/in-spite-of-the-honestest-efforts-to-annihilate-my-i-ity-or-merge-it/) [Jane Welsh Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-welsh-carlyle/) > [The dumpling is indeed of more ancient institution, and of foreign origin; but alas, what were those dumplings? Nothing but a few lentils sodden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-arbuthnot/the-dumpling-is-indeed-of-more-ancient-institution-and-of-foreign/) [John Arbuthnot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-arbuthnot/) > [“World is so beautiful, but alas! There are so many assholes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/world-is-so-beautiful-but-alas-there-are-so-many-assholes/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [Ideally a painter (and, generally, an artist) should not become conscious of his insights: without taking the detour through his reflective processes, and incomprehensibly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/ideally-a-painter-and-generally-an-artist-should-not-become-conscious/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [Alas! we makeA ladder of our thoughts, where angels step,But sleep ourselves at the foot: our high resolvesLook down upon our slumbering acts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/letitia-elizabeth-landon/alas-we-makea-ladder-of-our-thoughts-where-angels-step-but-sleep/) [Letitia Elizabeth Landon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/letitia-elizabeth-landon/) [Browse all 453 Alas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alas/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The simple truth is that there isn't a single civil right I would deny to an evangelical Christian. 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