--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Religions have been universal in the…" description: "\"Religions have been universal in the sense that all the people we know anything about have had a religion. But the differences among them are so great ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e4/john-dewey-545_atheism_religions-have-been-universal-in-the-sen_725997.jpg" --- # Religions have been universal in the sense that all the… ![“Religions have been universal in the sense that all the people we know anything about have had a religion. But the differences among them are so great and so shocking that any common element that can be extracted is meaningless… The older apologists for Christianity seem to have been better…” quote by John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e4/john-dewey-545_atheism_religions-have-been-universal-in-the-sen_725997.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e4/john-dewey-545_atheism_religions-have-been-universal-in-the-sen_725997.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e4/john-dewey-545_atheism_religions-have-been-universal-in-the-sen_725997.jpg) > “Religions have been universal in the sense that all the people we know anything about have had a religion. But the differences among them are so great and so shocking that any common element that can be extracted is meaningless… The older apologists for Christianity seem to have been better advised than some modern ones in condemning every religion but one as an impostor, as at bottom some kind of demon worship or at any rate a superstitious figment.” [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Religion is a universal human phenomenon, yet its forms differ so drastically that searching for a single common essence becomes futile. **In simple terms:** All societies have religion, but they differ wildly. Key Takeaway Recognize diversity, avoid overgeneralizing. Themes religion diversity philosophy culture Mood thoughtful critical inquisitive Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - anthropological research - interfaith dialogue - educational curricula - media analysis Key Concepts anthropology comparative religion skepticism Questions to Reflect On - How do we respect religious differences without reducing them to a single narrative? - What risks arise from assuming a common core? A Different Perspective Universal claims can erase important nuances. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Demon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demon/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Elements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elements/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Positive atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive-atheism/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Superstitious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superstitious/) [Worship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worship/) ## Related quotes > [I spent a lot of time in India with my father. I don't know all about their religion. 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He is a man who follows Catholic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-navarro/i-know-marco-rubio-very-well-he-s-a-friend-of-mine-he-s-a-man-of-deep/) [Ana Navarro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-navarro/) > [I know too much about religion to be religious, so to speak, and I am not that stupid, either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/varg-vikernes/i-know-too-much-about-religion-to-be-religious-so-to-speak-and-i-am/) [Varg Vikernes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/varg-vikernes/) > [“It is impossible for there to be a person with no religion (i.e. without any kind of relationship to the world) as it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/it-is-impossible-for-there-to-be-a-person-with-no-religion-i-e/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Know your religion, know who you are and don't be ashamed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-mencia/know-your-religion-know-who-you-are-and-don-t-be-ashamed/) [Carlos Mencia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-mencia/) > [Those who say religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/those-who-say-religion-has-nothing-to-do-with-politics-do-not-know/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“When you try to talk to God you don’t get him, instead you just get a sniveling little assistant who says he’ll relay your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabe-habash/when-you-try-to-talk-to-god-you-don-t-get-him-instead-you-just-get-a/) [Gabe Habash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabe-habash/) > [We know nothing of religion here: we only think of Christ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-know-nothing-of-religion-here-we-only-think-of-christ/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Truth has drawn me into the field of politics; and I can say without the slightest hesitation, and yet in all humility, that those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/truth-has-drawn-me-into-the-field-of-politics-and-i-can-say-without/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [I have a 2-year-old son, and I know I'm dealing with a big, grand word when I can't point to the thing when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/i-have-a-2-year-old-son-and-i-know-i-m-dealing-with-a-big-grand-word/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [I don't think the 9/11 attacks taught us anything we didn't already know about religion. 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Religion is crap.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-farmer/he-s-a-scientist-and-they-know-everything-religion-is-crap/) [Nancy Farmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-farmer/) > [This is how you know religion is failing because people think you're bonkers if you believe in God and also because it's so uncool…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinead-o-connor/this-is-how-you-know-religion-is-failing-because-people-think-you-re/) [Sinead O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinead-o-connor/) ## More by John Dewey > [“The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-deepest-urge-in-human-nature-is-the-desire-to-be-important/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [“Empirically, things are poignant, tragic, beautiful, humorous, settled, disturbed, comfortable, annoying, barren, harsh, consoling, splendid, fearful; are such immediately and in their own right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/empirically-things-are-poignant-tragic-beautiful-humorous-settled/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [A good aim surveys the present state of experience of pupils, and forming a tentative plan of treatment, keeps the plan constantly in view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/a-good-aim-surveys-the-present-state-of-experience-of-pupils-and/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [Experiences in order to be educative must lead out into an expanding world of subject matter, a subject matter of facts or information and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/experiences-in-order-to-be-educative-must-lead-out-into-an-expanding/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [A tribe, let us say, is warlike. 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