---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Divine permission, given to people who…"
description: "\"“Divine permission, given to people who think they have god on their side, enables actions that a morally normal unbeliever would not contemplate.”\" — ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f96/christopher-hitchens-117_ethics-and-moral-phi_divine-permission-given-to-people-who-th_2027981.jpg"
---

#  Divine permission, given to people who think they have god…

![“Divine permission, given to people who think they have god on their side, enables actions that a morally normal unbeliever would not contemplate.” quote by Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f96/christopher-hitchens-117_ethics-and-moral-phi_divine-permission-given-to-people-who-th_2027981.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f96/christopher-hitchens-117_ethics-and-moral-phi_divine-permission-given-to-people-who-th_2027981.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f96/christopher-hitchens-117_ethics-and-moral-phi_divine-permission-given-to-people-who-th_2027981.jpg)

> ““Divine permission, given to people who think they have god on their side, enables actions that a morally normal unbeliever would not contemplate.””

[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.

Believing one has divine backing justifies immoral actions that ordinary people would reject.

**In simple terms:** Divine justification leads to immoral deeds.

Key Takeaway

Question moral authority of claimed divine support.

Themes

morality religion power justification

Mood

critical skeptical

Type

philosophical controversial

When to use this quote

- political rhetoric
- religious extremism
- personal justification

Key Concepts

ethical relativism authority psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you ever rationalize harmful actions as divinely sanctioned?
- How can societies guard against moral abuse of religious claims?

A Different Perspective

Assumes belief in God is the only source of moral deviation.

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[Divine Permission](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine-permission-403964/) [Ethics-and-moral-philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethics-and-moral-philosophy/) [God Enables](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-enables-269614/) [Morally Normal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morally-normal-3709359/) [Normal Unbeliever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/normal-unbeliever-3709357/) [Unbeliever Contemplate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unbeliever-contemplate-3709358/)

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