--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am no Christian. These days it does no…" description: "\"“I am no Christian. These days it does no good to confess that, for the bishops and abbots have too much influence and it is easier to pretend to a fai..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4a/bernard-cornwell-1849_christian_i-am-no-christian-these-days-it-does-no_524196.jpg" --- # I am no Christian. These days it does no good to confess… ![“I am no Christian. These days it does no good to confess that, for the bishops and abbots have too much influence and it is easier to pretend to a faith than to fight angry ideas. I was raised a Christian, but at ten years old, when I was taken into Ragnar’s family, I discovered the old Saxon gods…” quote by Bernard Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4a/bernard-cornwell-1849_christian_i-am-no-christian-these-days-it-does-no_524196.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4a/bernard-cornwell-1849_christian_i-am-no-christian-these-days-it-does-no_524196.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4a/bernard-cornwell-1849_christian_i-am-no-christian-these-days-it-does-no_524196.jpg) > ““I am no Christian. These days it does no good to confess that, for the bishops and abbots have too much influence and it is easier to pretend to a faith than to fight angry ideas. I was raised a Christian, but at ten years old, when I was taken into Ragnar’s family, I discovered the old Saxon gods who were also the gods of the Danes and of the Norsemen, and their worship has always made more sense to me than bowing down to a god who belongs to a country so far away that I have met no one who has ever been there. Thor and Odin walked our hills, slept in our valleys, loved our women and drank from our streams, and that makes them seem like neighbours. The other thing I like about our gods is that they are not obsessed with us. They have their own squabbles and love affairs and seem to ignore us much of the time, but the Christian god has nothing better to do than to make rules for us. He makes rules, more rules, prohibitions and commandments, and he needs hundreds of black-robed priests and monks to make sure we obey those laws. He strikes me as a very grumpy god, that one, even though his priests are forever claiming that he loves us. I have never been so stupid as to think that Thor or Odin or Hoder loved me, though I hope at times they have thought me worthy of them.”” [Bernard Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-cornwell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker, raised Christian, rejects organized Christianity for its rules and distant deity, preferring the relatable, less demanding Norse gods who are part of the natural world. **In simple terms:** Rejects Christian rules for more relatable Norse gods. Key Takeaway Seek spiritual paths that feel personal and grounded. Themes faith individualism mythology Mood contemplative skeptical Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - personal belief formation - cultural heritage - spiritual exploration Key Concepts theology culture identity Questions to Reflect On - What draws you to a particular belief? - How do cultural myths shape identity? A Different Perspective Organized religion can offer community and moral guidance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) [Christian god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian-god/) [Gods Danes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gods-danes-4418029/) [Norsemen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/norsemen-901239/) [Norsemen Worship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/norsemen-worship-4418027/) [Saxon Gods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saxon-gods-4418028/) [Ten years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ten-years/) ## Related quotes > [“I borrowed a copy of Myths of the Norsemen by Roger Lancelyn Green and read and reread it with delight and puzzlement: Asgard, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-borrowed-a-copy-of-myths-of-the-norsemen-by-roger-lancelyn-green/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“This is not your fight, brothers," Winn said quietly once they were alone. 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I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/) [Browse all 14,306 Christian quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I am no Christian. These days it does no good to confess that, for the bishops and abbots have too much influence and it is easier to pretend to a faith than to fight angry ideas. I was raised a Christian, but at ten years old, when I was taken into Ragnar’s family, I discovered the old Saxon gods who were also the gods of the Danes and of the Norsemen, and their worship has always made more sense to me than bowing down to a god who belongs to a country so far away that I have met no one who has ever been there. Thor and Odin walked our hills, slept in our valleys, loved our women and drank from our streams, and that makes them seem like neighbours. The other thing I like about our gods is that they are not obsessed with us. They have their own squabbles and love affairs and seem to ignore us much of the time, but the Christian god has nothing better to do than to make rules for us. He makes rules, more rules, prohibitions and commandments, and he needs hundreds of black-robed priests and monks to make sure we obey those laws. He strikes me as a very grumpy god, that one, even though his priests are forever claiming that he loves us. 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