---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Attacks on alternative religious groups…"
description: "\"Attacks on alternative religious groups are attempts to psychologize - to medicalize - a controversy that, on deeper examination, is clearly a controve..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83f/james-r-lewis-59755_alternatives_attacks-on-alternative-religious-groups_1545863.jpg"
---

#  Attacks on alternative religious groups are attempts to…

![“Attacks on alternative religious groups are attempts to psychologize - to medicalize - a controversy that, on deeper examination, is clearly a controversy over ideology and lifestyle.” quote by James R. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83f/james-r-lewis-59755_alternatives_attacks-on-alternative-religious-groups_1545863.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83f/james-r-lewis-59755_alternatives_attacks-on-alternative-religious-groups_1545863.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83f/james-r-lewis-59755_alternatives_attacks-on-alternative-religious-groups_1545863.jpg)

> “Attacks on alternative religious groups are attempts to psychologize - to medicalize - a controversy that, on deeper examination, is clearly a controversy over ideology and lifestyle.”

[James R. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-r-lewis/)

## About This Quote

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

Critiques of religious groups often mask deeper ideological battles.

**In simple terms:** Criticism hides ideology.

Key Takeaway

Recognize hidden motives in debates.

Themes

religion ideology conflict

Mood

analytical critical

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- political discourse
- academic debate
- media reporting

Key Concepts

sociology psychology media studies

Questions to Reflect On

- What underlying beliefs drive the controversy?
- How can we address ideology without stigmatizing groups?

A Different Perspective

Accusations can oversimplify complex issues.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Alternative Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alternative-religious-388570/) [Alternatives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alternatives/) [Attempts Psychologize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attempts-psychologize-5767394/) [Controversy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/controversy/) [Controversy Deeper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/controversy-deeper-5767393/) [Controversy Ideology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/controversy-ideology-5767392/) [Deeper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeper/) [Examination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/examination/) [Groups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/groups/) [Ideology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideology/) [Lifestyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifestyle/) [Medicalize Controversy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medicalize-controversy-5767391/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/)

## Related quotes

> [Secularism is not only indifferent to alternative religious systems, but as a religious ideology it is opposed to any other religious systems. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-cox/secularism-is-not-only-indifferent-to-alternative-religious-systems/)

[Harvey Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-cox/)

> [“Moralistic Therapeutic Deism, say Smith and Denton, seems to be “colonizing many historical religious traditions and, almost without anyone noticing, converting believers in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenda-creasy-dean/moralistic-therapeutic-deism-say-smith-and-denton-seems-to-be/)

[Kenda Creasy Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenda-creasy-dean/)

> [Humor is the only test of gravity, and gravity of humor; for a subject which will not bear raillery is suspicious, and a jest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/humor-is-the-only-test-of-gravity-and-gravity-of-humor-for-a-subject/)

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

> [The duty of the grand jury is to separate fact from fiction, after a full and impartial examination of all the evidence involved, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-p-mcculloch/the-duty-of-the-grand-jury-is-to-separate-fact-from-fiction-after-a/)

[Robert P. McCulloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-p-mcculloch/)

> [After taking my B.A. degree in 1939 I remained at the University for a further year to take an advanced course in Biochemistry, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-sanger/after-taking-my-b-a-degree-in-1939-i-remained-at-the-university-for-a/)

[Frederick Sanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-sanger/)

> [Even when I'm writing in character I'm normally still writing about things I know or things that have happened to me or using that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-walker/even-when-i-m-writing-in-character-i-m-normally-still-writing-about/)

[Karen Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-walker/)

> [But since the Modernists (as they are commonly and rightly called) employ a very clever artifice, namely, to present their doctrines without order and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-pius-x/but-since-the-modernists-as-they-are-commonly-and-rightly-called/)

[Pope Pius X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-pius-x/)

> [The story revolved around this universal identifiable fear that we must all have, at some point, when you commit yourself to being with another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-treadaway/the-story-revolved-around-this-universal-identifiable-fear-that-we/)

[Harry Treadaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-treadaway/)

> [Wherever God erects a house of prayer the Devil always builds a chapel there; And 't will be found, upon examination, the latter has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/wherever-god-erects-a-house-of-prayer-the-devil-always-builds-a/)

[Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/)

> [Creativity requires introspection, self-examination, and a willingness to take risks. Because of this, artists are perhaps more susceptible to self-doubt and despair than those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-maisel/creativity-requires-introspection-self-examination-and-a-willingness/)

[Eric Maisel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-maisel/)

> [EXams are there, at the paper u stare; the answer is nowhere, which makes u pull ur hair. The teachers make u glare, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azgraybebly-joslan/exams-are-there-at-the-paper-u-stare-the-answer-is-nowhere-which/)

[Azgraybebly Joslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azgraybebly-joslan/)

> [On examinations: Das Wissen ist der Tad der Forschung. Knowledge is the death of research. Nernst's motto.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walther-nernst/on-examinations-das-wissen-ist-der-tad-der-forschung-knowledge-is-the/)

[Walther Nernst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walther-nernst/)

> [The criterion of true beauty is, that it increases in examination; of false, that it lessens. There is something, therefore, in true beauty that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-grenville/the-criterion-of-true-beauty-is-that-it-increases-in-examination-of/)

[George Grenville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-grenville/)

> [The examining physician often hesitates to make the necessary examination because it involves soiling the finger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james-mayo/the-examining-physician-often-hesitates-to-make-the-necessary/)

[William James Mayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james-mayo/)

> [“Remaining absolutely non-acquisitive (aparigrahi) amidst all possessions is the ultimate ‘test examination’.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/remaining-absolutely-non-acquisitive-aparigrahi-amidst-all/)

[Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/)

## More by James R. Lewis

> [The Christian Bible offers some 300 references to Angels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-r-lewis/the-christian-bible-offers-some-300-references-to-angels/)

[James R. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-r-lewis/)

> ["Angelophany" is the visible or otherwise tangible manifestation of angels to human beings. Abraham Lincoln frequently mentioned that he was visited by angels at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-r-lewis/angelophany-is-the-visible-or-otherwise-tangible-manifestation-of/)

[James R. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-r-lewis/)

> [It is often stated that when an Angel descends to the earth, it brings with it a part of the light of the heavens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-r-lewis/it-is-often-stated-that-when-an-angel-descends-to-the-earth-it-brings/)

[James R. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-r-lewis/)

> [Gabriel is a unique archangel in the sense that it is almost certain that she is the only female in the higher echelons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-r-lewis/gabriel-is-a-unique-archangel-in-the-sense-that-it-is-almost-certain/)

[James R. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-r-lewis/)

[Explore all 5 James R. Lewis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-r-lewis/)

## More Alternatives quotes

> [I am very sad that some designers are still using real fur when the fake alternatives are so effective and so easily obtainable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twiggy/i-am-very-sad-that-some-designers-are-still-using-real-fur-when-the/)

[Twiggy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twiggy/)

> [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [I strongly reject any conceptual scheme that places our options on a line, and holds that the only alternative to a pair of extreme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-strongly-reject-any-conceptual-scheme-that-places-our-options-on-a/)

[Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/)

> [Conventional agriculture has never succeeded in feeding the world, and it's never produced anything good to eat. For the future, we need to look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-barber/conventional-agriculture-has-never-succeeded-in-feeding-the-world-and/)

[Dan Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-barber/)

> [ \[When asked how it felt to be a female prime minister:\] I don't know: I've never experienced the alternative. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/when-asked-how-it-felt-to-be-a-female-prime-minister-i-don-t-know-i/)

[Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/)

> [If one could have a wish, or an alternative life, I would've liked to have been John Lennon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-oldman/if-one-could-have-a-wish-or-an-alternative-life-i-would-ve-liked-to/)

[Gary Oldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-oldman/)

> [THE REAL PURPOSE OF HOLOCAUST REVISIONISM IS TO MAKE NATIONAL SOCIALISM AN ACCEPTABLE POLITICAL ALTERNATIVE AGAIN.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-covington/the-real-purpose-of-holocaust-revisionism-is-to-make-national/)

[Harold Covington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-covington/)

> [Men since the beginning of time have sought peace...military alliances, balances of power, leagues of nations, all in turn have failed, leaving the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/men-since-the-beginning-of-time-have-sought-peace-military-alliances/)

[Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/)

> [Buddhist words such as compassion and emptiness don't mean much until we start cultivating our innate ability simply to be there with pain with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/buddhist-words-such-as-compassion-and-emptiness-don-t-mean-much-until/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [The mission of Christian humility in social life is not merely to edify, but to keep minds open to many alternatives. The rigidity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-mission-of-christian-humility-in-social-life-is-not-merely-to/)

[Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/)

> [Maximise the alternative forms in which a user might receive a service, and the alternative sources of supply.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-chipp/maximise-the-alternative-forms-in-which-a-user-might-receive-a/)

[Don Chipp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-chipp/)

> [In the last few years, the very idea of telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth is dredged up only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-musto/in-the-last-few-years-the-very-idea-of-telling-the-truth-the-whole/)

[Michael Musto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-musto/)

> [Altermodern is an in-progress redefinition of modernity in the era of globalisation, stressing the experience of wandering in time, space and mediums. The term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-bourriaud/altermodern-is-an-in-progress-redefinition-of-modernity-in-the-era-of/)

[Nicolas Bourriaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-bourriaud/)

> [If the system exhibits a structure which can be represented by a mathematical equivalent, called a mathematical model, and if the objective can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-dantzig/if-the-system-exhibits-a-structure-which-can-be-represented-by-a/)

[George Dantzig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-dantzig/)

> [We must commit ourselves to an 'all of the above' energy approach, with a major focus on increasing domestic production and expanding alternatives fuels,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-roskam/we-must-commit-ourselves-to-an-all-of-the-above-energy-approach-with/)

[Peter Roskam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-roskam/)

[Browse all 1,463 Alternatives quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alternatives/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Attacks on alternative religious groups are attempts to psychologize - to medicalize - a controversy that, on deeper examination, is clearly a controversy over ideology and lifestyle.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "James R. Lewis"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-r-lewis/attacks-on-alternative-religious-groups-are-attempts-to-psychologize/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Alternatives"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-r-lewis/attacks-on-alternative-religious-groups-are-attempts-to-psychologize/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83f/james-r-lewis-59755_alternatives_attacks-on-alternative-religious-groups_1545863.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83f/james-r-lewis-59755_alternatives_attacks-on-alternative-religious-groups_1545863.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83f/james-r-lewis-59755_alternatives_attacks-on-alternative-religious-groups_1545863.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Attacks on alternative religious groups are attempts to psychologize - to medicalize - a controversy that…” — James R. Lewis",
                "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": "James R. Lewis",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-r-lewis/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Attacks on alternative religious groups are...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-r-lewis/attacks-on-alternative-religious-groups-are-attempts-to-psychologize/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-r-lewis/attacks-on-alternative-religious-groups-are-attempts-to-psychologize/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
