--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But the acknowledging of one God…" description: "\"“But the acknowledging of one God, eternal, infinite, and omnipotent, may more easily be derived, from the desire men have to know the causes of natura..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/christopher-hitchens-117_fear_but-the-acknowledging-of-one-god-eternal_1019707.jpg" --- # But the acknowledging of one God, eternal, infinite, and… ![“But the acknowledging of one God, eternal, infinite, and omnipotent, may more easily be derived, from the desire men have to know the causes of natural bodies, and their several virtues, and operations; than from the fear of what was to befall them in time to come. For he that from any effect he…” quote by Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/christopher-hitchens-117_fear_but-the-acknowledging-of-one-god-eternal_1019707.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/christopher-hitchens-117_fear_but-the-acknowledging-of-one-god-eternal_1019707.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/christopher-hitchens-117_fear_but-the-acknowledging-of-one-god-eternal_1019707.jpg) > ““But the acknowledging of one God, eternal, infinite, and omnipotent, may more easily be derived, from the desire men have to know the causes of natural bodies, and their several virtues, and operations; than from the fear of what was to befall them in time to come. For he that from any effect he seeth come to pass, should reason to the next and immediate cause thereof, and from thence to the cause of that cause, and plunge himself profoundly in the pursuit of causes; shall at last come to this, that there must be, as even the heathen philosophers confessed, one first mover; that is, a first, and an eternal cause of all things; which is that which men mean by the name of God: and all this without thought of their fortune; the solicitude whereof, both inclines to fear, and hinders them from the search of the causes of other things; and thereby gives occasion of feigning of as many gods, as there be men that feign them.”” [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reasoning from observable natural causes leads to the concept of a first cause, which many identify as God, rather than fear of the unknown. **In simple terms:** Understanding nature points to a first cause called God. Key Takeaway Seek knowledge, not fear. Themes philosophy theology reasoning science skepticism Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - Scientific inquiry - philosophical debate - personal belief formation - education - interfaith dialogue Key Concepts First cause causality natural philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How does scientific understanding influence belief in a deity? - Can causality be fully grasped by human reason? 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For he that from any effect he seeth come to pass, should reason to the next and immediate cause thereof, and from thence to the cause of that cause, and plunge himself profoundly in the pursuit of causes; shall at last come to this, that there must be, as even the heathen philosophers confessed, one first mover; that is, a first, and an eternal cause of all things; which is that which men mean by the name of God: and all this without thought of their fortune; the solicitude whereof, both inclines to fear, and hinders them from the search of the causes of other things; and thereby gives occasion of feigning of as many gods, as there be men that feign them.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christopher Hitchens" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/but-the-acknowledging-of-one-god-eternal-infinite-and-omnipotent-may/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fear" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/but-the-acknowledging-of-one-god-eternal-infinite-and-omnipotent-may/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/christopher-hitchens-117_fear_but-the-acknowledging-of-one-god-eternal_1019707.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/christopher-hitchens-117_fear_but-the-acknowledging-of-one-god-eternal_1019707.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/christopher-hitchens-117_fear_but-the-acknowledging-of-one-god-eternal_1019707.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But the acknowledging of one God, eternal, infinite, and omnipotent, may more easily be derived, from the…” — Christopher Hitchens", "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": "Christopher Hitchens", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“But the acknowledging of one God,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/but-the-acknowledging-of-one-god-eternal-infinite-and-omnipotent-may/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/but-the-acknowledging-of-one-god-eternal-infinite-and-omnipotent-may/#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 } } ] } ```