Capable Quote by Don Cupitt
“Religious ideas such as the idea of God have functioned as regulative ideals for us to aspire after: we too could become unified and capable subjects; we too could learn how to know the world and reshape our environment to meet our own needs.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The Myth of God, 2004
Religious ideas serve as aspirational ideals, helping us become unified, capable, and able to understand and reshape the world.
In simple terms: Religion offers goals for personal and societal development.
Key Takeaway
Use ideals to guide personal growth and societal change.
Themes
religion
aspiration
knowledge
empowerment
Mood
thoughtful
motivational
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- education
- policy making
- community building
- personal development
Key Concepts
ideology
humanism
self‑actualization
Questions to Reflect On
- What ideals drive your actions?
- How can ideals be balanced with pragmatism?
A Different Perspective
Idealism can clash with practical realities.
![“A God out there and values out there, if they existed, would be utterly useless and unintelligible to us. There is nothing to be gained by nostalgia for the old objectivism, which was in any case used only to justify arrogance, tyranny, and cruelty. People [forget] ... how utterly hateful the old…” quote by Don Cupitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/94d/don-cupitt-31574_arrogance_a-god-out-there-and-values-out-there-if_1022705.jpg)
![“[The Community's] crosses and trials give me confidence. But I derive my hope above all, and most especially, from our utter incapacity, for it is always upon nothingness that God is pleased to rear His works. If at any day we accomplish some good here, the glory will certainly be His alone, since…” quote by Theodore Guerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2b8/theodore-guerin-54729_accomplish_the-community-s-crosses-and-trials-give_7176.jpg)
