--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...let us recognize that a large fraction…" description: "\"“...let us recognize that a large fraction of our suffering and that of our fellow human beings is brought about by what we do to one another. It is hu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/francis-s-collins-30626_children_let-us-recognize-that-a-large-fraction-o_2836385.jpg" --- # ...let us recognize that a large fraction of our suffering… ![“...let us recognize that a large fraction of our suffering and that of our fellow human beings is brought about by what we do to one another. It is humankind, not God, that had invented knives, arrows, guns, bombs, and all manner of other instruments of torture used through the ages. The tragedy…” quote by Francis S. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/francis-s-collins-30626_children_let-us-recognize-that-a-large-fraction-o_2836385.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/francis-s-collins-30626_children_let-us-recognize-that-a-large-fraction-o_2836385.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/francis-s-collins-30626_children_let-us-recognize-that-a-large-fraction-o_2836385.jpg) > ““...let us recognize that a large fraction of our suffering and that of our fellow human beings is brought about by what we do to one another. It is humankind, not God, that had invented knives, arrows, guns, bombs, and all manner of other instruments of torture used through the ages. The tragedy of the young child killed by a drunk driver, of the innocent young man dying on the battlefield, or of the young girl cut down by a stray bullet in a crime-ridden section of a modern city can hardly be blamed on God. After all, we have somehow been given free will, the ability to do as we please. We use this ability frequently to disobey the Moral Law. And when we do so, we shouldn't then blame God for the consequences.”” [Francis S. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human suffering stems from human-made weapons and choices, not divine will; free will leads to moral responsibility. **In simple terms:** Suffering is caused by human actions, not God. Key Takeaway Recognize personal responsibility for harm. Themes ethics free will human suffering Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - war - traffic accidents - crime - personal decisions Key Concepts moral philosophy responsibility violence Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance free will with moral law? - Can we prevent suffering without blaming a higher power? A Different Perspective Blaming God can avoid accountability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Moral law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-law/) ## Related quotes > [As Aurobindo and Teilhard de Chardin knew, the future of humankind is God-consciousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/as-aurobindo-and-teilhard-de-chardin-knew-the-future-of-humankind-is/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [“To say “Lord, Lord” and then disobey is the moral equivalent of a Judas kiss.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-macarthur-jr/to-say-lord-lord-and-then-disobey-is-the-moral-equivalent-of-a-judas/) [John F. MacArthur Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-macarthur-jr/) > [“Once man loses his faculty of indifference he becomes a potential murderer; once he transforms his idea into a god the consequences are incalculable.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-cioran/once-man-loses-his-faculty-of-indifference-he-becomes-a-potential/) [Emil Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-cioran/) > [“You and I need to obey God. When we do, the consequences of our obedience become God's problem and not ours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/you-and-i-need-to-obey-god-when-we-do-the-consequences-of-our/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [As the medieval mind blamed God for human suffering, so the modern mind blames 'the system' for the industrial blight and plague of technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-stone/as-the-medieval-mind-blamed-god-for-human-suffering-so-the-modern/) [Jennifer Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-stone/) > [Beware of the inclination to dictate to God what consequences you would allow as a condition of your obedience to Him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/beware-of-the-inclination-to-dictate-to-god-what-consequences-you/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [“I have met people who truly do not believe in God, and they feel no anger when they see suffering. They are indifferent to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-austin/i-have-met-people-who-truly-do-not-believe-in-god-and-they-feel-no/) [Lynn Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-austin/) > [“Why did people ignore the lessons of history and their own senses, deny a law of life immutable as the seasons, and erect twisted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jakes/why-did-people-ignore-the-lessons-of-history-and-their-own-senses/) [John Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jakes/) > [“There are many subtle variants of theistic evolution, but a typical version rests upon the following premises: The universe came into being out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-s-collins/there-are-many-subtle-variants-of-theistic-evolution-but-a-typical/) [Francis S. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) > [I blame God for all the good things that happened in my life to spite him I will be good to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rassool-jibraeel-snyman/i-blame-god-for-all-the-good-things-that-happened-in-my-life-to-spite/) [rassool jibraeel snyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rassool-jibraeel-snyman/) > [“It's so easy for humans to blame God for their misery, Manfri said. Really, it's mostly of their own making.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-c-patten/it-s-so-easy-for-humans-to-blame-god-for-their-misery-manfri-said/) Sarah C. Patten > [“Many times, when we are tempted, we have this need to put the blame anywhere except the image in the mirror. We not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-velez/many-times-when-we-are-tempted-we-have-this-need-to-put-the-blame/) [Lara Velez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lara-velez/) > [Blame is for God and small children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-hoffman/blame-is-for-god-and-small-children/) [Dustin Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-hoffman/) > [If someone was born the way she was born, are you going to blame him, or are you going to blame God? Whose fault…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caster-semenya/if-someone-was-born-the-way-she-was-born-are-you-going-to-blame-him/) [Caster Semenya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caster-semenya/) > [I've been accused of humanizing the Nazis, to which I can only say, you can't blame me for that. God did that. Go talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-d-snodgrass/i-ve-been-accused-of-humanizing-the-nazis-to-which-i-can-only-say-you/) [W. D. Snodgrass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-d-snodgrass/) ## More by Francis S. Collins > [“Science is progressive and self-correcting: no significantly erroneous conclusions or false hypotheses can be sustained for long, as newer observations will ultimately knock down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-s-collins/science-is-progressive-and-self-correcting-no-significantly-erroneous/) [Francis S. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) > [“Yeah, it’s true we’re all dealt a set of cards. But it’s also true that it’s up to us to figure out how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-s-collins/yeah-it-s-true-we-re-all-dealt-a-set-of-cards-but-it-s-also-true-that/) [Francis S. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) > [“I was vaguely aware that same of those around me thought that this pairing of explorations was contradictory and I was headed over a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-s-collins/i-was-vaguely-aware-that-same-of-those-around-me-thought-that-this/) [Francis S. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) > [“In that context, I find theistic evolution, or BioLogos, to be by far the most scientifically consistent and spiritually satisfying of the alternatives. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-s-collins/in-that-context-i-find-theistic-evolution-or-biologos-to-be-by-far/) [Francis S. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) > [“At this point, godless materialists might be cheering. If humans evolved strictly by mutation and natural selection, who needs God to explain us? To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-s-collins/at-this-point-godless-materialists-might-be-cheering-if-humans/) [Francis s. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) > [“Will we turn our backs on science because it is perceived as a threat to God, abandoning all the promise of advancing our understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-s-collins/will-we-turn-our-backs-on-science-because-it-is-perceived-as-a-threat/) [Francis S. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) > [“As the leader of the international Human Genome Project, which had labored mightily over more than a decade to reveal this DNA sequence, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-s-collins/as-the-leader-of-the-international-human-genome-project-which-had/) [Francis S. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) > [“...to apply scientific arguments to the question of God's existence, as if this were somehow a showstopper, is committing a category error.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-s-collins/to-apply-scientific-arguments-to-the-question-of-god-s-existence-as/) [Francis S. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) > [“while the long history of religious oppression and hypocrisy is profoundly sobering, the earnest seeker must look beyond the behavior of flawed humans in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-s-collins/while-the-long-history-of-religious-oppression-and-hypocrisy-is/) [Francis S. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) > [“What, to use Noble Laureate Wigner's classic phrase, accounts for the 'unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics'?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-s-collins/what-to-use-noble-laureate-wigner-s-classic-phrase-accounts-for-the/) [Francis S. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) > [“There are many subtle variants of theistic evolution, but a typical version rests upon the following premises: The universe came into being out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-s-collins/there-are-many-subtle-variants-of-theistic-evolution-but-a-typical/) [Francis S. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) > [“Faith and reason are not, as many seem to be arguing today, mutually exclusive. They never have been. The letter to the Hebrews in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-s-collins/faith-and-reason-are-not-as-many-seem-to-be-arguing-today-mutually/) [Francis S. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) > [“In this modern era of cosmology, evolution, and the human genome, is there still the possibility of a richly satisfying harmony between the scientific…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-s-collins/in-this-modern-era-of-cosmology-evolution-and-the-human-genome-is/) [Francis S. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) > [“There were long stretches of DNA in between genes that didn't seem to be doing very much; some even referred to these as "junk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-s-collins/there-were-long-stretches-of-dna-in-between-genes-that-didn-t-seem-to/) [Francis S. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) > [“a discussion about the miraculous quickly devolves to an argument about whether or not one is willing to consider any possibility whatsoever of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-s-collins/a-discussion-about-the-miraculous-quickly-devolves-to-an-argument/) [Francis S. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) [Explore all 17 Francis S. Collins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/) [Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) [Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“...let us recognize that a large fraction of our suffering and that of our fellow human beings is brought about by what we do to one another. It is humankind, not God, that had invented knives, arrows, guns, bombs, and all manner of other instruments of torture used through the ages. 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