---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Her religion--perhaps, Alwyn thought…"
description: "\"“Her religion--perhaps, Alwyn thought, American Christianity as a whole--was a religion of ideal prose; all the beauty it had was the elegance of a per..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50b/glenway-wescott-37305_programming_her-religion-perhaps-alwyn-thought-ameri_457133.jpg"
---

#  Her religion--perhaps, Alwyn thought, American…

![“Her religion--perhaps, Alwyn thought, American Christianity as a whole--was a religion of ideal prose; all the beauty it had was the elegance of a perfect law, a Napoleonic code. It deified Jesus, but deified Him as a social leader and teacher martyred for His virtue, a compassionate attorney at…” quote by Glenway Wescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50b/glenway-wescott-37305_programming_her-religion-perhaps-alwyn-thought-ameri_457133.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50b/glenway-wescott-37305_programming_her-religion-perhaps-alwyn-thought-ameri_457133.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50b/glenway-wescott-37305_programming_her-religion-perhaps-alwyn-thought-ameri_457133.jpg)

> ““Her religion--perhaps, Alwyn thought, American Christianity as a whole--was a religion of ideal prose; all the beauty it had was the elegance of a perfect law, a Napoleonic code. It deified Jesus, but deified Him as a social leader and teacher martyred for His virtue, a compassionate attorney at the right hand of God the judge, and a fulfillment of the half-political prophecies of the Old Testament--whose jurisprudence of hygiene, family relations, patriotism, and commerce, its morality resembled.””

[Glenway Wescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenway-wescott/)

## About This Quote

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

He critiques American Christianity as an idealistic, legalistic system that deifies Jesus as a social leader.

**In simple terms:** American Christianity is seen as a perfect, law‑like religion.

Key Takeaway

Question the ideal of religious perfection.

Themes

religion idealism law American Christianity Jesus

Mood

critical analytical

Type

philosophical literary critical

When to use this quote

- church discourse
- academic study
- personal belief
- social commentary

Key Concepts

theology philosophy cultural critique

Questions to Reflect On

- Does framing religion as law limit spiritual depth?
- How does this critique affect personal faith?

A Different Perspective

The view may oversimplify diverse faith experiences.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Alwyn Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alwyn-thought-3977997/) [American Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-christianity-237368/) [Deified Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deified-jesus-3977996/) [Hand Of God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hand-of-god/) [Programming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programming/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religion Alwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion-alwyn-3977995/) [Religion Ideal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion-ideal-3700361/) [Right hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-hand/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [The church doctrines of obedience to authority, repentance, fear of punishment, self-abnegation, acceptance of outer direction rather than inner assurance, elevation of faith over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madalyn-murray-o-hair/the-church-doctrines-of-obedience-to-authority-repentance-fear-of/)

[Madalyn Murray O'Hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madalyn-murray-o-hair/)

> [Anarchism is in reality the ideal of political and social science, and also the ideal of religion. It is the ideal to which Jesus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-heber-newton/anarchism-is-in-reality-the-ideal-of-political-and-social-science-and/)

[R. Heber Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-heber-newton/)

> [Religions are the exponents of the highest comprehension of life... within a given age in a given society... a basis for evaluating human sentiments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/religions-are-the-exponents-of-the-highest-comprehension-of-life/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [There is no conflict between the ideal of religion and the ideal of science, but science is opposed to theological dogmas because science is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/there-is-no-conflict-between-the-ideal-of-religion-and-the-ideal-of/)

[Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/)

> [“Like the easy-listening Muzak that plays ubiquitously in the background in other shopping venues, the message of American Christianity has simply become trivial, sentimental,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-s-horton/like-the-easy-listening-muzak-that-plays-ubiquitously-in-the/)

[Michael S. Horton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-s-horton/)

> [I grew up in a household that spent most of my childhood on a religious pilgrimage through American Christianity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/i-grew-up-in-a-household-that-spent-most-of-my-childhood-on-a/)

[Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/)

> [I quickly found that the American church is a difficult place to fit in if you want to live out New Testament Christianity. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/i-quickly-found-that-the-american-church-is-a-difficult-place-to-fit/)

[Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/)

> [It's clearly the case that there's not some moment in American history when every evangelical is holding hands with every Catholic who is holding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/it-s-clearly-the-case-that-there-s-not-some-moment-in-american/)

[Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/)

> [“Because this is an urban church in a downtown neighborhood, it is not so easy to avoid the presence of the poor. We see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fleming-rutledge/because-this-is-an-urban-church-in-a-downtown-neighborhood-it-is-not/)

[Fleming Rutledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fleming-rutledge/)

> [ “\[M\]ost Americans are still drawing some water from the Christian well. But a growing number are inventing their own versions of what Christianity means,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/m-ost-americans-are-still-drawing-some-water-from-the-christian-well/)

[Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/)

> [I think what you see a lot of in American religion, even in areas of American Christianity that don't go all the way with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/i-think-what-you-see-a-lot-of-in-american-religion-even-in-areas-of/)

[Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/)

> [I look at American Christianity and I'm almost in despair. I don't want to be identified with it. The Christian vote in America is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-look-at-american-christianity-and-i-m-almost-in-despair-i-don-t/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

> [“American Christianity has come to show a blandness that offends no one, a gospel that is adaptable to fit every lifestyle, and a message…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-davis/american-christianity-has-come-to-show-a-blandness-that-offends-no/)

[Patrick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-davis/)

> [This book is written for those who want more Jesus. It is for those who are bored with what American Christianity offers. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/this-book-is-written-for-those-who-want-more-jesus-it-is-for-those/)

[Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/)

> [The time has come when the whole world must be concerned about me. From now on, American Christianity must follow me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-myung-moon/the-time-has-come-when-the-whole-world-must-be-concerned-about-me/)

[Sun Myung Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-myung-moon/)

## More by Glenway Wescott

> [Time is the nervous system of narration, whether factual or fictive. If it gets confused some of the minutiae of human nature are certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenway-wescott/time-is-the-nervous-system-of-narration-whether-factual-or-fictive-if/)

[Glenway Wescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenway-wescott/)

> [New York City is a great apartment hotel in which everyone lives and no one is at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenway-wescott/new-york-city-is-a-great-apartment-hotel-in-which-everyone-lives-and/)

[Glenway Wescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenway-wescott/)

> [It is not love, but lack of love which is blind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenway-wescott/it-is-not-love-but-lack-of-love-which-is-blind/)

[Glenway Wescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenway-wescott/)

> [But let us laugh carelessly like other men. Let us be timid even among fools. Let us knot silence around our throats. For they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenway-wescott/but-let-us-laugh-carelessly-like-other-men-let-us-be-timid-even-among/)

[Glenway Wescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenway-wescott/)

> [“In marriage, insult arises again and again; and pain has to be not only endured, but consented to; and the amount of forgiveness that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenway-wescott/in-marriage-insult-arises-again-and-again-and-pain-has-to-be-not-only/)

[Glenway Wescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenway-wescott/)

> [People as a rule do mean much more than they understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenway-wescott/people-as-a-rule-do-mean-much-more-than-they-understand/)

[Glenway Wescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenway-wescott/)

> [“For Alwyn's grandfather, who was known as "the greatest talker in the country," used words which no one else understood, words which he did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenway-wescott/for-alwyn-s-grandfather-who-was-known-as-the-greatest-talker-in-the/)

[Glenway Wescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenway-wescott/)

> [“The boy thought, How powerful a story is, and how by a kind of magic it compels the imagination; there was nothing in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenway-wescott/the-boy-thought-how-powerful-a-story-is-and-how-by-a-kind-of-magic-it/)

[Glenway Wescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenway-wescott/)

> [“Hugo, child, have I ever said that I loved you? Do you know that your fists are clenched? You aren't going to strike me-'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenway-wescott/hugo-child-have-i-ever-said-that-i-loved-you-do-you-know-that-your/)

[Glenway Wescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenway-wescott/)

> [Life goes on and on after one's luck has run out. Youthfulness persists, alas, long after one has ceased to be young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenway-wescott/life-goes-on-and-on-after-one-s-luck-has-run-out-youthfulness/)

[Glenway Wescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenway-wescott/)

> [There must always be some pretentiousness about literature, or else no one would take its pains or endure its disappointments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenway-wescott/there-must-always-be-some-pretentiousness-about-literature-or-else-no/)

[Glenway Wescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenway-wescott/)

[Explore all 12 Glenway Wescott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenway-wescott/)

## More Programming quotes

> [Of everything I have done, 'The Archers' always gets the most excitement; there's a sort of uncontrollable joy from fans of the program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/of-everything-i-have-done-the-archers-always-gets-the-most-excitement/)

[Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/)

> [When we shipped 'Borderlands 2,' we didn't ship it with a plan of how the level cap was going to increase. We didn't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pitchford/when-we-shipped-borderlands-2-we-didn-t-ship-it-with-a-plan-of-how/)

[Randy Pitchford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pitchford/)

> [It is no secret that I have read 'The Da Vinci Code' several times. I genuinely believe that 'The Da Vinci Code' and 'Angels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwin-sanghi/it-is-no-secret-that-i-have-read-the-da-vinci-code-several-times-i/)

[Ashwin Sanghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwin-sanghi/)

> [“Check the program before you two start undressing and...well, doing whatever freaky shit you talked Harley into.” I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cox/check-the-program-before-you-two-start-undressing-and-well-doing/)

[James Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cox/)

> [Programmers are always surrounded by complexity; we cannot avoid it… If our basic tool, the language in which we design and code our programs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hoare/programmers-are-always-surrounded-by-complexity-we-cannot-avoid-it-if/)

[Tony Hoare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hoare/)

> [One of my most productive days was throwing away 1,000 lines of code.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/one-of-my-most-productive-days-was-throwing-away-1-000-lines-of-code/)

[Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/)

> [Writing code means always having to say you're sorry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ford/writing-code-means-always-having-to-say-you-re-sorry/)

[Paul Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ford/)

> [Limit use of shareware and public domain software to systems without fixed disks. If you do use them on fixed disks, allocate separate subdirectories...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcafee/limit-use-of-shareware-and-public-domain-software-to-systems-without/)

[John McAfee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcafee/)

> [I'm publicist, patron of nine charities, creative director, food consultant, recipe developer - and mum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/i-m-publicist-patron-of-nine-charities-creative-director-food/)

[Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/)

> [With VR, we have this same vision, which is create this ultimate platform for sharing your imagination. Our huge community of 300,000 developers creates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-baszucki/with-vr-we-have-this-same-vision-which-is-create-this-ultimate/)

[David Baszucki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baszucki/)

> [It would be a piece of ingenuousness to accuse the man of today of his lack of moral code. The accusation would leave him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/it-would-be-a-piece-of-ingenuousness-to-accuse-the-man-of-today-of/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [A lot of the kids gave a lot of positive feedback about if I ever became a coach, they would love to play in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-hardaway/a-lot-of-the-kids-gave-a-lot-of-positive-feedback-about-if-i-ever/)

[Penny Hardaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-hardaway/)

> [I loved 'Chicago Code;' I watched that a lot. It was great because it really captured the city - I'm from Chicago, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessy-schram/i-loved-chicago-code-i-watched-that-a-lot-it-was-great-because-it/)

[Jessy Schram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessy-schram/)

> [I kind of pride myself on coming onto things that are well-oiled machines and finding a way to bring what I bring and fit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lowe/i-kind-of-pride-myself-on-coming-onto-things-that-are-well-oiled/)

[Rob Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lowe/)

> [“By rendering the model in ASN.1, the NCBI created a system that combined objects (DNA sequences, protein sequences, references, sequence features) from a variety…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/by-rendering-the-model-in-asn-1-the-ncbi-created-a-system-that/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Browse all 6,477 Programming quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programming/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Her religion--perhaps, Alwyn thought, American Christianity as a whole--was a religion of ideal prose; all the beauty it had was the elegance of a perfect law, a Napoleonic code. It deified Jesus, but deified Him as a social leader and teacher martyred for His virtue, a compassionate attorney at the right hand of God the judge, and a fulfillment of the half-political prophecies of the Old Testament--whose jurisprudence of hygiene, family relations, patriotism, and commerce, its morality resembled.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Glenway Wescott"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenway-wescott/her-religion-perhaps-alwyn-thought-american-christianity-as-a-whole/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Programming"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenway-wescott/her-religion-perhaps-alwyn-thought-american-christianity-as-a-whole/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50b/glenway-wescott-37305_programming_her-religion-perhaps-alwyn-thought-ameri_457133.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50b/glenway-wescott-37305_programming_her-religion-perhaps-alwyn-thought-ameri_457133.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50b/glenway-wescott-37305_programming_her-religion-perhaps-alwyn-thought-ameri_457133.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Her religion--perhaps, Alwyn thought, American Christianity as a whole--was a religion of ideal prose; all…” — Glenway Wescott",
                "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": "Glenway Wescott",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenway-wescott/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Her religion--perhaps, Alwyn thought, American Christianity...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenway-wescott/her-religion-perhaps-alwyn-thought-american-christianity-as-a-whole/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenway-wescott/her-religion-perhaps-alwyn-thought-american-christianity-as-a-whole/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
