--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The word religion has such bad…" description: "\"The word religion has such bad connotations for me, that it's been responsible for wars, and it shouldn't be that way at all, it's just the way the mea..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/403/eddie-vedder-2057_atheism_the-word-religion-has-such-bad-connotati_2758624.jpg" --- # The word religion has such bad connotations for me, that… ![“The word religion has such bad connotations for me, that it's been responsible for wars, and it shouldn't be that way at all, it's just the way the meaning of the word has evolved to me. I have to wonder what we did on this planet before religion.” quote by Eddie Vedder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/403/eddie-vedder-2057_atheism_the-word-religion-has-such-bad-connotati_2758624.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/403/eddie-vedder-2057_atheism_the-word-religion-has-such-bad-connotati_2758624.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/403/eddie-vedder-2057_atheism_the-word-religion-has-such-bad-connotati_2758624.jpg) > “The word religion has such bad connotations for me, that it's been responsible for wars, and it shouldn't be that way at all, it's just the way the meaning of the word has evolved to me. I have to wonder what we did on this planet before religion.” [Eddie Vedder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-vedder/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker critiques religion's negative connotations and its role in conflict, questioning humanity's pre-religious past. **In simple terms:** Religion seen as source of wars, meaning evolved. Key Takeaway Question the impact of belief systems. Themes religion conflict meaning Mood critical inquisitive Type philosophical skeptical When to use this quote - political discourse - education - interfaith dialogue - personal belief exploration Key Concepts theology historical evolution Questions to Reflect On - How have religions contributed positively? - Can spirituality exist without organized religion? A Different Perspective The view may generalize diverse religions and ignore positive aspects. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Positive atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive-atheism/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/) ## Related quotes > [Religion in the West has a very wrong connotation. 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Their argument was two-pronged: State religion was bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/madison-and-others-reserved-their-harshest-criticism-for-state/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [No religion is bad, people are](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritesh/no-religion-is-bad-people-are/) [Ritesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritesh/) > [I'm still very much an atheist, except that I don't necessarily see religion as being a bad thing. So, that's a weird thing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/i-m-still-very-much-an-atheist-except-that-i-don-t-necessarily-see/) [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) > [I couldn't run for any office. I think that religion is bad, weed is good, and babies are disgusting; who would vote for me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/i-couldn-t-run-for-any-office-i-think-that-religion-is-bad-weed-is/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [There must be a realm of truth beyond political competence, that's why there must be a separation of churches, but if religion is bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/there-must-be-a-realm-of-truth-beyond-political-competence-that-s-why/) [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) > [I know why people join a religion... because if any bad happens they can blame it on their god/s](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mrawesome/i-know-why-people-join-a-religion-because-if-any-bad-happens-they-can/) MrAwesome > [There are some forms of religion that are bad, just as there's bad cooking or bad art or bad sex, you have bad religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/there-are-some-forms-of-religion-that-are-bad-just-as-there-s-bad/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [Religion is not so bad, unless you believe it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eller/religion-is-not-so-bad-unless-you-believe-it/) [David Eller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eller/) > [“Religion is nothing more than bad concepts held in place of good ones for all time. It is denial - at once full of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/religion-is-nothing-more-than-bad-concepts-held-in-place-of-good-ones/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [Religion is bad and drugs are good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/religion-is-bad-and-drugs-are-good/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [the worship of beauty is to me a religion. Nothing bad was ever truly beautiful; nothing good is ever really ugly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-l-barclay/the-worship-of-beauty-is-to-me-a-religion-nothing-bad-was-ever-truly/) [Florence L. Barclay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-l-barclay/) > [We are well aware that religion is not as bad an influence as it was a short time ago, as history is counted. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-haldeman-julius/we-are-well-aware-that-religion-is-not-as-bad-an-influence-as-it-was/) [E. Haldeman-Julius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-haldeman-julius/) ## More by Eddie Vedder > [Things like guitars and ukuleles, you should never part with it, because there will probably be good, healthy times spent, just playing and writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-vedder/things-like-guitars-and-ukuleles-you-should-never-part-with-it/) [Eddie Vedder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-vedder/) > [No music is going to stop the war. What's going to stop the war is a large amount of body bags, or a large…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-vedder/no-music-is-going-to-stop-the-war-what-s-going-to-stop-the-war-is-a/) [Eddie Vedder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-vedder/) > [I don't need drugs. Life is already tragic enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-vedder/i-don-t-need-drugs-life-is-already-tragic-enough/) [Eddie Vedder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-vedder/) > [I used to kind of blame someone for not being able to get through that - I'm talking about the addiction part - but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-vedder/i-used-to-kind-of-blame-someone-for-not-being-able-to-get-through/) [Eddie Vedder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-vedder/) > [I don't need drugs to make my life tragic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-vedder/i-don-t-need-drugs-to-make-my-life-tragic/) [Eddie Vedder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-vedder/) > [I'm not having to show off or make a point about how good I am at doing something. I think I've always kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-vedder/i-m-not-having-to-show-off-or-make-a-point-about-how-good-i-am-at/) [Eddie Vedder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-vedder/) > [I'm over smoking. 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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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