--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There was no attack on religion because…" description: "\"“There was no attack on religion because people were generally indifferent to religion. They were neither hot nor cold. They were the tepid, the materi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ee/dorothy-day-1629_afterlife_there-was-no-attack-on-religion-because_5526.png" --- # There was no attack on religion because people were… ![“There was no attack on religion because people were generally indifferent to religion. They were neither hot nor cold. They were the tepid, the materialistic, who hoped that by Sunday churchgoing they would be taking care of the afterlife, if there were an afterlife. Meanwhile they would get…” quote by Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ee/dorothy-day-1629_afterlife_there-was-no-attack-on-religion-because_5526.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ee/dorothy-day-1629_afterlife_there-was-no-attack-on-religion-because_5526.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ee/dorothy-day-1629_afterlife_there-was-no-attack-on-religion-because_5526.png) > ““There was no attack on religion because people were generally indifferent to religion. They were neither hot nor cold. They were the tepid, the materialistic, who hoped that by Sunday churchgoing they would be taking care of the afterlife, if there were an afterlife. Meanwhile they would get everything they could in this.”” [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) ## 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 observes that societal apathy toward religion—neither fervent belief nor active opposition—creates a climate where religion is unchallenged, as people treat it as a routine, pragmatic habit rather than a profound conviction. **In simple terms:** Indifference shields religion from critique. Key Takeaway Apathetic compliance sustains institutions. Themes Apathy Materialism Ritualism Cultural inertia Secular complacency Mood Reflective Cautious Observational Type Observation Sociological insight When to use this quote - A community attending church out of habit - Individuals seeking moral cover without belief - Societies where religion is a cultural backdrop - People balancing spiritual rituals with worldly pursuits Key Concepts Indifference Pragmatic faith Afterlife speculation Materialist worldview Practical Applications - Designing outreach that engages the indifferent - Analyzing how ritual sustains institutions without belief Questions to Reflect On - Why does indifference protect religious institutions? - What does this say about the role of ritual in secular life? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afterlife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afterlife/) [Attack Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attack-religion-304078/) [Churchgoing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/churchgoing/) [Indifferent Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indifferent-religion-304077/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religion Hot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion-hot-304079/) [Religion People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion-people/) ## Related quotes > [“The phrase ‘separation of church and state,’ which appears in no founding document (only in a letter written by Thomas Jefferson), means that America…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/the-phrase-separation-of-church-and-state-which-appears-in-no/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [“It will be found that every attack upon religion, or upon characteristic ideas inherited from religion, when its assumptions are laid bare, turns out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-weaver/it-will-be-found-that-every-attack-upon-religion-or-upon/) [Richard M. Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-weaver/) > [The courts are using the First Amendment to attack religion, when they should be using it to protect religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-istook/the-courts-are-using-the-first-amendment-to-attack-religion-when-they/) [Ernest Istook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-istook/) > [The academic world is one of the few places where prejudice is supposed to be totally banned, and we're politically correct on everything, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-neelly-bellah/the-academic-world-is-one-of-the-few-places-where-prejudice-is/) [Robert Neelly Bellah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-neelly-bellah/) > [Everybody is afraid to touch the topic of religion, especially with the extreme muslims. It's such a touchy subject. You can attack any other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-benante/everybody-is-afraid-to-touch-the-topic-of-religion-especially-with-2/) [Charlie Benante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-benante/) > [I have no message of hate. I do not attack any religion. I just preach Jesus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhard-bonnke/i-have-no-message-of-hate-i-do-not-attack-any-religion-i-just-preach/) [Reinhard Bonnke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhard-bonnke/) > [One is often told that it is a very wrong thing to attack religion, because religion makes men virtuous. So I am told; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/one-is-often-told-that-it-is-a-very-wrong-thing-to-attack-religion/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“If there is a person, place, or thing with which you do not agree, you attack it. 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It's a world that I spent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-davis/my-grandfather-was-a-vicar-and-there-was-quite-a-lot-of-churchgoing/) [Julia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-davis/) > [“if a man can’t be cured of churchgoing, the next best thing is to send him all over the neighbourhood looking for the church…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/if-a-man-can-t-be-cured-of-churchgoing-the-next-best-thing-is-to-send/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [We were churchgoing people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudette-colvin/we-were-churchgoing-people/) [Claudette Colvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudette-colvin/) > [My father considered a walk among the mountains as the equivalent of churchgoing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/my-father-considered-a-walk-among-the-mountains-as-the-equivalent-of/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [“I'm always running into the Sunday God of churchgoing Christians and cannot help noticing that he doesn't help out much on weekdays.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/i-m-always-running-into-the-sunday-god-of-churchgoing-christians-and/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) ## More by Dorothy Day > [We must recognize the fact that many Nazis, Marxists and Fascists believe passionately in their fundamental rightness, and allow nothing to hinder them from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/we-must-recognize-the-fact-that-many-nazis-marxists-and-fascists/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [“Now don't think I've lost my mind - but I'll tell you, I'll look at some of the cards I have, some of Van…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/now-don-t-think-i-ve-lost-my-mind-but-i-ll-tell-you-i-ll-look-at-some/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [The Sexual Revolution is a complete rebellion against authority, natural and supernatural, even against the body and its needs, its natural functions of child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/the-sexual-revolution-is-a-complete-rebellion-against-authority/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [Idealism in the young, I guess I'm saying, is curiosity as well as goodness trying to express itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/idealism-in-the-young-i-guess-i-m-saying-is-curiosity-as-well-as/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [Voluntary poverty isn't going around with some burlap bag around you and imitating the poor. 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This conviction brought me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/my-whole-life-so-far-my-whole-experience-has-been-that-our-failure/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [I think one of the things we must constantly keep in mind is, 'If anybody hits you on one cheek, turn the other.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/i-think-one-of-the-things-we-must-constantly-keep-in-mind-is-if/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [It is only through religion that communism can be achieved, and has been achieved over and over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/it-is-only-through-religion-that-communism-can-be-achieved-and-has/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [The Communists in Cuba didn't assist Castro in his revolution. They weren't on the side of the students. They didn't do anything to help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/the-communists-in-cuba-didn-t-assist-castro-in-his-revolution-they/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [Dear God, please enlarge our hearts to love each other, to love our neighbor, to love our enemy as well as our friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/dear-god-please-enlarge-our-hearts-to-love-each-other-to-love-our/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [A conversion is a lonely experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/a-conversion-is-a-lonely-experience/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [The sense is always that community is natural to people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/the-sense-is-always-that-community-is-natural-to-people/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [“We must practice the presence of God. He said that when two or three are gathered together, there he is in the midst of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/we-must-practice-the-presence-of-god-he-said-that-when-two-or-three/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [I have been disillusioned, however, this long, long time in the means used by any but the saints to live in this world God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/i-have-been-disillusioned-however-this-long-long-time-in-the-means/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) [Explore all 220 Dorothy Day quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) ## More Afterlife quotes > [I don't believe in an afterlife. I don't believe in a single or multiple godhead. I respect people who do, but I don't believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/i-don-t-believe-in-an-afterlife-i-don-t-believe-in-a-single-or/) [Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) > [I guess on one hand I believe it doesn't matter if there is life after death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-morton/i-guess-on-one-hand-i-believe-it-doesn-t-matter-if-there-is-life/) [Joe Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-morton/) > [“And what if there are only spiders there, or something of that sort”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/and-what-if-there-are-only-spiders-there-or-something-of-that-sort/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [“The obsession with the afterlife is born of a panic at not having memories of a before-life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/the-obsession-with-the-afterlife-is-born-of-a-panic-at-not-having/) [Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/) > [... the man in the violent situation reveals those qualities least dispensable in his personality, those qualities which are all he will have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/the-man-in-the-violent-situation-reveals-those-qualities-least/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“Most people would probably call me a ghost. I am, after all, dead. But I don't think of myself that way. It wasn't so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-pike/most-people-would-probably-call-me-a-ghost-i-am-after-all-dead-but-i/) [Christopher Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-pike/) > [If critics and fanboys weren't suckers for simplistic nihilism and high-pressure marketing, Afterlife would be universally acclaimed as a visionary feat, superior to Inception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armond-white/if-critics-and-fanboys-weren-t-suckers-for-simplistic-nihilism-and/) [Armond White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armond-white/) > [“People, I thought, wanted security. They couldn’t bare the idea of death being a big black nothing, couldn’t bear the thought of their loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/people-i-thought-wanted-security-they-couldn-t-bare-the-idea-of-death/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Some people are so stiff and inhumane as the dogma's they believe in”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/some-people-are-so-stiff-and-inhumane-as-the-dogma-s-they-believe-in/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [Sometimes I think the resurrection of the body, unless much improved in construction, a mistake!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-underhill/sometimes-i-think-the-resurrection-of-the-body-unless-much-improved/) [Evelyn Underhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-underhill/) > [It's my firm conclusion that human meaning comes from humans, not from a supernatural source. After we die, our hopes for an afterlife reside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-graffin/it-s-my-firm-conclusion-that-human-meaning-comes-from-humans-not-from/) [Greg Graffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-graffin/) > [“One's past can't be erased, it can only be learned from, the child taught her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-balcomb/one-s-past-can-t-be-erased-it-can-only-be-learned-from-the-child/) [H. L. Balcomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-balcomb/) > [It was like I’d stepped out into an afterlife. Only there were no angels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-christopher/it-was-like-i-d-stepped-out-into-an-afterlife-only-there-were-no/) [Lucy Christopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-christopher/) > [“death is predestined for all mortals. Souls live forever, but the body does not. 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