--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you're a believer, God is not a…" description: "\"If you're a believer, God is not a thought-experiment requiring a special sub-creation to be tried out in. He's an actual, er, actuality already, embed..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/francis-spufford-12650_about_if-you-re-a-believer-god-is-not-a-though_1984576.jpg" --- # If you're a believer, God is not a thought-experiment… ![“If you're a believer, God is not a thought-experiment requiring a special sub-creation to be tried out in. He's an actual, er, actuality already, embedded in a necessary and true story about guilt, hope, and liberty. I don't want C. S. Lewis doing his resourceful best to render Him as a fabulous…” quote by Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/francis-spufford-12650_about_if-you-re-a-believer-god-is-not-a-though_1984576.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/francis-spufford-12650_about_if-you-re-a-believer-god-is-not-a-though_1984576.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/francis-spufford-12650_about_if-you-re-a-believer-god-is-not-a-though_1984576.jpg) > “If you're a believer, God is not a thought-experiment requiring a special sub-creation to be tried out in. He's an actual, er, actuality already, embedded in a necessary and true story about guilt, hope, and liberty. I don't want C. S. Lewis doing his resourceful best to render Him as a fabulous special effect.” [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Faith is presented as an existing reality within a narrative of guilt, hope, and freedom, not a hypothetical concept. **In simple terms:** Faith is real and part of our story. Key Takeaway Recognize faith as lived experience. Themes faith existence storytelling guilt hope liberty Mood contemplative hopeful Type theological philosophical When to use this quote - personal reflection - spiritual practice - literary analysis - interfaith dialogue Key Concepts theology existentialism narrative moral philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How does your personal story shape your understanding of faith? - Can faith be both a personal reality and a shared narrative? A Different Perspective Faith may be interpreted differently across cultures and personal experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [About](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) [Actual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actual/) [Believer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believer/) [Believer God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believer-god-1283235/) [Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best/) [Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing/) [Effect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effect/) [Embedded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embedded/) [Fabulous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fabulous/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [God Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-thought-302355/) [Guilt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guilt/) [He](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/he/) [Him](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/him/) [His](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/his/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lewis/) [Lewis Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lewis-doing-1921389/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Necessary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/necessary/) [Out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/out/) [Render](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/render/) [Requiring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/requiring/) [Resourceful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resourceful/) [Special](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/special/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) [Tried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tried/) [True](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true/) [True story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-story/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Want Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-lewis-3406944/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) ## Related quotes > [After the Cardinals traded their No. 6 pick, I didn't know where I was going, ... The first thing I thought about was me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrell-suggs/after-the-cardinals-traded-their-no-6-pick-i-didn-t-know-where-i-was/) [Terrell Suggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrell-suggs/) > [Render any politician down and there's enough fat to fry an egg.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-milligan/render-any-politician-down-and-there-s-enough-fat-to-fry-an-egg/) [Spike Milligan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-milligan/) > [The experience of reading a book is always unique. I believe that you render a version of the story, when you read a book,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlton-cuse/the-experience-of-reading-a-book-is-always-unique-i-believe-that-you/) [Carlton Cuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlton-cuse/) > [Jesus said that we should render to the state what properly belongs to the state, and though he had taxes in mind, we might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/jesus-said-that-we-should-render-to-the-state-what-properly-belongs/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [I would say it simply: No one can give that which he doesn't personally possess, which means we cannot transmit the Holy Spirit in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/i-would-say-it-simply-no-one-can-give-that-which-he-doesn-t/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [And then you start getting into the technical side of it and the aesthetic side and with those areas you can come up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-muren/and-then-you-start-getting-into-the-technical-side-of-it-and-the/) [Dennis Muren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-muren/) > [The service we render others is the rent we pay for our room on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfred-grenfell/the-service-we-render-others-is-the-rent-we-pay-for-our-room-on-earth/) [Wilfred Grenfell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfred-grenfell/) > [“READ- Render Educational Accentuated Discourse”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamil-ali/read-render-educational-accentuated-discourse/) [Kamil Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamil-ali/) > [In the past, Google has used teams of humans to 'read' its street address images - in essence, to render images into actionable data.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-battelle/in-the-past-google-has-used-teams-of-humans-to-read-its-street/) [John Battelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-battelle/) > [The events of my life are too unimportant, and have too little interest for any person not of my immediate family, to render them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-marshall/the-events-of-my-life-are-too-unimportant-and-have-too-little/) [John Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marshall/) > [Render yourself free to choose, to be, to live, to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maximillian-degenerez/render-yourself-free-to-choose-to-be-to-live-to-see/) [Maximillian Degenerez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maximillian-degenerez/) > [Let us render the tyrant no aid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/let-us-render-the-tyrant-no-aid/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [I think the screen size chosen for the iPad is perfect for publishers to render content beautifully, for games to be played.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mccue/i-think-the-screen-size-chosen-for-the-ipad-is-perfect-for-publishers/) [Mike McCue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mccue/) > [I am certain about what I will never do - but not about what my art will render.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/odilon-redon/i-am-certain-about-what-i-will-never-do-but-not-about-what-my-art/) [Odilon Redon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/odilon-redon/) > [Etiquette does not render you defenseless. If it did, even I wouldn't subscribe to it. But rudeness in retaliation for rudeness just doubles the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-martin/etiquette-does-not-render-you-defenseless-if-it-did-even-i-wouldn-t/) [Judith Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-martin/) ## More by Francis Spufford > [If your memory was OK you could descend upon on a bookshop – a big enough one so that the staff wouldn’t hassle a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/if-your-memory-was-ok-you-could-descend-upon-on-a-bookshop-a-big/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [There have been low moments before, but Christianity is an incredibly adaptable organism, using different parts of its repertoire to mutate into new ecological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/there-have-been-low-moments-before-but-christianity-is-an-incredibly/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [“Beyond the breakwater you can no longer touch bottom, but you are not afraid, for in this sea the harder you swim the stronger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/beyond-the-breakwater-you-can-no-longer-touch-bottom-but-you-are-not/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [Self-awareness is not the same thing as self-approval, any more than imagination is the same thing as day-dreaming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/self-awareness-is-not-the-same-thing-as-self-approval-any-more-than/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [What follows is more about books than it is about me, but nonetheless it is my inward autobiography, for the words we take into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/what-follows-is-more-about-books-than-it-is-about-me-but-nonetheless/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [Despite the best efforts of apologists like William Lane Craig, the 'evidence' for Christianity's truth is, in truth, not the kind that science will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/despite-the-best-efforts-of-apologists-like-william-lane-craig-the/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [“You do not chuse where You bestow your Heart. Your Heart bestows Itself, will-you-nill-you, in the Midst of other Business. —”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/you-do-not-chuse-where-you-bestow-your-heart-your-heart-bestows/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [Anyone can be self-educated if they find the loose end of something to care about passionately.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/anyone-can-be-self-educated-if-they-find-the-loose-end-of-something/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [You never came out the way you came in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/you-never-came-out-the-way-you-came-in/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [For a believer, Christian faith is true to the human heart, not in the sense that any old thing we fancy believing in will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/for-a-believer-christian-faith-is-true-to-the-human-heart-not-in-the/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [When I'm tired and therefore indecisive, it can take half an hour to choose the book I am going to have with me while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/when-i-m-tired-and-therefore-indecisive-it-can-take-half-an-hour-to/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [“...what goes on inside believers is mysterious. So far as it can be guessed at - if for some reason you wanted to guess…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/what-goes-on-inside-believers-is-mysterious-so-far-as-it-can-be/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [I can always tell when you're reading somewhere in the house,' my mother used to say. 'There's a special silence, a reading silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/i-can-always-tell-when-you-re-reading-somewhere-in-the-house-my/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [I think I have made allowances for the kind of despair which would test my faith, but you cannot know in advance what disaster…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/i-think-i-have-made-allowances-for-the-kind-of-despair-which-would/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [You don't have to become an investment banker as a way of demonstrating that education has worked for you. But librarians have to believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/you-don-t-have-to-become-an-investment-banker-as-a-way-of/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) [Explore all 54 Francis Spufford quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/) [Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) [Browse all 26,122 About quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you're a believer, God is not a thought-experiment requiring a special sub-creation to be tried out in. He's an actual, er, actuality already, embedded in a necessary and true story about guilt, hope, and liberty. I don't want C. S. Lewis doing his resourceful best to render Him as a fabulous special effect.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Francis Spufford" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/if-you-re-a-believer-god-is-not-a-thought-experiment-requiring-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "About" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/if-you-re-a-believer-god-is-not-a-thought-experiment-requiring-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/francis-spufford-12650_about_if-you-re-a-believer-god-is-not-a-though_1984576.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/francis-spufford-12650_about_if-you-re-a-believer-god-is-not-a-though_1984576.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/francis-spufford-12650_about_if-you-re-a-believer-god-is-not-a-though_1984576.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you're a believer, God is not a thought-experiment requiring a special sub-creation to be tried out in…” — Francis Spufford", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Francis Spufford", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you're a believer, God is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/if-you-re-a-believer-god-is-not-a-thought-experiment-requiring-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/if-you-re-a-believer-god-is-not-a-thought-experiment-requiring-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```