--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Religion is a superstition that…" description: "\"Religion is a superstition that originated in man's mental inability to solve natural phenomena. The Church is an orgainized institution that has alway..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2a/emma-goldman-774_block_religion-is-a-superstition-that-originat_2944159.png" --- # Religion is a superstition that originated in man's mental… ![“Religion is a superstition that originated in man's mental inability to solve natural phenomena. The Church is an orgainized institution that has always been stumbling to block progress.” quote by Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2a/emma-goldman-774_block_religion-is-a-superstition-that-originat_2944159.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2a/emma-goldman-774_block_religion-is-a-superstition-that-originat_2944159.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2a/emma-goldman-774_block_religion-is-a-superstition-that-originat_2944159.png) > “Religion is a superstition that originated in man's mental inability to solve natural phenomena. The Church is an orgainized institution that has always been stumbling to block progress.” [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Religion arose from early attempts to explain nature, becoming institutionalized and often hindering scientific progress. **In simple terms:** Religion began as explanations, now blocks progress. Key Takeaway Question dogmatic beliefs. Themes religion science progress Mood critical thoughtful Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - Educational reform - public debate - secular policy Key Concepts Mythology institutional power Questions to Reflect On - How can science and belief coexist? - What reforms reduce religious obstruction? A Different Perspective Faith can also inspire social cohesion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Natural phenomena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-phenomena/) [Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) [Superstition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superstition/) [Superstitions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superstitions/) ## Related quotes > [I make this chief distinction between religion and superstition, that the latter is founded on ignorance, the former on knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/i-make-this-chief-distinction-between-religion-and-superstition-that/) [Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/) > [Atheism leaves a man to sense, to philosophy, to natural piety, to laws, to reputation, all which may be guides to an outward moral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/atheism-leaves-a-man-to-sense-to-philosophy-to-natural-piety-to-laws-2/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [Superstition is related to this life, religion to the next; superstition is allied to fatality, religion to virtue; it is by the vivacity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madame-de-stael/superstition-is-related-to-this-life-religion-to-the-next/) [Madame de Stael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madame-de-stael/) > [“All too often people confuse religion with superstition, spirituality, belief in supernatural powers or belief in gods. Religion is none of these things. Religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/all-too-often-people-confuse-religion-with-superstition-spirituality/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [When the war started, religion and superstition (whatever the difference is) permeated the lives of ordinary soldiers, who lived in a thought world not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-jenkins/when-the-war-started-religion-and-superstition-whatever-the/) [Philip Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-jenkins/) > [The God idea is growing more impersonal and nebulous in proportion as the human mind is learning to understand natural phenomena and in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/the-god-idea-is-growing-more-impersonal-and-nebulous-in-proportion-as/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [If Jesus ever commanded us to do something that He was unable to equip us to accomplish, He would be a liar. And if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/if-jesus-ever-commanded-us-to-do-something-that-he-was-unable-to/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [The real stumbling-block of totalitarian regimes is not the spiritual need of men for freedom of thought; it is men's inability to stand the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/the-real-stumbling-block-of-totalitarian-regimes-is-not-the-spiritual/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [It is safe to say that no other superstition is so detrimental to growth, so enervating and paralyzing to the minds and hearts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/it-is-safe-to-say-that-no-other-superstition-is-so-detrimental-to/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [In the East, we have developed a science: if you cannot find a soul mate, you can create one. And that science is Tantra.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/in-the-east-we-have-developed-a-science-if-you-cannot-find-a-soul/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I am among those who think that science has great beauty. A scientist in his laboratory is not only a technician: he is also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-curie/i-am-among-those-who-think-that-science-has-great-beauty-a-scientist-2/) [Marie Curie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-curie/) > [Statistics is the branch of scientific method which deals with the data obtained by counting or measuring the properties of populations of natural phenomena.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-kendall/statistics-is-the-branch-of-scientific-method-which-deals-with-the/) Maurice Kendall > [The psyche is a natural phenomenon. All aspects of the psyche, even those which seem pathological or destructive, actually serve the function of furthering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/the-psyche-is-a-natural-phenomenon-all-aspects-of-the-psyche-even/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [A person who does not read cannot think. He may have good mental processes, but he has nothing to think about. You can feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/a-person-who-does-not-read-cannot-think-he-may-have-good-mental/) [Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) > [Earlier in this century, the Heisenberg Principle established that the very act of observing a natural phenomenon can change what is being observed. Although…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/earlier-in-this-century-the-heisenberg-principle-established-that-the/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) ## More by Emma Goldman > [Poor human nature, what horrible crimes have been committed in thy name! All wars are wars among thieves who are too cowardly to fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/poor-human-nature-what-horrible-crimes-have-been-committed-in-thy/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [“Do not all theists insist that there can be no morality, no justice, honesty or fidelity without the belief in a Divine Power? Based…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/do-not-all-theists-insist-that-there-can-be-no-morality-no-justice/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [Lack of fairness to an opponent is essentially a sign of weakness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/lack-of-fairness-to-an-opponent-is-essentially-a-sign-of-weakness/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [Do not all theists insist that there can be no morality, no justice, honesty or fidelity without the belief in a Divine Power? Based…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/do-not-all-theists-insist-that-there-can-be-no-morality-no-justice-2/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [Only when human sorrows are turned into a toy with glaring colors will baby people become interested - for a while at least. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/only-when-human-sorrows-are-turned-into-a-toy-with-glaring-colors/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [More pernicious than the power of a dictator is that of a class; the most terrible - the tyranny of a majority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/more-pernicious-than-the-power-of-a-dictator-is-that-of-a-class-the/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [Love, the strongest and deepest element in all life, the harbinger of hope, of joy, of ecstasy; love, the definer of all laws, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/love-the-strongest-and-deepest-element-in-all-life-the-harbinger-of/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [Whether our reformers admit it or not, the economic and social inferiority of women is responsible for prostitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/whether-our-reformers-admit-it-or-not-the-economic-and-social/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [The free expression of the hopes and aspirations of a people is the greatest and only safety in a sane society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/the-free-expression-of-the-hopes-and-aspirations-of-a-people-is-the/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [Someone has said that it requires less mental effort to condemn than to think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/someone-has-said-that-it-requires-less-mental-effort-to-condemn-than/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [The persecution of the innovator and protestant has always been inspired by fear on the part of constituted authority of having its infallibility questioned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/the-persecution-of-the-innovator-and-protestant-has-always-been/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [Order derived through submission and maintained by terror is not much of a safe guaranty; yet that is the only "order" that governments have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/order-derived-through-submission-and-maintained-by-terror-is-not-much/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [Today is the parent of tomorrow. The present casts its shadow far into the future. That is the law of life, individual and social.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/today-is-the-parent-of-tomorrow-the-present-casts-its-shadow-far-into/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [Salvation lies in an energetic march onward towards a brighter and clearer future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/salvation-lies-in-an-energetic-march-onward-towards-a-brighter-and/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [The more hideous the mental contortions, the greater the delight and bravos of the mass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/the-more-hideous-the-mental-contortions-the-greater-the-delight-and/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) [Explore all 368 Emma Goldman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) ## More Block quotes > [I am told many children block out the memory of trauma. 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I'm like a DEA dog, I can smell people a block away!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-estefan/stevie-wonder-always-smells-so-good-i-m-like-a-dea-dog-i-can-smell/) [Gloria Estefan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-estefan/) > [When it comes to people I love and care about, I may condense the time, but I'm giving them every ounce of my energy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-shetty/when-it-comes-to-people-i-love-and-care-about-i-may-condense-the-time/) [Jay Shetty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-shetty/) > [I mean family is more important than anything in life. Family is important than my crew, D-Block, my rap career anything... 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Everything is happening so fast, it feels like there's another studio, another session on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diplo/new-york-is-so-serious-about-the-creation-of-work-everything-is/) [Diplo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diplo/) > [Tentatively I stood a great lump of wood on the chopping block and bought the axe down on it. It flew into two perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-garner/tentatively-i-stood-a-great-lump-of-wood-on-the-chopping-block-and/) [Helen Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-garner/) > [Americans will put up with anything provided it doesn't block traffic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/americans-will-put-up-with-anything-provided-it-doesn-t-block-traffic/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [There's an interesting book about that called The Third Reich and the Ivory Tower, written by Stephen H. Norwood. 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Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) Browse all 1,755 Block quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Religion is a superstition that originated in man's mental inability to solve natural phenomena. 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