--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The assumed instinctive belief in God has…" description: "\"The assumed instinctive belief in God has been used by many persons as an argument for his existence. But this is a rash argument, as we should thus be..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b63/charles-darwin-507_argument_the-assumed-instinctive-belief-in-god-ha_2632211.jpg" --- # The assumed instinctive belief in God has been used by… ![“The assumed instinctive belief in God has been used by many persons as an argument for his existence. But this is a rash argument, as we should thus be compelled to believe in the existence of many cruel and malignant spirits, only a little more powerful than man; for the belief in them is far…” quote by Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b63/charles-darwin-507_argument_the-assumed-instinctive-belief-in-god-ha_2632211.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b63/charles-darwin-507_argument_the-assumed-instinctive-belief-in-god-ha_2632211.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b63/charles-darwin-507_argument_the-assumed-instinctive-belief-in-god-ha_2632211.jpg) > “The assumed instinctive belief in God has been used by many persons as an argument for his existence. But this is a rash argument, as we should thus be compelled to believe in the existence of many cruel and malignant spirits, only a little more powerful than man; for the belief in them is far more general than in a beneficent deity.” [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Argues that belief in a benevolent deity is weak, suggesting belief in many malevolent spirits is more plausible given human experience. **In simple terms:** Belief in a kind God is questionable. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about divine nature. Themes religion belief skepticism Mood critical analytical Type philosophical skeptical When to use this quote - debate - personal belief Key Concepts theology philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What evidence supports your view? - How do cultural contexts shape belief? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex theology. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Argument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument/) [Assumed Instinctive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assumed-instinctive-2199181/) [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Belief God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief-god/) [Belief in god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief-in-god/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Compelled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compelled/) [Deities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deities/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Instinctive Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instinctive-belief-2199180/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Man Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-belief-845278/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Powerful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerful/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) ## Related quotes > [I am aware that the assumed instinctive belief in God has been used by many persons as an argument for his existence. 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But for the most part, I've just been working on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemba-walker/my-belief-in-god-has-been-helping-me-play-the-way-i-m-playing-but-for/) [Kemba Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemba-walker/) > [ I remember clearly that when I was little it was explained to me \[that\] the way that babies were made was that God put… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ira-glass/i-remember-clearly-that-when-i-was-little-it-was-explained-to-me-that/) [Ira Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ira-glass/) > [A nation which thinks that it is belief in God and not good law which makes people honest does not seem to me very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/a-nation-which-thinks-that-it-is-belief-in-god-and-not-good-law-which/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [I have a strong belief in God... I find religion to be a very personal thing... I am also very spiritual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sela-ward/i-have-a-strong-belief-in-god-i-find-religion-to-be-a-very-personal/) [Sela Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sela-ward/) > [A belief in God helps provide a foundation to arbitrate our decisions. Without this foundation, we are condemned to live essentially formless lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armstrong-williams/a-belief-in-god-helps-provide-a-foundation-to-arbitrate-our-decisions/) [Armstrong Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armstrong-williams/) > [Everybody dies. There’s nothing you can do about it. Whether or not you eat six almonds a day. Whether or not you believe in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/everybody-dies-there-s-nothing-you-can-do-about-it-whether-or-not-you/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [“She stood and tried hard not to believe in God. It seemed mean and petty to have more belief in God when things were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galsworthy/she-stood-and-tried-hard-not-to-believe-in-god-it-seemed-mean-and/) [John Galsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galsworthy/) ## More by Charles Darwin > [The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/the-love-for-all-living-creatures-is-the-most-noble-attribute-of-man/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [The main conclusion here arrived at ... is that man is descended from some less highly organized form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/the-main-conclusion-here-arrived-at-is-that-man-is-descended-from/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [So great is the economy of nature, that most flowers which are fertilised by crepuscular or nocturnal insects emit their odour chiefly or exclusively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/so-great-is-the-economy-of-nature-that-most-flowers-which-are/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [I see no good reasons why the views given in this volume should shock the religious views of anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/i-see-no-good-reasons-why-the-views-given-in-this-volume-should-shock/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [I am quite conscious that my speculations run beyond the bounds of true science…It is a mere rag of an hypothesis with as many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/i-am-quite-conscious-that-my-speculations-run-beyond-the-bounds-of/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [If worms have the power of acquiring some notion, however rude, of the shape of an object and over their burrows, as seems the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/if-worms-have-the-power-of-acquiring-some-notion-however-rude-of-the/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [We can allow satellites, planets, suns, universe, nay whole systems of universes, to be governed by laws, but the smallest insect, we wish to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/we-can-allow-satellites-planets-suns-universe-nay-whole-systems-of/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [Formerly Milton's Paradise Lost had been my chief favourite, and in my excursions during the voyage of the Beagle, when I could take only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/formerly-milton-s-paradise-lost-had-been-my-chief-favourite-and-in-my/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [May we not suspect that the vague but very real fears of children, which are quite independent of experience, are the inherited effects of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/may-we-not-suspect-that-the-vague-but-very-real-fears-of-children/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [It may be said that natural selection is daily and hourly scrutinizing, throughout the world, every variation, even the slightest; rejecting that which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/it-may-be-said-that-natural-selection-is-daily-and-hourly/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [“Darwin, landing in Brazil in 1832, had a similar reaction, colored by his reading of his predecessor." Humboldt's glorious descriptions are & will for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/darwin-landing-in-brazil-in-1832-had-a-similar-reaction-colored-by/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [...all nature is perverse & will not do as I wish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/all-nature-is-perverse-will-not-do-as-i-wish-it/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [“To admit that species generally become rare before they become extinct—to feel no surprise at the comparative rarity of one species with another, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/to-admit-that-species-generally-become-rare-before-they-become/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [To suppose that the eye could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest possible degree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/to-suppose-that-the-eye-could-have-been-formed-by-natural-selection/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [It is interesting to contemplate an entangled bank clothed with many plants of many kinds with birds singing on the bushes, with various insects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/it-is-interesting-to-contemplate-an-entangled-bank-clothed-with-many/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) [Explore all 497 Charles Darwin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) ## More Argument quotes > [A flourishing, morally credible media is a vital component in the maintenance of genuinely public talk, argument about common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/a-flourishing-morally-credible-media-is-a-vital-component-in-the/) [Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/) > [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. 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