--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The thing about religion is that it's the…" description: "\"The thing about religion is that it's the first and the worst. The worst because it's the first.\" — Christopher Hitchens" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29d/christopher-hitchens-117_firsts_the-thing-about-religion-is-that-it-s-th_1806389.jpg" --- # The thing about religion is that it's the first and the… ![“The thing about religion is that it's the first and the worst. The worst because it's the first.” quote by Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29d/christopher-hitchens-117_firsts_the-thing-about-religion-is-that-it-s-th_1806389.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29d/christopher-hitchens-117_firsts_the-thing-about-religion-is-that-it-s-th_1806389.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29d/christopher-hitchens-117_firsts_the-thing-about-religion-is-that-it-s-th_1806389.jpg) > “The thing about religion is that it's the first and the worst. The worst because it's the first.” [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. Religion is presented as humanity's earliest belief system, and its foundational status makes it especially problematic. **In simple terms:** Religion is the first and worst belief system. Key Takeaway Question early beliefs critically. Themes faith dogma history human nature power Mood skeptical critical provocative Type philosophical controversial When to use this quote - personal belief formation - political discourse - education - interfaith dialogue - policy making Key Concepts theology social control identity formation Questions to Reflect On - How does early belief shape later thinking? - Can religion be reformed rather than rejected? A Different Perspective Religious traditions can also provide community and moral frameworks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [Religion is the worst enemy of mankind. No single war in the history of humanity has killed as many people as religion has.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-murray/religion-is-the-worst-enemy-of-mankind-no-single-war-in-the-history/) [Bill Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-murray/) > [“When you are always ready for the worst, then the worst is likely to show up”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hopkins/when-you-are-always-ready-for-the-worst-then-the-worst-is-likely-to/) [Gary Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hopkins/) > [To be prepared for the worst \*is\* the worst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-alejandro-king/to-be-prepared-for-the-worst-is-the-worst/) [John Alejandro King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-alejandro-king/) > [You get to Alcatraz by being the worst of the worst. Unless you're me. I came here because my mother said I had to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennifer-choldenko/you-get-to-alcatraz-by-being-the-worst-of-the-worst-unless-you-re-me/) [Gennifer Choldenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennifer-choldenko/) > [“You don't fully know yourself and what you're capable of until you're faced with the worst. The worst shows you who you are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becky-wade/you-don-t-fully-know-yourself-and-what-you-re-capable-of-until-you-re/) [Becky Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becky-wade/) > [Of all the tyrannies that affect mankind, tyranny in religion is the worst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/of-all-the-tyrannies-that-affect-mankind-tyranny-in-religion-is-the-2/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [“The worst is over, the worst is yet to come”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-forche/the-worst-is-over-the-worst-is-yet-to-come/) [Carolyn Forche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-forche/) > [I have also seen groups where the expected behaviour of the ones being prayed for was that they fall over. This was nothing more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wimber/i-have-also-seen-groups-where-the-expected-behaviour-of-the-ones/) [John Wimber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wimber/) > [religion is perhaps its own worst enemy. For religion, masquerading under the guise of archaic creeds, and impossible literalisms, and ecclesiasticism indifferent to human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-harkness/religion-is-perhaps-its-own-worst-enemy-for-religion-masquerading/) [Georgia Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-harkness/) > [Religion is the worst thing that ever happened to mankind - the ironic part is that it's presented as a good thing, and its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/religion-is-the-worst-thing-that-ever-happened-to-mankind-the-ironic/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [“We have to prepare for the worst, and the worst is war.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-kouchner/we-have-to-prepare-for-the-worst-and-the-worst-is-war/) Bernard Kouchner > [As with the Christian religion, the worst advertisement for Socialism is its adherents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/as-with-the-christian-religion-the-worst-advertisement-for-socialism/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“What kind of thing is the religion those writings describe? The first difficulty before the enquirer is that the writings do not profess to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-hughes/what-kind-of-thing-is-the-religion-those-writings-describe-the-first/) [Philip Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-hughes/) > [The best thing about religion is that it's so transparently absurd it can't possibly last forever. I'm convinced it will only take a small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-condell/the-best-thing-about-religion-is-that-it-s-so-transparently-absurd-it/) [Pat Condell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-condell/) > [I think there's a lot of similarity between what people try to do with religion with what they want from art. In fact, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/i-think-there-s-a-lot-of-similarity-between-what-people-try-to-do/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) ## 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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