---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is contrary to the principles of…"
description: "\"It is contrary to the principles of reason and justice that any should be compelled to contribute to the maintenance of a church with which their consc..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcd/george-mason-8435_american-founding-fa_it-is-contrary-to-the-principles-of-reas_1220294.jpg"
---

#  It is contrary to the principles of reason and justice…

![“It is contrary to the principles of reason and justice that any should be compelled to contribute to the maintenance of a church with which their consciences will not permit them to join, and from which they can derive no benefit; for remedy whereof, and that equal liberty as well religious as…” quote by George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcd/george-mason-8435_american-founding-fa_it-is-contrary-to-the-principles-of-reas_1220294.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcd/george-mason-8435_american-founding-fa_it-is-contrary-to-the-principles-of-reas_1220294.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcd/george-mason-8435_american-founding-fa_it-is-contrary-to-the-principles-of-reas_1220294.jpg)

> “It is contrary to the principles of reason and justice that any should be compelled to contribute to the maintenance of a church with which their consciences will not permit them to join, and from which they can derive no benefit; for remedy whereof, and that equal liberty as well religious as civil, may be universally extended to all the good people of this commonwealth.”

[George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Compelling people to fund a church they cannot morally join violates liberty and justice; true freedom requires religious and civil equality for all.

**In simple terms:** Forcing support for a church against conscience is unjust.

Key Takeaway

Advocate for separation of church and state.

Themes

religious liberty civil rights justice government authority

Mood

thoughtful principled

Type

political philosophical

When to use this quote

- public policy
- tax law
- community governance

Key Concepts

philosophy law human rights

Questions to Reflect On

- How can societies fund public services without infringing conscience?
- What limits should exist on religious taxation?

A Different Perspective

Balancing communal benefits with individual conscience is complex.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[American founding fathers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-founding-fathers/) [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Benefits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/benefits/) [Christian father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian-father/) [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Church and state](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church-and-state/) [Church Consciences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church-consciences-3734556/) [Commonwealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commonwealth/) [Compelled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compelled/) [Conscience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscience/) [Consciences Permit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciences-permit-3734557/) [Contrary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contrary/) [Contrary Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contrary-principles-2385871/) [Equal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equal/) [Ethics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethics/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Founding fathers christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/founding-fathers-christian/) [Founding fathers of america](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/founding-fathers-of-america/) [Founding fathers religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/founding-fathers-religious/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Good people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-people/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Justice Compelled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice-compelled-2282197/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Maintenance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maintenance/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Our founding fathers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-founding-fathers/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Permit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/permit/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Reason Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason-justice-1283715/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) [Remedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remedy/) [Separation between church and state](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/separation-between-church-and-state/) [Separation of church and state](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/separation-of-church-and-state/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Us founding fathers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/us-founding-fathers/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/)

## Related quotes

> [Those who really deserve praise are the people who, while human enough to enjoy power, nevertheless pay more attention to justice than they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/those-who-really-deserve-praise-are-the-people-who-while-human-enough/)

[Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/)

> [I just feel like if I really believe what Dr. King said, 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,' then I should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-parker/i-just-feel-like-if-i-really-believe-what-dr-king-said-injustice/)

[Nate Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-parker/)

> [“The exercise of force is contrary to the principles of God’s government; He desires only the service of love; and love cannot be commanded;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-g-white/the-exercise-of-force-is-contrary-to-the-principles-of-god-s/)

[Ellen G. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-g-white/)

> [One of the most ordinary weaknesses of the human intellect is to seek to reconcile contrary principles, and to purchase peace at the expense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/one-of-the-most-ordinary-weaknesses-of-the-human-intellect-is-to-seek/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

> [Thus then a single harmony orders the composition of the whole...by the mingling of the most contrary principles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/thus-then-a-single-harmony-orders-the-composition-of-the-whole-by-the/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [Bills of attainder, ex-post facto laws and laws impairing the obligation of contracts are contrary to the first principles of the social compact, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/bills-of-attainder-ex-post-facto-laws-and-laws-impairing-the/)

[James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/)

> [“All their principles are true, sceptics, stoics, atheists, etc...but their conclusions are false, because the contrary principles are also true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/all-their-principles-are-true-sceptics-stoics-atheists-etc-but-their/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [Sympathy is the first condition of criticism; reason and justice presuppose, at their origin, emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-frederic-amiel/sympathy-is-the-first-condition-of-criticism-reason-and-justice/)

[Henri Frederic Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-frederic-amiel/)

> [“I am tempted to find reason and justice in the fact that he died as violently and indecently as he lived. But that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ambler/i-am-tempted-to-find-reason-and-justice-in-the-fact-that-he-died-as/)

[Eric Ambler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ambler/)

> [All of us who are concerned for peace and triumph of reason and justice must be keenly aware how small an influence reason and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/all-of-us-who-are-concerned-for-peace-and-triumph-of-reason-and/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [It is not what a lawyer tells me I may do; but what humanity, reason, and justice tell me I ought to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/it-is-not-what-a-lawyer-tells-me-i-may-do-but-what-humanity-reason/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [It is not from reason that justice springs, but goodness is born of wisdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-maeterlinck/it-is-not-from-reason-that-justice-springs-but-goodness-is-born-of/)

[Maurice Maeterlinck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-maeterlinck/)

> [Why has government been instituted at all? Because the passions of man will not conform to the dictates of reason and justice without constraint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/why-has-government-been-instituted-at-all-because-the-passions-of-man/)

[Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/)

> [If any difference should be made by law between husband and wife, reason, justice and humanity, if their voices were heard, would dictate that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernestine-rose/if-any-difference-should-be-made-by-law-between-husband-and-wife/)

[Ernestine Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernestine-rose/)

> [“Reason? Justice? The forces that victimized and paralysed him now were those that had created the world. Who was he to contend against them?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/reason-justice-the-forces-that-victimized-and-paralysed-him-now-were/)

[John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/)

## More by George Mason

> [This cold weather has set all the young Folks to providing Bedfellows. I have signed two or three Licences every Day \[as a Fairfax…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/this-cold-weather-has-set-all-the-young-folks-to-providing-bedfellows/)

[George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/)

> [“To disarm the people--that was the best and most effective way to enslave them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/to-disarm-the-people-that-was-the-best-and-most-effective-way-to/)

[George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/)

> [ I charge \[my sons\] never to let the motives of private interest or ambition to influence them to betray, nor the terrors of poverty… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/i-charge-my-sons-never-to-let-the-motives-of-private-interest-or/)

[George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/)

> [That general warrants, whereby an officer or messenger may be commanded to search suspected places without evidence of a fact committed, or to seize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/that-general-warrants-whereby-an-officer-or-messenger-may-be/)

[George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/)

> [Who are the militia, if they be not the people, of this country...? I ask who are the militia? They consist now of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/who-are-the-militia-if-they-be-not-the-people-of-this-country-i-ask/)

[George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/)

> [To disarm the people... was the best and most effectual way to enslave them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/to-disarm-the-people-was-the-best-and-most-effectual-way-to-enslave/)

[George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/)

> [The poor despise labor when performed by slaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/the-poor-despise-labor-when-performed-by-slaves/)

[George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/)

> [We owe to our Mother-Country the Duty of Subjects but will not pay her the Submission of Slaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/we-owe-to-our-mother-country-the-duty-of-subjects-but-will-not-pay/)

[George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/)

> [I have been for some time in Retirement, and shall not probably return again to public Life; yet my Anxiety for my Country, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/i-have-been-for-some-time-in-retirement-and-shall-not-probably-return/)

[George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/)

> [I determined to spend the Remainder of my Days in privacy and Retirement with my Children, from whose Society alone I cou'd expect Comfort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/i-determined-to-spend-the-remainder-of-my-days-in-privacy-and/)

[George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/)

> [That no man, or set of men, are entitled to exclusive or separate emoluments or privileges from the community, but in consideration of public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/that-no-man-or-set-of-men-are-entitled-to-exclusive-or-separate/)

[George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/)

> [That the people have a right to uniform government; and, therefore, that no government separate from, or independent of the government of Virginia, ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/that-the-people-have-a-right-to-uniform-government-and-therefore-that/)

[George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/)

> [A few years' experience will convince us that those things which at the time they happened we regarded as our greatest misfortunes have proved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/a-few-years-experience-will-convince-us-that-those-things-which-at/)

[George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/)

> [Every society, all government, and every kind of civil compact therefore, is or ought to be, calculated for the general good and safety of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/every-society-all-government-and-every-kind-of-civil-compact/)

[George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/)

> [In all our associations; in all our agreements let us never lose sight of this fundamental maxim - that all power was originally lodged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/in-all-our-associations-in-all-our-agreements-let-us-never-lose-sight/)

[George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/)

[Explore all 81 George Mason quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/)

## More American founding fathers quotes

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Rulers who wished to subvert the public liberty, may have found an established Clergy convenient auxiliaries. A just Government instituted to secure & perpetuate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/rulers-who-wished-to-subvert-the-public-liberty-may-have-found-an/)

[James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/)

> [What is it the Bible teaches us? - raping, cruelty, and murder. What is it the New Testament teaches us? - to believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/what-is-it-the-bible-teaches-us-raping-cruelty-and-murder-what-is-it/)

[Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/)

> [In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/in-vain-would-that-man-claim-the-tribute-of-patriotism-who-should/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

> [The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/the-general-principles-on-which-the-fathers-achieved-independence/)

[John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/)

> [Without morals a republic cannot subsist any length of time; they therefore who are decrying the Christian religion, whose morality is so sublime and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-carroll-of-carrollton/without-morals-a-republic-cannot-subsist-any-length-of-time-they/)

[Charles Carroll of Carrollton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-carroll-of-carrollton/)

> [We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/we-have-been-preserved-these-many-years-in-peace-and-prosperity-we/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [I am opposed to any form of tyranny over the mind of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-am-opposed-to-any-form-of-tyranny-over-the-mind-of-man/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Among the sayings and discourses imputed to him (i.e. Jesus) by his biographers, I find many passages of fine imagination, correct morality, and of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/among-the-sayings-and-discourses-imputed-to-him-i-e-jesus-by-his/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [I firmly believe this ... that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better, than the builders of Babel:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/i-firmly-believe-this-that-without-his-concurring-aid-we-shall/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [The day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the Supreme Being as his father, in the womb of a virgin, will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-day-will-come-when-the-mystical-generation-of-jesus-by-the/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim tribute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/of-all-the-dispositions-and-habits-which-lead-to-political-prosperity-2/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

> [Religious controversies are always productive of more acrimony and irreconcilable hatreds than those which spring from any other cause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/religious-controversies-are-always-productive-of-more-acrimony-and/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

> [The only foundation for . . . a republic is to be laid in Religion. Without this there can be no virtue, and without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-rush/the-only-foundation-for-a-republic-is-to-be-laid-in-religion-without/)

[Benjamin Rush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-rush/)

> [The time is now near at hand which must probably determine whether Americans are to be freemen or slaves; whether they are to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-time-is-now-near-at-hand-which-must-probably-determine-whether/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

[Browse all 89 American founding fathers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-founding-fathers/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It is contrary to the principles of reason and justice that any should be compelled to contribute to the maintenance of a church with which their consciences will not permit them to join, and from which they can derive no benefit; for remedy whereof, and that equal liberty as well religious as civil, may be universally extended to all the good people of this commonwealth.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "George Mason"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/it-is-contrary-to-the-principles-of-reason-and-justice-that-any/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "American founding fathers"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/it-is-contrary-to-the-principles-of-reason-and-justice-that-any/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcd/george-mason-8435_american-founding-fa_it-is-contrary-to-the-principles-of-reas_1220294.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcd/george-mason-8435_american-founding-fa_it-is-contrary-to-the-principles-of-reas_1220294.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcd/george-mason-8435_american-founding-fa_it-is-contrary-to-the-principles-of-reas_1220294.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is contrary to the principles of reason and justice that any should be compelled to contribute to the…” — George Mason",
                "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": "George Mason",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It is contrary to the principles...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/it-is-contrary-to-the-principles-of-reason-and-justice-that-any/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/it-is-contrary-to-the-principles-of-reason-and-justice-that-any/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```