--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I were to announce that I had suddenly…" description: "\"“If I were to announce that I had suddenly converted to Catholicism, I know that Larry Taunton and Douglas Wilson would feel I had fallen into grievous..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21a/christopher-hitchens-117_quote_if-i-were-to-announce-that-i-had-suddenl_1938925.jpg" --- # If I were to announce that I had suddenly converted to… ![“If I were to announce that I had suddenly converted to Catholicism, I know that Larry Taunton and Douglas Wilson would feel I had fallen into grievous error. On the other hand, if I were to join either of their Protestant evangelical groups, the followers of Rome would not think my soul was much…” quote by Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21a/christopher-hitchens-117_quote_if-i-were-to-announce-that-i-had-suddenl_1938925.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21a/christopher-hitchens-117_quote_if-i-were-to-announce-that-i-had-suddenl_1938925.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21a/christopher-hitchens-117_quote_if-i-were-to-announce-that-i-had-suddenl_1938925.jpg) > ““If I were to announce that I had suddenly converted to Catholicism, I know that Larry Taunton and Douglas Wilson would feel I had fallen into grievous error. On the other hand, if I were to join either of their Protestant evangelical groups, the followers of Rome would not think my soul was much safer than it is now, while a late-in-life decision to adhere to Judaism or Islam would inevitably lose me many prayers from both factions. I sympathize afresh with the mighty Voltaire, who, when badgered on his deathbed and urged to renounce the devil, murmured that this was no time to be making enemies.”” [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. The quote critiques the intolerance and mutual suspicion among major religions, highlighting how conversion is judged harshly by all sides and that even skeptics like Voltaire faced pressure to conform. **In simple terms:** Religions judge converts harshly and demand conformity. Key Takeaway Recognize the futility of seeking safety in any single faith. Themes religion intolerance identity skepticism conflict Mood reflective critical thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - interfaith dialogue - personal belief decisions - public discourse on religion - ethical decision making Key Concepts pluralism dogma social pressure Questions to Reflect On - How do we foster genuine respect across faiths? - Can personal conviction exist without fear of judgment? A Different Perspective It assumes all religious groups are equally intolerant, which may not reflect nuanced realities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Protestant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protestant/) ## Related quotes > [I sympathize afresh with the mighty Voltaire who, when badgered on his deathbed and urged to renounce the devil, murmured that this was no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-sympathize-afresh-with-the-mighty-voltaire-who-when-badgered-on-his/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [My mother converted to Catholicism to marry my father.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-fellowes/my-mother-converted-to-catholicism-to-marry-my-father/) [Julian Fellowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-fellowes/) > [“Her devotion was so strong that she assumed everyone shared her belief. No one needed to be converted to Catholicism because in her mind,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/her-devotion-was-so-strong-that-she-assumed-everyone-shared-her/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My father was ethnically Jewish, but his family converted to Catholicism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hollander/my-father-was-ethnically-jewish-but-his-family-converted-to/) [Tom Hollander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hollander/) > [I converted to Catholicism at age 35, after being raised as a Congregationalist in a New England Yankee family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-long/i-converted-to-catholicism-at-age-35-after-being-raised-as-a/) [Wendy Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-long/) > [“As a convinced atheist, I ought to agree with Voltaire that Judaism is not just one more religion, but in its way the root…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/as-a-convinced-atheist-i-ought-to-agree-with-voltaire-that-judaism-is/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Thus, though I dislike to differ with such a great man, Voltaire was simply ludicrous when he said that if god did not exist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/thus-though-i-dislike-to-differ-with-such-a-great-man-voltaire-was/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [O Voltaire! O humanity! O idiocy! There is something ticklish in "the truth," and in the SEARCH for the truth; and if man goes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/o-voltaire-o-humanity-o-idiocy-there-is-something-ticklish-in-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“If God is always on the side of the big battalions as Voltaire says, then, let us not waste our time with little detachments!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-god-is-always-on-the-side-of-the-big-battalions-as-voltaire-says/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Optimism and happiness are not the same thing, but they are becoming interchangeable, and it seemed to me that Voltaire's Candide gave me a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ravenhill/optimism-and-happiness-are-not-the-same-thing-but-they-are-becoming/) [Mark Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ravenhill/) > [Priests, kings, statesmen, soldiers, bankers and public functionaries of all sorts; policemen, jailers and hangmen; capitalists, usurers, businessmen and property-owners; lawyers, economists and politicians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/priests-kings-statesmen-soldiers-bankers-and-public-functionaries-of/) [Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) > [“Voltaire was soon turned, with Catherine’s encouragement, into a patron saint for the secular Russian aristocracy. Voltairianism, vaguely signifying rationalism, scepticism and reformism, became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pankaj-mishra/voltaire-was-soon-turned-with-catherine-s-encouragement-into-a-patron/) [Pankaj Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pankaj-mishra/) > [Voltaire made up his mind to destroy the superstition of his time. He fought with every weapon that genius could devise or use. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/voltaire-made-up-his-mind-to-destroy-the-superstition-of-his-time-he/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [Voltaire! A name that excites the admiration of men, the malignity of priests. Pronounce that name in the presence of a clergyman, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/voltaire-a-name-that-excites-the-admiration-of-men-the-malignity-of/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [Voltaire was a smart cookie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry/voltaire-was-a-smart-cookie/) [John Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry/) ## More by Christopher Hitchens > [“The spirit of our accurate and exact philosophy is outraged by conclusions that contradict each other so glaringly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-spirit-of-our-accurate-and-exact-philosophy-is-outraged-by/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Many governments employ torture but this was the first time that the element of Saturnalia and pornography in the process had been made so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/many-governments-employ-torture-but-this-was-the-first-time-that-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [ It's \[Los Angeles\] mostly full of nonsense and delusion and egomania. They think they'll be young and beautiful forever, even though most of them… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-los-angeles-mostly-full-of-nonsense-and-delusion-and-egomania/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [To be against rationalization is not the same as to be opposed to reasoning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/to-be-against-rationalization-is-not-the-same-as-to-be-opposed-to/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [ \[Religion\] attacks us in our deepest integrity - the core of our self-respect. 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Why are we praised by godly men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/gullibility-and-credulity-are-considered-undesireable-qualities-in/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [It's much worse to see a woman drunk than a man: I don't know quite why this is true but it just is. Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-much-worse-to-see-a-woman-drunk-than-a-man-i-don-t-know-quite/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [It's true that obscenity is a matter of taste and in the eye of the beholder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-true-that-obscenity-is-a-matter-of-taste-and-in-the-eye-of-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [I worked out early on to give up things I couldn't do well at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-worked-out-early-on-to-give-up-things-i-couldn-t-do-well-at-all/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Writing is what's important to me, and anything that helps me do that - or enhances and prolongs and deepens and sometimes intensifies argument…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/writing-is-what-s-important-to-me-and-anything-that-helps-me-do-that/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) [Explore all 1,241 Christopher Hitchens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) ## More Protestant quotes > [The protestant world is in great need of examples (like these) that will beckon us to the fullness of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-bickle/the-protestant-world-is-in-great-need-of-examples-like-these-that/) [Mike Bickle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-bickle/) > [“...Catholic versus Protestant, essentially. 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Unlike a creed or confession, a catechism uses questions and answers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/a-catechism-is-simply-a-tool-for-teaching-the-fundamentals-of-the/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [“It may seem somewhat ironic that the Catholic Church finds itself advocating the same position against abortion as its severest Christian critics, the Protestant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-holland/it-may-seem-somewhat-ironic-that-the-catholic-church-finds-itself/) [Jack Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-holland/) > [I am a good Protestant, and in the full sense of the term, for from the bottom of my soul, I protest against everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bayle/i-am-a-good-protestant-and-in-the-full-sense-of-the-term-for-from-the/) [Pierre Bayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bayle/) > [I've heard other gay people say when they were growing up they felt 'foreign.' 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