--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: With what contempt and suspicion, then…" description: "\"“With what contempt and suspicion, then, must one regard those who are no willing to wait, and who beguile themselves and terrify others - especially t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f40/christopher-hitchens-117_children_with-what-contempt-and-suspicion-then-mu_2370723.jpg" --- # With what contempt and suspicion, then, must one regard… ![“With what contempt and suspicion, then, must one regard those who are no willing to wait, and who beguile themselves and terrify others - especially the children, as usual - with horrific visions of apocalypse, to be followed by stern judgment from the one who supposedly placed us in this…” quote by Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f40/christopher-hitchens-117_children_with-what-contempt-and-suspicion-then-mu_2370723.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f40/christopher-hitchens-117_children_with-what-contempt-and-suspicion-then-mu_2370723.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f40/christopher-hitchens-117_children_with-what-contempt-and-suspicion-then-mu_2370723.jpg) > ““With what contempt and suspicion, then, must one regard those who are no willing to wait, and who beguile themselves and terrify others - especially the children, as usual - with horrific visions of apocalypse, to be followed by stern judgment from the one who supposedly placed us in this inescapable dilemma to being with. We may laugh not at the foam-flecked hell-and-damnation preachers who loved to shrivel young souls with pornographic depictions of eternal torture, but this phenomenon has reappeared in a more troubling form with the holy alliance between the believers and what they can borrow or steal from the world of science.”” [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 passage criticizes those who spread apocalyptic fear and moral panic, especially when they blend religious zeal with scientific claims, urging skepticism toward such manipulative rhetoric. **In simple terms:** Beware fear‑mongering that mixes religion and science. Key Takeaway Question and reject fear‑based narratives. Themes religion science fear manipulation ethics Mood critical skeptical concerned Type philosophical political ethical When to use this quote - political discourse - media analysis - education - public policy - personal belief systems Key Concepts apocalyptic rhetoric moral panic ideological control Questions to Reflect On - How do we distinguish genuine concern from fear‑mongering? - What responsibilities do leaders have when invoking apocalyptic imagery? A Different Perspective Such warnings can be dismissed as elitist or overly cynical, potentially alienating sincere believers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Willing to wait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/willing-to-wait/) ## Related quotes > [There's no Hell mentioned in the Old Testament. The punishment of the dead is not specified there. It's only with gentle Jesus, meek and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/there-s-no-hell-mentioned-in-the-old-testament-the-punishment-of-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Christians often threaten atheists with eternal torture. But if we say that they're delusional, they will tell us that we're being rude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-thomas/christians-often-threaten-atheists-with-eternal-torture-but-if-we-say/) [Mark Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-thomas/) > [“Here I am Pet, standing before you with nothing to offer except things you cannot see. My heart and soul are yours, as they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-rose/here-i-am-pet-standing-before-you-with-nothing-to-offer-except-things/) Amanda Rose > [“The theology of the average colored church is basing itself far too much upon 'Hell and Damnation'—upon an attempt to scare people into being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois-2/the-theology-of-the-average-colored-church-is-basing-itself-far-too-2/) [W.E.B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois-2/) > [“Look the devil straight in the face And say bring it on For my God has a reward for you It's called Eternal hell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maisie-a-smikle/look-the-devil-straight-in-the-face-and-say-bring-it-on-for-my-god/) [Maisie A. Smikle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maisie-a-smikle/) > [The theology of the average colored church is basing itself far too much upon Hell and Damnation-upon an attempt to scare people into being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/the-theology-of-the-average-colored-church-is-basing-itself-far-too/) [W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/) > [“We listened to the stories of hell and damnation, and we learned to live with nightmares.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaisa-winter/we-listened-to-the-stories-of-hell-and-damnation-and-we-learned-to/) [Kaisa Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaisa-winter/) > [We knows that love has no limits or boundaries, but we also knows that love is patience and willing to wait for the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-malabago/we-knows-that-love-has-no-limits-or-boundaries-but-we-also-knows-that/) [Regina Malabago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-malabago/) > [“We can grow in faith only if we are willing to wait patiently for God's purposes and patterns to unfold in our lives, on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-c-oaks/we-can-grow-in-faith-only-if-we-are-willing-to-wait-patiently-for-god/) Robert C. Oaks > [“John Hay, in The Immortal Wilderness , has written: 'There are occasions when you can hear the mysterious language of the Earth, in water,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-hogan/john-hay-in-the-immortal-wilderness-has-written-there-are-occasions/) [Linda Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-hogan/) > [Today, Negroes play on every big league club and in every minor league. With millions of other Negroes in other walks of life, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-robinson/today-negroes-play-on-every-big-league-club-and-in-every-minor-league/) [Jackie Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-robinson/) > [“It isn’t violence that can break through our hearts. It isn’t force that binds us and keeps us together. Only tenderness has the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocelyn-soriano/it-isn-t-violence-that-can-break-through-our-hearts-it-isn-t-force/) [Jocelyn Soriano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocelyn-soriano/) > [“One of the great lessons I learned while making my second film, Furious Love, was just how limitless God’s patience is. We seem to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-wilson/one-of-the-great-lessons-i-learned-while-making-my-second-film/) [Darren Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-wilson/) > [“One of Lucy's admirers took to her, apparently." "Took to her?" echoes William, his own feelings for Sugar causing him to construe the phrase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/one-of-lucy-s-admirers-took-to-her-apparently-took-to-her-echoes/) [Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) > [A person who really loves you is willing to wait for you until the right time will come, and that you can already say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-mae-sajo-gallego/a-person-who-really-loves-you-is-willing-to-wait-for-you-until-the/) [Christine Mae Sajo Gallego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-mae-sajo-gallego/) ## 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. Religion says that we would not know right from wrong, we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/religion-attacks-us-in-our-deepest-integrity-the-core-of-our-self/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“In the very recent past, we have seen the Church of Rome befouled by its complicity with the unpardonable sin of child rape, or,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/in-the-very-recent-past-we-have-seen-the-church-of-rome-befouled-by/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [It's surprising to me how many of my friends send Christmas cards, or holiday cards, including my atheist and secular friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-surprising-to-me-how-many-of-my-friends-send-christmas-cards-or/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Suppose there were groups of secularists at hospitals who went round the terminally ill and urged them to adopt atheism: 'Don't be a mug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/suppose-there-were-groups-of-secularists-at-hospitals-who-went-round/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [There are, after all, atheists who say they wish the fable were true but are unable to suspend the requisite disbelief, or who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/there-are-after-all-atheists-who-say-they-wish-the-fable-were-true/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“It isn’t so long since a test of Anglican orthodoxy was applied to anyone seeking to study or teach at Oxford and Cambridge universities.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-isn-t-so-long-since-a-test-of-anglican-orthodoxy-was-applied-to/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Gullibility and credulity are considered undesireable qualities in every department of human life - except religion ... 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 Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/) [Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) [Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“With what contempt and suspicion, then, must one regard those who are no willing to wait, and who beguile themselves and terrify others - especially the children, as usual - with horrific visions of apocalypse, to be followed by stern judgment from the one who supposedly placed us in this inescapable dilemma to being with. We may laugh not at the foam-flecked hell-and-damnation preachers who loved to shrivel young souls with pornographic depictions of eternal torture, but this phenomenon has reappeared in a more troubling form with the holy alliance between the believers and what they can borrow or steal from the world of science.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christopher Hitchens" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/with-what-contempt-and-suspicion-then-must-one-regard-those-who-are/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Children" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/with-what-contempt-and-suspicion-then-must-one-regard-those-who-are/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f40/christopher-hitchens-117_children_with-what-contempt-and-suspicion-then-mu_2370723.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f40/christopher-hitchens-117_children_with-what-contempt-and-suspicion-then-mu_2370723.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f40/christopher-hitchens-117_children_with-what-contempt-and-suspicion-then-mu_2370723.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“With what contempt and suspicion, then, must one regard those who are no willing to wait, and who beguile…” — 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": "“With what contempt and suspicion, then,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/with-what-contempt-and-suspicion-then-must-one-regard-those-who-are/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/with-what-contempt-and-suspicion-then-must-one-regard-those-who-are/#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 } } ] } ```