--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Religious creeds are a great obstacle to…" description: "\"“Religious creeds are a great obstacle to any full sympathy between the outlook of the scientist and the outlook which religion is so often supposed to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3b/arthur-stanley-eddington-20703_creeds_religious-creeds-are-a-great-obstacle-to_2116209.jpg" --- # Religious creeds are a great obstacle to any full sympathy… ![“Religious creeds are a great obstacle to any full sympathy between the outlook of the scientist and the outlook which religion is so often supposed to require ... The spirit of seeking which animates us refuses to regard any kind of creed as its goal. It would be a shock to come across a…” quote by Arthur Stanley Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3b/arthur-stanley-eddington-20703_creeds_religious-creeds-are-a-great-obstacle-to_2116209.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3b/arthur-stanley-eddington-20703_creeds_religious-creeds-are-a-great-obstacle-to_2116209.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3b/arthur-stanley-eddington-20703_creeds_religious-creeds-are-a-great-obstacle-to_2116209.jpg) > ““Religious creeds are a great obstacle to any full sympathy between the outlook of the scientist and the outlook which religion is so often supposed to require ... The spirit of seeking which animates us refuses to regard any kind of creed as its goal. It would be a shock to come across a university where it was the practice of the students to recite adherence to Newton's laws of motion, to Maxwell's equations and to the electromagnetic theory of light. We should not deplore it the less if our own pet theory happened to be included, or if the list were brought up to date every few years. We should say that the students cannot possibly realise the intention of scientific training if they are taught to look on these results as things to be recited and subscribed to. Science may fall short of its ideal, and although the peril scarcely takes this extreme form, it is not always easy, particularly in popular science, to maintain our stand against creed and dogma.”” [Arthur Stanley Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-stanley-eddington/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Scientific inquiry should remain open‑minded and not be bound by rigid doctrines, whether religious or academic. **In simple terms:** Science thrives without dogma. Key Takeaway Encourage critical thinking. Themes science philosophy education critical thinking Mood reflective inquisitive Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - research labs - classroom teaching - public policy - science communication Key Concepts epistemology skepticism intellectual freedom Questions to Reflect On - How can institutions foster open inquiry? - What role should philosophy play in science? A Different Perspective Dogmatic thinking can still appear in scientific communities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creeds/) [Dogma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dogma/) [Dogmatism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dogmatism/) [Obstacle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obstacle/) [Popular Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/popular-science/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Science and religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-and-religion/) [Scientist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientist/) ## Related quotes > [It is a deplorable fact that many Christians are so accustomed to a certain creed and dogma of their own that they will adhere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-buckner/it-is-a-deplorable-fact-that-many-christians-are-so-accustomed-to-a/) [Ed Buckner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-buckner/) > [Religious creeds encourage some of the craziest kinds of thoughts, emotions, and behaviors and favor severe manifestations of neurosis, borderline personality states, and sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-ellis/religious-creeds-encourage-some-of-the-craziest-kinds-of-thoughts/) [Albert Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-ellis/) > [The great masses of people do not consist of philosophers; precisely for the masses, faith is often the sole foundation of a moral attitude.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/the-great-masses-of-people-do-not-consist-of-philosophers-precisely/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [“Until every soul is freely permitted to investigate every book, and creed, and dogma for itself, the world cannot be free. Mankind will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-g-ingersoll/until-every-soul-is-freely-permitted-to-investigate-every-book-and-2/) [Robert G. Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-g-ingersoll/) > [Until every soul is freely permitted to investigate every book and creed and dogma for itself, the world cannot be free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/until-every-soul-is-freely-permitted-to-investigate-every-book-and/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [“Deeds are divine, not doctrines. Actions are religious, not creeds.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/deeds-are-divine-not-doctrines-actions-are-religious-not-creeds/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“Science, however, is never conducted as a popularity contest, but instead advances through testable, reproducible, and falsifiable theories.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/science-however-is-never-conducted-as-a-popularity-contest-but/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [“The future of the next generation relies on astronomers obtaining a full understanding of the rapidly changing human environmental conditions and the halting of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-future-of-the-next-generation-relies-on-astronomers-obtaining-a/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“The human has genetic adaptation to natural electromagnetic radiation. Increasing, reducing or removing the natural radiation exposures results in a sickened human that may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-human-has-genetic-adaptation-to-natural-electromagnetic-radiation/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“It's hard to observe without imposing a theory to explain what we're seeing, but the trouble with theories, as Einstein said, is that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/it-s-hard-to-observe-without-imposing-a-theory-to-explain-what-we-re/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [“Dark Energy is poorly understood and it is clear that we are currently moving into exploring the complete electromagnetic spectrum that also includes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/dark-energy-is-poorly-understood-and-it-is-clear-that-we-are/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“Regardless of one's point of view, it's quite easy to see that Darwinism is not in the same league as the hard sciences. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-dembski/regardless-of-one-s-point-of-view-it-s-quite-easy-to-see-that/) [William A. Dembski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-dembski/) > [“We are unable to discount the hypotheses that the world began three years ago.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nagaru-tanigawa/we-are-unable-to-discount-the-hypotheses-that-the-world-began-three/) [Nagaru Tanigawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nagaru-tanigawa/) > [“The leading research in the adverse human health effects of electromagnetic radiation is not being done by well funded governments or corporations, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-leading-research-in-the-adverse-human-health-effects-of/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Religion was supposed to be a blanket drawn up to your chin to keep you warm, a promise that when it came to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/religion-was-supposed-to-be-a-blanket-drawn-up-to-your-chin-to-keep/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## More by Arthur Stanley Eddington > [“The simpler elements of the scientific world have no immediate counterparts in everyday experience; we use them to build things which have counterparts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-stanley-eddington/the-simpler-elements-of-the-scientific-world-have-no-immediate/) [Arthur Stanley Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-stanley-eddington/) > [“We take as building material relations and relata. The relations unite the relata; the relata are the meeting-points of the relations. The one is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-stanley-eddington/we-take-as-building-material-relations-and-relata-the-relations-unite/) [Arthur Stanley Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-stanley-eddington/) > [“It would probably be wiser to nail up over the door of the new quantum theory a notice, 'Structural alterations in progress - No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-stanley-eddington/it-would-probably-be-wiser-to-nail-up-over-the-door-of-the-new/) [Arthur Stanley Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-stanley-eddington/) > [“The suggestion that the body really wanted to go straight but some mysterious agent made it go crooked is picturesque but unscientific. It makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-stanley-eddington/the-suggestion-that-the-body-really-wanted-to-go-straight-but-some/) [Arthur Stanley Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-stanley-eddington/) > [“The cleavage between the scientific and the extra-scientific domain of experience is, I believe, not a cleavage between the concrete and the transcendental but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-stanley-eddington/the-cleavage-between-the-scientific-and-the-extra-scientific-domain/) [Arthur Stanley Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-stanley-eddington/) > [“In the world of physics we watch a shadowgraph performance of the drama of familiar life. The shadow of my elbow rests on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-stanley-eddington/in-the-world-of-physics-we-watch-a-shadowgraph-performance-of-the/) [Arthur Stanley Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-stanley-eddington/) > [“When we analyse the picture into a large number of particles of paint, we lose the aesthetic significance of the picture. The particles of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-stanley-eddington/when-we-analyse-the-picture-into-a-large-number-of-particles-of-paint/) [Arthur Stanley Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-stanley-eddington/) > [“The law that entropy always increases, holds, I think, the supreme position among the laws of Nature. … if your theory is found to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-stanley-eddington/the-law-that-entropy-always-increases-holds-i-think-the-supreme/) [Arthur Stanley Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-stanley-eddington/) > [“Of the two alternatives - a curved manifold in a Euclidean space of ten dimensions or a manifold with non-Euclidean geometry and no extra…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-stanley-eddington/of-the-two-alternatives-a-curved-manifold-in-a-euclidean-space-of-ten/) [Arthur Stanley Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-stanley-eddington/) > [“Out of the numbers proceeds that harmony of natural law which it is the aim of science to disclose. We can grasp the tune…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-stanley-eddington/out-of-the-numbers-proceeds-that-harmony-of-natural-law-which-it-is/) [Arthur Stanley Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-stanley-eddington/) > [“Let us begin with the fine-structure constant. ... The fine-structure constant is really the ratio of two natural units or atoms of action. ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-stanley-eddington/let-us-begin-with-the-fine-structure-constant-the-fine-structure/) [Arthur Stanley Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-stanley-eddington/) > [“The mind-stuff of the world is, of course, something more general than our individual conscious minds… It is difficult for the matter-of-fact physicist to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-stanley-eddington/the-mind-stuff-of-the-world-is-of-course-something-more-general-than/) [Arthur Stanley Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-stanley-eddington/) > [“You will understand the true spirit neither of science nor of religion unless seeking is placed in the forefront.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-stanley-eddington/you-will-understand-the-true-spirit-neither-of-science-nor-of/) [Arthur Stanley Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-stanley-eddington/) > [“Just as we were misled into untenable ideas of the aether through trusting to an analogy with the material ocean, so we have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-stanley-eddington/just-as-we-were-misled-into-untenable-ideas-of-the-aether-through/) [Arthur Stanley Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-stanley-eddington/) > [“We know the prodigality of Nature. How many acorns are scattered for one that grows to an oak? And need she be more careful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-stanley-eddington/we-know-the-prodigality-of-nature-how-many-acorns-are-scattered-for/) [Arthur Stanley Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-stanley-eddington/) [Explore all 30 Arthur Stanley Eddington quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-stanley-eddington/) ## More Creeds quotes > [Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity, or registering wrongs. With this creed, revenge never worries my heart, degradation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/life-appears-to-me-too-short-to-be-spent-in-nursing-animosity-or/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [When indeed shall we learn that we are all related one to the other, that we are all members of one body? Until the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/when-indeed-shall-we-learn-that-we-are-all-related-one-to-the-other/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [But there are times when men have serious thoughts, and it is at such times, when they begin to think, that they begin to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/but-there-are-times-when-men-have-serious-thoughts-and-it-is-at-such/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [As in the instances of alchemy, astrology, witchcraft, and other such popular creeds, political economy, has a plausible idea at the root of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/as-in-the-instances-of-alchemy-astrology-witchcraft-and-other-such/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [People frequently ask me why I devote so much time to seeking out facts about man’s past…the past shows clearly that we all have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-leakey/people-frequently-ask-me-why-i-devote-so-much-time-to-seeking-out/) [Louis Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-leakey/) > [As men's habits of mind differ, so that some more readily embrace one form of faith, some another, for what moves one to pray…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/as-men-s-habits-of-mind-differ-so-that-some-more-readily-embrace-one/) [Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/) > [... what we should be looking for is fresh ideas of how we make moral decisions about our dealings with one another, economic, social,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davis-mccaughey/what-we-should-be-looking-for-is-fresh-ideas-of-how-we-make-moral/) Davis McCaughey > [The history of woman is the history of the continued and universal oppression of one sex by the other. The emancipation of woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-celeste-claflin/the-history-of-woman-is-the-history-of-the-continued-and-universal/) [Tennessee Celeste Claflin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-celeste-claflin/) > [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/) > [Vanity Fair has but two major articles in its editorial creed: first, to believe in the progress and promise of American life, and, second,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-crowninshield/vanity-fair-has-but-two-major-articles-in-its-editorial-creed-first/) [Frank Crowninshield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-crowninshield/) > [I believe in an America where the rights that I have described are enjoyed by all, regardless of their race or their creed or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/i-believe-in-an-america-where-the-rights-that-i-have-described-are/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [I questioned the faithful of all communions; I particularly sought the society of clergymen, who are the depositories of the various creeds and have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-questioned-the-faithful-of-all-communions-i-particularly-sought-the/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [No union exists between church and state, and perfect freedom of opinion is guaranteed to all sects and creeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-k-polk/no-union-exists-between-church-and-state-and-perfect-freedom-of/) [James K. Polk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-k-polk/) > [The doctrine of eternal punishment is in perfect harmony with the savagery of the men who made the orthodox creeds. It is in harmony…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/the-doctrine-of-eternal-punishment-is-in-perfect-harmony-with-the/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [Political and social justice requires, not the disintegration of a country and destruction or humiliation of a class which shows initiative, intelligence and drive,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syama-prasad-mukherjee/political-and-social-justice-requires-not-the-disintegration-of-a/) [Syama Prasad Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syama-prasad-mukherjee/) [Browse all 730 Creeds quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creeds/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Religious creeds are a great obstacle to any full sympathy between the outlook of the scientist and the outlook which religion is so often supposed to require ... The spirit of seeking which animates us refuses to regard any kind of creed as its goal. It would be a shock to come across a university where it was the practice of the students to recite adherence to Newton's laws of motion, to Maxwell's equations and to the electromagnetic theory of light. We should not deplore it the less if our own pet theory happened to be included, or if the list were brought up to date every few years. We should say that the students cannot possibly realise the intention of scientific training if they are taught to look on these results as things to be recited and subscribed to. Science may fall short of its ideal, and although the peril scarcely takes this extreme form, it is not always easy, particularly in popular science, to maintain our stand against creed and dogma.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Arthur Stanley Eddington" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-stanley-eddington/religious-creeds-are-a-great-obstacle-to-any-full-sympathy-between/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Creeds" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-stanley-eddington/religious-creeds-are-a-great-obstacle-to-any-full-sympathy-between/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3b/arthur-stanley-eddington-20703_creeds_religious-creeds-are-a-great-obstacle-to_2116209.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3b/arthur-stanley-eddington-20703_creeds_religious-creeds-are-a-great-obstacle-to_2116209.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3b/arthur-stanley-eddington-20703_creeds_religious-creeds-are-a-great-obstacle-to_2116209.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Religious creeds are a great obstacle to any full sympathy between the outlook of the scientist and the…” — Arthur Stanley Eddington", "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": "Arthur Stanley Eddington", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-stanley-eddington/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Religious creeds are a great obstacle...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-stanley-eddington/religious-creeds-are-a-great-obstacle-to-any-full-sympathy-between/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-stanley-eddington/religious-creeds-are-a-great-obstacle-to-any-full-sympathy-between/#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 } } ] } ```