--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If the Bible and other holy books were at…" description: "\"“If the Bible and other holy books were at all reliable sources of morality, good and bad religious people wouldn’t both be able to point to their holy..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/349/david-silverman-24528_bible_if-the-bible-and-other-holy-books-were-a_2145279.jpg" --- # If the Bible and other holy books were at all reliable… ![“If the Bible and other holy books were at all reliable sources of morality, good and bad religious people wouldn’t both be able to point to their holy books as guidance and inspiration to support their positions. If morality is completely separable from religion, we would expect to see exactly…” quote by David Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/349/david-silverman-24528_bible_if-the-bible-and-other-holy-books-were-a_2145279.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/349/david-silverman-24528_bible_if-the-bible-and-other-holy-books-were-a_2145279.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/349/david-silverman-24528_bible_if-the-bible-and-other-holy-books-were-a_2145279.jpg) > ““If the Bible and other holy books were at all reliable sources of morality, good and bad religious people wouldn’t both be able to point to their holy books as guidance and inspiration to support their positions. If morality is completely separable from religion, we would expect to see exactly what we do - people making their own moral decisions and then ascribing that morality to their particular holy book. They use their scripture as a shield to both defend their actions and to insulate themselves from criticism.”” [David Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-silverman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People cite holy books to justify opposing moral views, showing that morality can be independent of religion and is often used as a personal shield. **In simple terms:** Religion is used to justify any moral stance. Key Takeaway Question your own moral foundations beyond scripture. Themes morality religion justification interpretation Mood critical thoughtful Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - political debate - personal decision making - interfaith dialogue - public policy - education Key Concepts ethical relativism cognitive bias social identity Questions to Reflect On - How do you determine right and wrong without relying on scripture? - Can moral consensus exist without religion? A Different Perspective Religious texts may not provide clear, universal moral guidance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Good and bad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-and-bad/) [Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration/) [Morality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morality/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religious people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-people/) ## Related quotes > [“Friedrich Nietzsche, who famously gave us the ‘God is dead’ phrase was interested in the sources of morality. He warned that the emergence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/friedrich-nietzsche-who-famously-gave-us-the-god-is-dead-phrase-was/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [“My father hated people who preached about morality. We're all good when it suits us, he used to say: that doesn't count. It's when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/my-father-hated-people-who-preached-about-morality-we-re-all-good/) [Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/) > [“law of nature that our scientific thinking tends toward the truth, our morality toward the good, and maybe (though he doesn’t go this far)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/law-of-nature-that-our-scientific-thinking-tends-toward-the-truth-our/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [“I have a very simple morality: not to do good or evil to anyone. Not to do evil, because it seems only fair that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/i-have-a-very-simple-morality-not-to-do-good-or-evil-to-anyone-not-to/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [Every man should follow the bent of his nature in art and letters, always provided that he does not offend against the rules of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-man-should-follow-the-bent-of-his-nature-in-art-and-letters/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Ethics, too, are nothing but reverence for life. This is what gives me the fundamental principle of morality, namely, that good consists in maintaining,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/ethics-too-are-nothing-but-reverence-for-life-this-is-what-gives-me/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [Morality is good, and is accepted of God, as far as it goes; but the difficulty is, it does not go far enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/morality-is-good-and-is-accepted-of-god-as-far-as-it-goes-but-the/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [The relations between parents and children are certainly not only those of constraint. There is spontaneous mutual affection, which from the first prompts the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/the-relations-between-parents-and-children-are-certainly-not-only/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [Reverence for life affords me my fundamental principle of morality, namely that good consists in maintaining, assisting, and enhancing life, and that to destroy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/reverence-for-life-affords-me-my-fundamental-principle-of-morality/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [“And what percentage of people take up the option to die off?’ She looked at me, her glance telling me to be calm. ‘Oh,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/and-what-percentage-of-people-take-up-the-option-to-die-off-she/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [I don't think Jerusalem should be controlled 100% by religious people of any denomination, sect, or religion - even my own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/i-don-t-think-jerusalem-should-be-controlled-100-by-religious-people/) [Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/) > [“Human history’s the most funny and yet the most tragic discovery will be the discovery of the religious people that all religions are man-made!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/human-history-s-the-most-funny-and-yet-the-most-tragic-discovery-will/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [The new spirituality will also base itself on a third very large spiritual understanding, which is that life is eternal. Most religious people claim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/the-new-spirituality-will-also-base-itself-on-a-third-very-large/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [Every once in a while I have this thought, we've got to piss off the religious people. How are we going to do that?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perry-noble/every-once-in-a-while-i-have-this-thought-we-ve-got-to-piss-off-the/) [Perry Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perry-noble/) > [Most people I know are not hard-core religious people. They are what I would call 'lightly religious.' So I don't buy the notion that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trey-parker/most-people-i-know-are-not-hard-core-religious-people-they-are-what-i/) [Trey Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trey-parker/) ## More by David Silverman > [“When religion demands you refrain from doing something otherwise benign, that's just a provocation to do it more.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-silverman/when-religion-demands-you-refrain-from-doing-something-otherwise/) [David Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-silverman/) > [“Ignorance of fact is not evidence for fiction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-silverman/ignorance-of-fact-is-not-evidence-for-fiction/) [David Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-silverman/) > [“Religionists have a perceived need, planted there as a part of the brainwashing they’ve received. They need no religion, but they think they do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-silverman/religionists-have-a-perceived-need-planted-there-as-a-part-of-the/) [David Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-silverman/) > [“The true root of all evil is power, and both government and religion are effective tools for massing and maintaining power. When”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-silverman/the-true-root-of-all-evil-is-power-and-both-government-and-religion/) [David Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-silverman/) > [“Make no mistake, to a significant degree we are all victims of religion because we all have fewer rights because of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-silverman/make-no-mistake-to-a-significant-degree-we-are-all-victims-of/) [David Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-silverman/) > [“The more, and the louder, we come out today, the easier it will be for those who can't do so until tomorrow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-silverman/the-more-and-the-louder-we-come-out-today-the-easier-it-will-be-for/) [David Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-silverman/) > [“Fighting God is fighting a war for freedom of thought, which is the most important freedom we have.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-silverman/fighting-god-is-fighting-a-war-for-freedom-of-thought-which-is-the/) [David Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-silverman/) > [“Christianity spurs hate, division, and murder as it has throughout history.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-silverman/christianity-spurs-hate-division-and-murder-as-it-has-throughout/) [David Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-silverman/) > [In a Christian Theocracy, you'll never be Christian enough. There's always going to be somebody there with another version of Christianity that is more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-silverman/in-a-christian-theocracy-you-ll-never-be-christian-enough-there-s/) [David Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-silverman/) > [“Every priest who hears confessions is, by definition, an accessory to ever crime he hears about and does not report to the authorities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-silverman/every-priest-who-hears-confessions-is-by-definition-an-accessory-to/) [David Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-silverman/) > [I made my daughter read the whole. That's how you make atheists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-silverman/i-made-my-daughter-read-the-whole-that-s-how-you-make-atheists/) [David Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-silverman/) > [“Religion is a giant used car, and preachers have proverbial quotas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-silverman/religion-is-a-giant-used-car-and-preachers-have-proverbial-quotas/) [David Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-silverman/) > [“Religion serves no purpose except to funnel money and power away from those who need it and leaves in its wake nothing but broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-silverman/religion-serves-no-purpose-except-to-funnel-money-and-power-away-from/) [David Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-silverman/) > [“Religion hurts people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-silverman/religion-hurts-people/) [David Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-silverman/) > [“Religion has no positive value.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-silverman/religion-has-no-positive-value/) [David Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-silverman/) [Explore all 24 David Silverman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-silverman/) ## More Bible quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [“God hates Hell. He hates the idea of people going there. He hates it so much that He was willing to take on human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-minton/god-hates-hell-he-hates-the-idea-of-people-going-there-he-hates-it-so/) [Evan Minton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-minton/) > [“The Devil can cite Scripture for his purpose, Sergeant,’ Anthony Payne replied. ‘That is from The Merchant of Venice, but it holds great truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-arnold/the-devil-can-cite-scripture-for-his-purpose-sergeant-anthony-payne/) Michael Arnold > [When you put your hand on the Bible, you are saying something much stronger than just telling your peers that you're going to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-greenwood/when-you-put-your-hand-on-the-bible-you-are-saying-something-much/) [Lee Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-greenwood/) > [“Scripture also teaches that human beings are morally responsible creatures”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-peterson/scripture-also-teaches-that-human-beings-are-morally-responsible/) Robert A. Peterson > [“The wife of a junior officer cooped up in a horrible canvas partition in steerage for five months wrote: "I had enjoyed much peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-taylor/the-wife-of-a-junior-officer-cooped-up-in-a-horrible-canvas-partition/) Stephen Taylor > [O Word of God incarnate . . . It is the golden casket Where gems of truth are stored; It is the heaven-drawn picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walsham-how/o-word-of-god-incarnate-it-is-the-golden-casket-where-gems-of-truth/) Walsham How > [How can I trust that the Bible is reliable?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-horton/how-can-i-trust-that-the-bible-is-reliable/) [Michael Horton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-horton/) > [Every plant which my heavenly father has not planted with be uprooted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesus-christ/every-plant-which-my-heavenly-father-has-not-planted-with-be-uprooted/) [Jesus Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesus-christ/) > [Where I come from you're not raised to think on your own. It's not that you're pushed to read the Bible. The Bible is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abel-ferrara/where-i-come-from-you-re-not-raised-to-think-on-your-own-it-s-not/) [Abel Ferrara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abel-ferrara/) > [“I felt like praying or something, when I was in bed, but I couldn't do it. I can't always pray when I feel like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-felt-like-praying-or-something-when-i-was-in-bed-but-i-couldn-t-do/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [What comes to mind when you think of heaven? Heaven is referred to in fifty-four of the Bible's sixty-six books, and the final two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jeremiah/what-comes-to-mind-when-you-think-of-heaven-heaven-is-referred-to-in/) [David Jeremiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jeremiah/) > [“While it is in one sense a result of God’s presence within us, the New Testament also describes a process involved in our “putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/while-it-is-in-one-sense-a-result-of-god-s-presence-within-us-the-new/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [The definition of a Church is crystal clear in the New Testament. We see the picture of it. They came together the first day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/the-definition-of-a-church-is-crystal-clear-in-the-new-testament-we/) [John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/) [Browse all 8,465 Bible quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If the Bible and other holy books were at all reliable sources of morality, good and bad religious people wouldn’t both be able to point to their holy books as guidance and inspiration to support their positions. If morality is completely separable from religion, we would expect to see exactly what we do - people making their own moral decisions and then ascribing that morality to their particular holy book. They use their scripture as a shield to both defend their actions and to insulate themselves from criticism.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Silverman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-silverman/if-the-bible-and-other-holy-books-were-at-all-reliable-sources-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bible" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-silverman/if-the-bible-and-other-holy-books-were-at-all-reliable-sources-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/349/david-silverman-24528_bible_if-the-bible-and-other-holy-books-were-a_2145279.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/349/david-silverman-24528_bible_if-the-bible-and-other-holy-books-were-a_2145279.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/349/david-silverman-24528_bible_if-the-bible-and-other-holy-books-were-a_2145279.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If the Bible and other holy books were at all reliable sources of morality, good and bad religious people…” — David Silverman", "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": "David Silverman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-silverman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“If the Bible and other holy...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-silverman/if-the-bible-and-other-holy-books-were-at-all-reliable-sources-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-silverman/if-the-bible-and-other-holy-books-were-at-all-reliable-sources-of/#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 } } ] } ```