Accomplish Quote by H. L. Mencken
“The most curious social convention of the great age in which we live is the one to the effect that religious opinions should be respected. Its evil effects must be plain enough to everyone. All it accomplishes is (a) to throw a veil of sanctity about ideas that violate every intellectual decency, and (b) to make every theologian a sort of chartered libertine. No doubt it is mainly to blame for the appalling slowness with which really sound notions make their way in the world.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: "The American Language" (1921)
He critiques the social norm of respecting religious opinions, arguing it shields irrational ideas and slows progress of rational thought.
In simple terms: Respecting religion can hinder truth and progress.
Key Takeaway
Question the protection of ideas under religious respect.
Themes
freedom of thought
skepticism
social critique
Mood
critical
skeptical
Type
philosophical
social commentary
When to use this quote
- public discourse
- academic debate
- policy making
- media commentary
Key Concepts
religion
intellectual honesty
Questions to Reflect On
- What are the consequences of shielding ideas with sanctity?
- Can respect coexist with critical examination?
A Different Perspective
Some may view religious respect as essential for social harmony.
![“One of the most irrational of all the conventions of modern society is the one to the effect that religious opinions should be respected. …[This] convention protects them, and so they proceed with their blather unwhipped and almost unmolested, to the great damage of common sense and common…” quote by H.L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/7ba/h-l-mencken-2-5374_common-decency_one-of-the-most-irrational-of-all-the-co_2448505.jpg)
![“By profession a biologist, [Thomas Henry Huxley] covered in fact the whole field of the exact sciences, and then bulged through its four fences. Absolutely nothing was uninteresting to him. His curiosity ranged from music to theology and from philosophy to history. He didn't simply know something…” quote by H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f46/h-l-mencken-245_absolutely-nothing_by-profession-a-biologist-thomas-henry-h_5368.jpg)
![“[The Community's] crosses and trials give me confidence. But I derive my hope above all, and most especially, from our utter incapacity, for it is always upon nothingness that God is pleased to rear His works. If at any day we accomplish some good here, the glory will certainly be His alone, since…” quote by Theodore Guerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2b8/theodore-guerin-54729_accomplish_the-community-s-crosses-and-trials-give_7176.jpg)
