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Religion Quote by Daniel Quinn

“The God of revealed religions—and by this I mean religions like yours, Taker religions—is a profoundly inarticulate God. No matter how many times he tries, he can’t make himself clearly or completely understood. He speaks for centuries to the Jews but fails to make himself understood. At last he…” quote by Daniel Quinn
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““The God of revealed religions—and by this I mean religions like yours, Taker religions—is a profoundly inarticulate God. No matter how many times he tries, he can’t make himself clearly or completely understood. He speaks for centuries to the Jews but fails to make himself understood. At last he sends his only-begotten son, and his son can’t seem to do any better. Jesus might have sat himself down with a scribe and dictated the answers to every conceivable theological question in absolutely unequivocal terms, but he chose not to, leaving subsequent generations to settle what Jesus had in mind with pogroms, purges, persecutions, wars, the burning stake, and the rack. Having failed through Jesus, God next tried to make himself understood through Muhammad, with limited success, as always. After a thousand years of silence he tried again with Joseph Smith, with no better results. Averaging it out, all God has been able to tell us for sure is that we should do unto others as we’d have them do unto us. What’s that—a dozen words? Not much to show for five thousand years of work, and we probably could have figured out that much for ourselves anyway. To be honest, I’d be embarrassed to be associated with a god as incompetent as that.””

Daniel Quinn

About This Quote

Source Book: “The Story of B” by Daniel Quinn, 1995

Religions claim divine clarity yet remain ambiguous; humanity’s moral guidance is simple, not divine.

In simple terms: Religions are vague; moral rule is simple.

Key Takeaway

Focus on ethical behavior.

Themes

religion morality communication

Mood

reflective critical

Type

analytical philosophical

When to use this quote

  • interfaith dialogue
  • ethical education
  • personal reflection

Key Concepts

theology philosophy history

Questions to Reflect On

  • How can we find common ethics across faiths?
  • What role does narrative play in belief?
A Different Perspective

Religious narratives can inspire community despite ambiguity.

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