--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Just as many who were brought up to think…" description: "\"Just as many who were brought up to think of God as a bearded old gentleman sitting on a cloud decided that when they stopped believing in such a being..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15b/anonymous-1_atheist_just-as-many-who-were-brought-up-to-thin_643221.jpg" --- # Just as many who were brought up to think of God as a… ![“Just as many who were brought up to think of God as a bearded old gentleman sitting on a cloud decided that when they stopped believing in such a being they had therefore stopped believing in God, so many who were taught to think of hell as a literal underground location full of worms and…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15b/anonymous-1_atheist_just-as-many-who-were-brought-up-to-thin_643221.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15b/anonymous-1_atheist_just-as-many-who-were-brought-up-to-thin_643221.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15b/anonymous-1_atheist_just-as-many-who-were-brought-up-to-thin_643221.jpg) > “Just as many who were brought up to think of God as a bearded old gentleman sitting on a cloud decided that when they stopped believing in such a being they had therefore stopped believing in God, so many who were taught to think of hell as a literal underground location full of worms and fire...decided that when they stopped believing in that, so they stopped believing in hell. The first group decided that because they couldn't believe in childish images of God, they must be atheists. The second decided that because they couldn't believe in childish images of hell, they must be universalists.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People equate belief in God or hell with literal images; abandoning those images leads to different theological conclusions. **In simple terms:** Leaving literal images of deity or afterlife leads to varied beliefs. Key Takeaway Question personal assumptions about faith. Themes faith belief theology Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - personal reflection - interfaith dialogue - education - spiritual exploration Key Concepts symbolic thinking existentialism Questions to Reflect On - What images shape your beliefs? - Can faith exist without literal symbols? A Different Perspective Risk of oversimplifying complex doctrines. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atheist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheist/) [Atheists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheists/) [Believe in god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-in-god/) [Believing In God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believing-in-god/) [Fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/) [Gentleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gentleman/) [Hell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hell/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [“When you stopped believing in God,” he went on, “did you stop believing in good and evil?” “No. But I stopped believing there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/when-you-stopped-believing-in-god-he-went-on-did-you-stop-believing/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [I was 13 when I was started questioning and 16 when I stopped believing in God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-jefferies/i-was-13-when-i-was-started-questioning-and-16-when-i-stopped/) [Jim Jefferies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-jefferies/) > [“I knew then that I hadn't stopped believing in God. I'd just stopped believing God cared. There might be a God, Clary, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/i-knew-then-that-i-hadn-t-stopped-believing-in-god-i-d-just-stopped/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“And when I saw him lying dead in a pool of his own blood, I knew then that I hadn't stopped believing in God.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/and-when-i-saw-him-lying-dead-in-a-pool-of-his-own-blood-i-knew-then/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“I hadn't stopped believing in God. I'd just stopped believing God cared. There might be a god, Clary, and there might not be, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/i-hadn-t-stopped-believing-in-god-i-d-just-stopped-believing-god/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [My mother was an awful cook, an exceptionally awful kosher cook, but I stayed kosher until I got to college, even though I'd long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/my-mother-was-an-awful-cook-an-exceptionally-awful-kosher-cook-but-i/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [Believing in Hell must distort every judgement on this life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-connolly/believing-in-hell-must-distort-every-judgement-on-this-life/) [Cyril Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-connolly/) > [“> ...all I could think was what hell it is for the survivors when death slams into life without warning and smashes every fixed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-i-could-think-was-what-hell-it-is-for-the-survivors-when-death/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“She'd grown up believing in hell in an abstract nightmare way; but west Texas had given her something more concrete upon which to dread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherie-priest/she-d-grown-up-believing-in-hell-in-an-abstract-nightmare-way-but/) [Cherie Priest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherie-priest/) > [When you let outside noise into your head, you start thinking or believing whatever the hell you read or see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-haskins/when-you-let-outside-noise-into-your-head-you-start-thinking-or/) [Dwayne Haskins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-haskins/) > [I never stopped believing that love will find me, even when every try at love never turns out right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-never-stopped-believing-that-love-will-find-me-even-when-every-try/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I stopped believing when people tell me that they're fine. Especially when I know you aren't. If you don't wanna tell me then just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-stopped-believing-when-people-tell-me-that-they-re-fine-especially/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When relationships failed to last, it was not because love was no longer present, but because people had stopped believing in themselves and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-relationships-failed-to-last-it-was-not-because-love-was-no/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you choose to let go of someone and move on, it doesn't mean you've stopped loving that person, it simply means you've stopped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-choose-to-let-go-of-someone-and-move-on-it-doesn-t-mean-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A friend is one who believes in you when you have stopped believing in yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-friend-is-one-who-believes-in-you-when-you-have-stopped-believing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Atheist quotes > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [That the world is in a bad shape is undeniable, but there is not the faintest reason in history to suppose that Christianity offers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/that-the-world-is-in-a-bad-shape-is-undeniable-but-there-is-not-the/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“I felt like praying or something, when I was in bed, but I couldn't do it. I can't always pray when I feel like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-felt-like-praying-or-something-when-i-was-in-bed-but-i-couldn-t-do/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [Atheist’s denial of God’s existence needs just as much substantiation as does the theist’s claim; the atheist must give plausible reasons for rejecting God’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-copan/atheist-s-denial-of-god-s-existence-needs-just-as-much-substantiation/) [Paul Copan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-copan/) > [“The atheist joined his hands. It wasn't against the Gods. He smiled, with his hands folded, saw his daughter's in-laws approaching near.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhavik-sarkhedi/the-atheist-joined-his-hands-it-wasn-t-against-the-gods-he-smiled/) [Bhavik Sarkhedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhavik-sarkhedi/) > [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/) > [“I have found it an amusing strategy, when asked whether I am an atheist, to point out that the questioner is also an atheist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-have-found-it-an-amusing-strategy-when-asked-whether-i-am-an/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [An Atheist wandering down a road where he meets up a four road junction , he asks a passer by hey !, where does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/an-atheist-wandering-down-a-road-where-he-meets-up-a-four-road/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [Good churches are not built by bad men; at least, there must be probity and enthusiasm somewhere in the society. These minsters were neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/good-churches-are-not-built-by-bad-men-at-least-there-must-be-probity/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [An ineffably holy God, who has the utmost abhorrence of sin, was never invented by any of Adam's descendents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-w-pink/an-ineffably-holy-god-who-has-the-utmost-abhorrence-of-sin-was-never/) [Arthur W. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-w-pink/) > [If all the Atheists & Agnostics left America, they'd lose 93% of The National Academy of Sciences & less than 1% of the prison population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/if-all-the-atheists-agnostics-left-america-they-d-lose-93-of-the/) [Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/) > [I am an atheist. I don't think there's anything divine. Beautiful, impressive, awe-inspiring - sure, but not divine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/i-am-an-atheist-i-don-t-think-there-s-anything-divine-beautiful/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) > [I am like all other atheists only in that I do not believe there are any gods. Beyond that, I may differ dramatically in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-carrier/i-am-like-all-other-atheists-only-in-that-i-do-not-believe-there-are/) [Richard Carrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-carrier/) [Browse all 2,434 Atheist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Just as many who were brought up to think of God as a bearded old gentleman sitting on a cloud decided that when they stopped believing in such a being they had therefore stopped believing in God, so many who were taught to think of hell as a literal underground location full of worms and fire...decided that when they stopped believing in that, so they stopped believing in hell. The first group decided that because they couldn't believe in childish images of God, they must be atheists. 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