--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am thankful that the church exists…" description: "\"I am thankful that the church exists, thankful that it has done such great things, giving us laws, for instance - 'thou shalt' and 'thou shalt not', an..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9eb/gerhard-richter-2249_church_i-am-thankful-that-the-church-exists-tha_355452.jpg" --- # I am thankful that the church exists, thankful that it has… ![“I am thankful that the church exists, thankful that it has done such great things, giving us laws, for instance - 'thou shalt' and 'thou shalt not', and established Goodness and Evil. That's what all religions do, and as soon as we try to replace them, worldly religions like fascism and communism…” quote by Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9eb/gerhard-richter-2249_church_i-am-thankful-that-the-church-exists-tha_355452.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9eb/gerhard-richter-2249_church_i-am-thankful-that-the-church-exists-tha_355452.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9eb/gerhard-richter-2249_church_i-am-thankful-that-the-church-exists-tha_355452.jpg) > “I am thankful that the church exists, thankful that it has done such great things, giving us laws, for instance - 'thou shalt' and 'thou shalt not', and established Goodness and Evil. That's what all religions do, and as soon as we try to replace them, worldly religions like fascism and communism take over.” [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote critiques religion’s role in moral law, suggesting that replacing it leads to oppressive ideologies like fascism and communism. **In simple terms:** Religion provides moral codes; removing them can invite harmful regimes. Key Takeaway Consider how moral frameworks affect society. Themes morality religion politics history authority Mood critical thoughtful Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - government policy - community planning - environmental regulation - ideological shifts Key Concepts social contract ethical foundations power dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What moral systems can prevent oppression? - How do societies balance religious and secular ethics? A Different Perspective The claim oversimplifies complex causes of totalitarianism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Communism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communism/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Fascism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fascism/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Goodness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goodness/) [Great things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-things/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Thankful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thankful/) ## Related quotes > [“Mother, I think. Wherever you may be. Can you hear me? You wanted a women’s culture. Well, now there is one. It isn’t what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/mother-i-think-wherever-you-may-be-can-you-hear-me-you-wanted-a-women/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [I know that my voice has entered into the hearts of many people and has caused beautiful reactions. Some, hearing me sing, have become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renata-tebaldi/i-know-that-my-voice-has-entered-into-the-hearts-of-many-people-and/) [Renata Tebaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renata-tebaldi/) > [“Regardless of Sunshine or Rain, Be Thankful for another GREAT day…and treat Life as the ULTIMATE Gift… Because IT IS :)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo/regardless-of-sunshine-or-rain-be-thankful-for-another-great-day-and/) [Pablo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo/) > [The church exists primarily for two closely correlated purposes: to worship God and to work for his kingdom in the world ... The church…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-church-exists-primarily-for-two-closely-correlated-purposes-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The Church exists by mission, just as a fire exists by burning. Where there is no mission there is no Church; and where there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-brunner/the-church-exists-by-mission-just-as-a-fire-exists-by-burning-where/) [Emil Brunner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-brunner/) > [The Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/the-church-exists-for-nothing-else-but-to-draw-men-into-christ/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [The Church is the Church only when it exists for others...not dominating, but helping and serving. It must tell men of every calling what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/the-church-is-the-church-only-when-it-exists-for-others-not/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [The truth is that most mission work is carried out where the church already exists Only small percentages are working where the church is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-verwer/the-truth-is-that-most-mission-work-is-carried-out-where-the-church/) [George Verwer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-verwer/) > [The church is only the church when it exists for others. To make a start, it should give away all its property to those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/the-church-is-only-the-church-when-it-exists-for-others-to-make-a/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“to tell the world of its true Centre, of the law of mutual sacrifice by which its parts are bound together. The Church exists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-chapman/to-tell-the-world-of-its-true-centre-of-the-law-of-mutual-sacrifice/) Mark Chapman > [The Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/the-church-exists-for-nothing-else-but-to-draw-men-into-christ-to/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [The Church exists to connect people at the level of their hunger for a new world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/the-church-exists-to-connect-people-at-the-level-of-their-hunger-for/) [Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/) > [“...the institutional church, which exists to serve the people of God, is never to be confused with the church as mystery - the Christ-centered,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/the-institutional-church-which-exists-to-serve-the-people-of-god-is/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [The Church exists by mission, just as a fire exists by burning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-brunner/the-church-exists-by-mission-just-as-a-fire-exists-by-burning/) [Emil Brunner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-brunner/) > [The Church exists by mission as fire exists by burning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-brunner/the-church-exists-by-mission-as-fire-exists-by-burning/) [Emil Brunner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-brunner/) ## More by Gerhard Richter > [Art shows us how to see things that are constructive and good, and to be an active part of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/art-shows-us-how-to-see-things-that-are-constructive-and-good-and-to/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [They are specific places I have discovered here and there when I am on the road to take photos. I go especially to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/they-are-specific-places-i-have-discovered-here-and-there-when-i-am/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [To me, grey is the welcome and only possible equivalent for indifference, noncommitment, absence of opinion, absence of shape. But grey, like formlessness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/to-me-grey-is-the-welcome-and-only-possible-equivalent-for/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [Now that we do not have priests and philosophers any more, artists are the most important people in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/now-that-we-do-not-have-priests-and-philosophers-any-more-artists-are/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [Yes, we were amazed when that happened. It was a real joke to us. Konrad Lueg and I did a Happening, and we used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/yes-we-were-amazed-when-that-happened-it-was-a-real-joke-to-us-konrad/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [A work of art is itself an object, first of all, and so manipulation is unavoidable: it's a prerequisite. But I needed the greater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/a-work-of-art-is-itself-an-object-first-of-all-and-so-manipulation-is/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [The photograph is the only picture that can truly convey information, even if it is technically faulty and the object can barely be identified.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/the-photograph-is-the-only-picture-that-can-truly-convey-information/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [Perhaps the choice is a negative one, in that I was trying to avoid everything that touched on well-known issues - or any issues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/perhaps-the-choice-is-a-negative-one-in-that-i-was-trying-to-avoid/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [Gray is the color... the most important of all... absent of opinion, nothing, neither/nor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/gray-is-the-color-the-most-important-of-all-absent-of-opinion-nothing/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [All photographs are far more important than any painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/all-photographs-are-far-more-important-than-any-painting/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [You can compare it to dreams: you have a very specific and individual pictorial language that you either accept or that you can translate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/you-can-compare-it-to-dreams-you-have-a-very-specific-and-individual/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [What attracted me about my mirrors was the idea of having nothing manipulated in them. A piece of bought mirror. Just hung there, without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/what-attracted-me-about-my-mirrors-was-the-idea-of-having-nothing/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [But it is also untrue that I have nothing specific in mind. As with my landscapes: I see countless landscapes, photograph barely 1 in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/but-it-is-also-untrue-that-i-have-nothing-specific-in-mind-as-with-my/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [My landscapes are not only beautiful or nostalgic, with a Romantic or classical suggestion of lost Paradises, but above all 'untruthful'...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/my-landscapes-are-not-only-beautiful-or-nostalgic-with-a-romantic-or/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [I have always been structured. What has changed is the proportions. Now it is eight hours of paperwork and one of painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/i-have-always-been-structured-what-has-changed-is-the-proportions-now/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) [Explore all 176 Gerhard Richter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) ## More Church quotes > [While the 1963 Birmingham church bombing is the most historic, there also was a series of church burnings in the 1990s. Recognition of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthea-butler/while-the-1963-birmingham-church-bombing-is-the-most-historic-there/) [Anthea Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthea-butler/) > [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/) [Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/) > [Turn over the pages of history and read the damning record of the church's opposition to every advance in every field of science. . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/upton-sinclair/turn-over-the-pages-of-history-and-read-the-damning-record-of-the/) [Upton Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/upton-sinclair/) > [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/) > [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/) [Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/) > [God is not calling us to go to church; he is calling us to be his church, the hope of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-groeschel/god-is-not-calling-us-to-go-to-church-he-is-calling-us-to-be-his/) [Craig Groeschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-groeschel/) > [The emerging church movement has come to believe that the ultimate context of the spiritual aspirations of a follower of Jesus Christ is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samir-selmanovic/the-emerging-church-movement-has-come-to-believe-that-the-ultimate/) [Samir Selmanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samir-selmanovic/) > [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [There could be no more powerful argument against mixing religion and government than the success of independent African American churches in placing racial segregation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/there-could-be-no-more-powerful-argument-against-mixing-religion-and/) [Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/) > [Worship is not about personality, temperament, personal limitations, church background, or comfort. It is about God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wimber/worship-is-not-about-personality-temperament-personal-limitations/) [John Wimber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wimber/) > [A beggarly people, A church and no steeple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-b-macaulay/a-beggarly-people-a-church-and-no-steeple/) [Thomas B. Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-b-macaulay/) > [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pound-st-paul-s-church-into-atoms-and-consider-any-single-atom-it-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The religion of art, like the religion of politics, was born from the ruins of Christianity. Art inherited from the old religion the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/the-religion-of-art-like-the-religion-of-politics-was-born-from-the/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [The minute you walk outside of your church on Sunday you're in mission territory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barron/the-minute-you-walk-outside-of-your-church-on-sunday-you-re-in/) [Robert Barron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barron/) > [I'm not ashamed of the things I believe and why I believe them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-huckabee/i-m-not-ashamed-of-the-things-i-believe-and-why-i-believe-them/) [Mike Huckabee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-huckabee/) [Browse all 9,430 Church quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I am thankful that the church exists, thankful that it has done such great things, giving us laws, for instance - 'thou shalt' and 'thou shalt not', and established Goodness and Evil. 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