--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The churches used to win their arguments…" description: "\"The churches used to win their arguments against atheism, agnosticism, and other burning issues by burning the ismist, which is fine proof that there i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/210/ben-lindsey-48588_agnosticism_the-churches-used-to-win-their-arguments_897300.png" --- # The churches used to win their arguments against atheism… ![“The churches used to win their arguments against atheism, agnosticism, and other burning issues by burning the ismist, which is fine proof that there is a devil but hardly evidence that there is a God.” quote by Ben Lindsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/210/ben-lindsey-48588_agnosticism_the-churches-used-to-win-their-arguments_897300.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/210/ben-lindsey-48588_agnosticism_the-churches-used-to-win-their-arguments_897300.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/210/ben-lindsey-48588_agnosticism_the-churches-used-to-win-their-arguments_897300.png) > “The churches used to win their arguments against atheism, agnosticism, and other burning issues by burning the ismist, which is fine proof that there is a devil but hardly evidence that there is a God.” [Ben Lindsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lindsey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that religious arguments often rely on fear tactics rather than logical proof of God, highlighting a logical fallacy. **In simple terms:** Religious arguments use fear, not evidence, to claim a devil exists. Key Takeaway Question reasoning over emotional manipulation. Themes religion logic debate Mood skeptical critical thoughtful Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - public discourse - interfaith dialogue - education - media analysis Key Concepts fallacy skepticism evidence Questions to Reflect On - What evidence truly supports belief in a deity? - How can debates focus on rational evidence? A Different Perspective Relies on anecdotal historical claim without source. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Agnosticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agnosticism/) [Agnosticism Burning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agnosticism-burning-1208292/) [Argument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument/) [Arguments Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arguments-atheism-1208294/) [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Atheism Agnosticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism-agnosticism-1208293/) [Burning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burning/) [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Devil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devil/) [Evidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evidence/) [Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fine/) [Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues/) [Proof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proof/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) [Winning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winning/) ## Related quotes > [The Old Testament is responsible for more atheism, agnosticism, disbelief - call it what you will - than any book ever written; it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-old-testament-is-responsible-for-more-atheism-agnosticism-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [From my early 20s on, I would waver between atheism and agnosticism, never coming close to considering that God could be real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-powers/from-my-early-20s-on-i-would-waver-between-atheism-and-agnosticism/) [Kirsten Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-powers/) > [Atheism and agnosticism signify the rejection of certain images and concepts of God or of truth, which are historically conditioned and therefore inadequate. Atheism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bede-griffiths/atheism-and-agnosticism-signify-the-rejection-of-certain-images-and/) [Bede Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bede-griffiths/) > [“Maybe we need a new category other than theism, atheism or agnosticism that takes paradox and unknowing into account.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-schaeffer/maybe-we-need-a-new-category-other-than-theism-atheism-or-agnosticism/) [Frank Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-schaeffer/) > [Unhappy, let alone angry, religious people provide more persuasive arguments for atheism and secularism than do all the arguments of atheists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/unhappy-let-alone-angry-religious-people-provide-more-persuasive/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [“Arguments for atheism can be divided into two main categories: those that dispute the existence of god and those that demonstrate the ill effects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/arguments-for-atheism-can-be-divided-into-two-main-categories-those/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“The more I read arguments for atheism, the more I am convinced it takes a very strong faith to be an atheist. And atheism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corrado-ghinamo/the-more-i-read-arguments-for-atheism-the-more-i-am-convinced-it/) [Corrado Ghinamo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corrado-ghinamo/) > [There are arguments for atheism, and they do not depend, and never did depend, upon science. They are arguable enough, as far as they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-arguments-for-atheism-and-they-do-not-depend-and-never-did/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“...organized religion is no longer good news for most people, but bad news indeed. It set us up for the massive atheism, agnosticism, hedonism,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/organized-religion-is-no-longer-good-news-for-most-people-but-bad/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [The Old Testament is responsible for more atheism, agnosticism, disbelief - call it what you will - than any book ever written. It has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-milne/the-old-testament-is-responsible-for-more-atheism-agnosticism/) [A. A. Milne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-milne/) > [“The atheist might have no proof for the supernatural, but they also have no proof against it. If we start at a neutral position…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-n-roe/the-atheist-might-have-no-proof-for-the-supernatural-but-they-also/) [Lewis N. Roe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-n-roe/) > [O marvelous Sacrament! How can I find words to praise you! You are the life of the soul, the medicament healing our wounds, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-of-granada/o-marvelous-sacrament-how-can-i-find-words-to-praise-you-you-are-the/) [Louis of Granada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-of-granada/) > [“Some people are so stiff and inhumane as the dogma's they believe in”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/some-people-are-so-stiff-and-inhumane-as-the-dogma-s-they-believe-in/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [The prayer of the agnostic: "O God, if there is a God, save my soul if I have a soul."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-renan/the-prayer-of-the-agnostic-o-god-if-there-is-a-god-save-my-soul-if-i/) [Ernest Renan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-renan/) > [A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/a-knowledge-of-the-existence-of-something-we-cannot-penetrate-of-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) ## More by Ben Lindsey > [Motherhood is so honorable a thing that nothing - no convention - can possibly make it dishonorable; and from the standpoint of the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lindsey/motherhood-is-so-honorable-a-thing-that-nothing-no-convention-can/) [Ben Lindsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lindsey/) > [I do beseech you to direct your efforts more to preparing youth for the path and less to preparing the path for the youth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lindsey/i-do-beseech-you-to-direct-your-efforts-more-to-preparing-youth-for/) [Ben Lindsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lindsey/) > [“{ From Luther Burbank 's funeral. 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By definition, I'm unsure of what to believe in, but I'm also borderline-capable of believing in anything and everything, or nothing at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-lola/i-m-agnostic-by-definition-i-m-unsure-of-what-to-believe-in-but-i-m/) [Lauren Lola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-lola/) > [“The Agnostic is one who asserts 'what no one denies' that there are limits to the sphere of human intelligence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-stephen/the-agnostic-is-one-who-asserts-what-no-one-denies-that-there-are/) [Leslie Stephen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-stephen/) > [I have only a small flickering light to guide me in the darkness of a thick forest. Up comes a theologian and blows it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/i-have-only-a-small-flickering-light-to-guide-me-in-the-darkness-of-a/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [“...The Presidential election has given me less anxiety than I myself could have imagined. The next administration will be a troublesome one, to whomsoever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/the-presidential-election-has-given-me-less-anxiety-than-i-myself/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [We are enabled to apprehend at all what is sublime and noble only by the perpetual instilling and drenching of the reality that surrounds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/we-are-enabled-to-apprehend-at-all-what-is-sublime-and-noble-only-by/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“We should be agnostic about those things for which there is no evidence. We should not hold beliefs merely because they gratify our desires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-should-be-agnostic-about-those-things-for-which-there-is-no/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 275 Agnosticism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agnosticism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The churches used to win their arguments against atheism, agnosticism, and other burning issues by burning the ismist, which is fine proof that there is a devil but hardly evidence that there is a God.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ben Lindsey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lindsey/the-churches-used-to-win-their-arguments-against-atheism-agnosticism/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Agnosticism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lindsey/the-churches-used-to-win-their-arguments-against-atheism-agnosticism/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/210/ben-lindsey-48588_agnosticism_the-churches-used-to-win-their-arguments_897300.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/210/ben-lindsey-48588_agnosticism_the-churches-used-to-win-their-arguments_897300.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/210/ben-lindsey-48588_agnosticism_the-churches-used-to-win-their-arguments_897300.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The churches used to win their arguments against atheism, agnosticism, and other burning issues by burning…” — Ben Lindsey", "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": "Ben Lindsey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lindsey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The churches used to win their...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lindsey/the-churches-used-to-win-their-arguments-against-atheism-agnosticism/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lindsey/the-churches-used-to-win-their-arguments-against-atheism-agnosticism/#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 } } ] } ```