--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But perhaps God's purpose in the world (I…" description: "\"But perhaps God's purpose in the world (I am only thinking aloud here) is to draw his creatures to him. And you have to admit that tragedies like this ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/808/dinesh-d-souza-2242_atheism_but-perhaps-god-s-purpose-in-the-world-i_1902072.jpg" --- # But perhaps God's purpose in the world (I am only thinking… ![“But perhaps God's purpose in the world (I am only thinking aloud here) is to draw his creatures to him. And you have to admit that tragedies like this one at Virginia Tech help to do that!” quote by Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/808/dinesh-d-souza-2242_atheism_but-perhaps-god-s-purpose-in-the-world-i_1902072.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/808/dinesh-d-souza-2242_atheism_but-perhaps-god-s-purpose-in-the-world-i_1902072.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/808/dinesh-d-souza-2242_atheism_but-perhaps-god-s-purpose-in-the-world-i_1902072.jpg) > “But perhaps God's purpose in the world (I am only thinking aloud here) is to draw his creatures to him. And you have to admit that tragedies like this one at Virginia Tech help to do that!” [Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Suggests that tragedies can serve a higher purpose by drawing people toward spirituality. **In simple terms:** Tragedies may push people to seek meaning. Key Takeaway Consider how hardship can inspire reflection. Themes faith purpose tragedy Mood reflective serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal loss - public crises - community healing Key Concepts theodicy spiritual searching Questions to Reflect On - Do you think suffering always has a purpose? - How can we support those grieving without imposing belief? A Different Perspective Assumes all tragedies lead to spiritual growth, which may not hold. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Tragedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragedy/) [Virginia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virginia/) [Virginia tech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virginia-tech/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“Are women literal creatures? I have to admit this is not my forte.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-rosa/are-women-literal-creatures-i-have-to-admit-this-is-not-my-forte/) [A. Rosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-rosa/) > [I wrestled a year for Virginia Tech.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-wrestled-a-year-for-virginia-tech/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [If you think of all the publicity about the terrible tragedy of Virginia Tech, we have a Virginia Tech in this country every day.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bloomberg/if-you-think-of-all-the-publicity-about-the-terrible-tragedy-of/) [Michael Bloomberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bloomberg/) > [Prohibiting guns on campus made the Virginia Tech students less safe, not more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/prohibiting-guns-on-campus-made-the-virginia-tech-students-less-safe/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [Gun-free zones don't deter criminals-they help them by providing a guarantee that they will not face any armed resistance. But they do deter the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/gun-free-zones-don-t-deter-criminals-they-help-them-by-providing-a/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [The secret is not to make a film that causes something like Virginia Tech to happen. The secret is to make a film that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abel-ferrara/the-secret-is-not-to-make-a-film-that-causes-something-like-virginia/) [Abel Ferrara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abel-ferrara/) > [I moved back home after graduating from Virginia Tech. And that's when reality hit. I knew I had to do something. I guess it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-page/i-moved-back-home-after-graduating-from-virginia-tech-and-that-s-when/) [Adam Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-page/) > [“The biggest problem with gun-free zones is that they aren’t free of guns. They are the places of choice for killers and terrorists to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-bird/the-biggest-problem-with-gun-free-zones-is-that-they-aren-t-free-of/) [Chris Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-bird/) > [There are so many things going on this week, ... It's great for Virginia Tech.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-beamer/there-are-so-many-things-going-on-this-week-it-s-great-for-virginia/) Frank Beamer > [In 1996, we go on the road and there would be a couple of hundred people around the desk. 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Lott Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-lott-jr/) > [ God is punishing America for the way they have persecuted us at Westboro Baptist Church, and worse and more of \[the Virginia Tech massacre\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-phelps/god-is-punishing-america-for-the-way-they-have-persecuted-us-at/) [Fred Phelps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-phelps/) > [What I've realized is that a film operates both on the intellectual and emotional levels, and if you can find a way to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/what-i-ve-realized-is-that-a-film-operates-both-on-the-intellectual/) [Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/) > [God has a purpose for us. If he didn't we wouldn't be alive in the first place. We have a calling. We are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-janssen/god-has-a-purpose-for-us-if-he-didn-t-we-wouldn-t-be-alive-in-the/) [Kenny Janssen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-janssen/) > [Focus on the purpose not the pain. God has a purpose for the trial you are in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/focus-on-the-purpose-not-the-pain-god-has-a-purpose-for-the-trial-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Dinesh D'Souza > [There's one America that Barack Obama wants, and there's a very different America that I want. I want an America that is entrepreneurial, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/there-s-one-america-that-barack-obama-wants-and-there-s-a-very/) [Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/) > [“This was a key condition the racists put before FDR. They said they would not support FDR’s New Deal programs unless FDR supported their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/this-was-a-key-condition-the-racists-put-before-fdr-they-said-they/) [Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/) > [“It is a fact that today steel can be made more cheaply outside America. This is also true of many other products: shoes, shirts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/it-is-a-fact-that-today-steel-can-be-made-more-cheaply-outside/) [Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/) > [Atheism, not religion, is the real force behind the mass murders of history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/atheism-not-religion-is-the-real-force-behind-the-mass-murders-of/) [Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/) > [This point seems counter-intuitive, given the amount of conspicuous vulgarity, vice, and immorality in America. 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It is not the typical effusive book of apostolic praise, but neither is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/this-is-a-book-unlike-any-other-on-barack-obama-it-is-not-the-typical/) [Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/) > [“Earlier generations of Americans had to strive to provide food, clothing, and shelter for themselves and their children. This task could prove laborious, unending,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/earlier-generations-of-americans-had-to-strive-to-provide-food/) [Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/) > [I don't want reporters to talk to me because I'm a revolutionary and if it got out that I'm basically friendly with Obama it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/i-don-t-want-reporters-to-talk-to-me-because-i-m-a-revolutionary-and/) [Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/) > [“So what if people disagree about values? People also disagree about facts. . . . In my view, the great intellectual challenge facing conservatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/so-what-if-people-disagree-about-values-people-also-disagree-about/) [Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/) > [In the Sixties, there was a big resistance to the Vietnam War. People began reinterpreting all American history as a series of misadventures and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/in-the-sixties-there-was-a-big-resistance-to-the-vietnam-war-people/) [Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/) > [“John Locke says that whatever other tasks a government undertakes—whether humanitarian or otherwise—its primary duty is to protect its own citizens from foreign and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/john-locke-says-that-whatever-other-tasks-a-government-undertakes/) [Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/) > [Liberty is the essential precondition for achieving virtue... In order to exercise virtue, we need to have the ability to choose freely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/liberty-is-the-essential-precondition-for-achieving-virtue-in-order/) [Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/) > [Christianity teaches that this life is not the only life, and there is a final judgment in which all earthly accounts are settled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/christianity-teaches-that-this-life-is-not-the-only-life-and-there-is/) [Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/) > [What I've realized is that a film operates both on the intellectual and emotional levels, and if you can find a way to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/what-i-ve-realized-is-that-a-film-operates-both-on-the-intellectual/) [Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/) [Explore all 177 Dinesh D'Souza quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/) ## More Atheism quotes > [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/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [No philosophy, no religion, has ever brought so glad a message to the world as this good news of Atheism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-besant/no-philosophy-no-religion-has-ever-brought-so-glad-a-message-to-the/) [Annie Besant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-besant/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [God speaks through me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/god-speaks-through-me/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/a-knowledge-of-the-existence-of-something-we-cannot-penetrate-of-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [You cannot ... transmute some incoherent mixture of words into sense merely by introducing the three-letter word "God" to be its grammatical subject.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-flew/you-cannot-transmute-some-incoherent-mixture-of-words-into-sense/) [Antony Flew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-flew/) > [Many humanists have argued that happiness involves a combination of hedonism and creative moral development; that an exuberant life fuses excellence and enjoyment, meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kurtz/many-humanists-have-argued-that-happiness-involves-a-combination-of/) [Paul Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kurtz/) > [If, with all the time at my disposal, with all the wealth of the resources of this vast universe, to do with as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/if-with-all-the-time-at-my-disposal-with-all-the-wealth-of-the/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [Do you think that was kind? 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