---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Humanism is not science, but religion…"
description: "\"“Humanism is not science, but religion - the post-Christian faith that humans can make a world better than any in which they have so far lived. In pre-..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/947/john-gray-4628_christian-faith_humanism-is-not-science-but-religion-the_839784.jpg"
---

#  Humanism is not science, but religion - the post-Christian…

![“Humanism is not science, but religion - the post-Christian faith that humans can make a world better than any in which they have so far lived. In pre-Christian Europe is was taken for granted that the future would be like the past. Knowledge and invention might advance, but ethics would remain…” quote by John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/947/john-gray-4628_christian-faith_humanism-is-not-science-but-religion-the_839784.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/947/john-gray-4628_christian-faith_humanism-is-not-science-but-religion-the_839784.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/947/john-gray-4628_christian-faith_humanism-is-not-science-but-religion-the_839784.jpg)

> ““Humanism is not science, but religion - the post-Christian faith that humans can make a world better than any in which they have so far lived. In pre-Christian Europe is was taken for granted that the future would be like the past. Knowledge and invention might advance, but ethics would remain much the same. History was a series of cycles, with no overall meaning. Against this pagan view, Christians understood history as a story of sin and redemption. Humanism is the transformation of this Christian doctrine of salvation into a project of universal human emancipation. The idea of progress is a secular version of the Christian belief in providence. That is why among the ancient pagans it was unknown.””

[John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/)

## About This Quote

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

Humanism reframes Christian ideas of redemption into a secular belief in human progress and emancipation.

**In simple terms:** Humanism turns religious hope into secular progress.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the ethical roots of modern humanism.

Themes

philosophy religion ethics progress humanism

Mood

thoughtful critical

Type

philosophical analytical

When to use this quote

- education reform
- policy making
- social activism
- public discourse

Key Concepts

secularism redemption historical cycles ethical evolution

Questions to Reflect On

- What ethical principles guide your vision of progress?
- How can secular ideas respect religious origins?

A Different Perspective

May ignore non‑Western traditions and their contributions.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Christian Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian-belief/) [Christian faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian-faith/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Humanism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanism/) [Humanism Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanism-science-632165/) [Humanism Transformation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanism-transformation-632167/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Redemption Humanism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/redemption-humanism-632166/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Taken for granted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taken-for-granted/)

## Related quotes

> [“What if many listeners hold a profoundly different understanding of the concepts of God, truth, right and wrong, freedom, virtue, and sin? What if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/what-if-many-listeners-hold-a-profoundly-different-understanding-of/)

[Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/)

> [“the suspicion of science is not based in actual Christian belief. My congregation full of educators and scientists disproves that. But the bumper sticker…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-c-heath/the-suspicion-of-science-is-not-based-in-actual-christian-belief-my/)

[Emily C. Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-c-heath/)

> [“In this pre-Lukan tradition, Jesus was made the Son of God at the resurrection. This is a view Luke inherited from his tradition, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-d-ehrman/in-this-pre-lukan-tradition-jesus-was-made-the-son-of-god-at-the/)

[Bart D. Ehrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-d-ehrman/)

> [“The Holy Scriptures are story-shaped. Reality is story-shaped. The world is story-shaped. Our lives are story-shaped. 'I had always,' wrote G.K. Chesterton in accounting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/the-holy-scriptures-are-story-shaped-reality-is-story-shaped-the/)

[Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/)

> [I'm trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/i-m-trying-to-undermine-the-basis-of-christian-belief/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [The central Christian belief is that Christ's death has somehow put us right with God and given us a fresh start. Theories as to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/the-central-christian-belief-is-that-christ-s-death-has-somehow-put-2/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [When one gives up Christian belief one thereby deprives oneself of the right to Christian morality. For the latter is absolutely not self-evident: one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/when-one-gives-up-christian-belief-one-thereby-deprives-oneself-of/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“This is one of the hard-and-fast ironies of the Christian tradition: views that at one time were the majority opinion, or at least that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-d-ehrman/this-is-one-of-the-hard-and-fast-ironies-of-the-christian-tradition/)

[bart D. Ehrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-d-ehrman/)

> [“As a part of the holy trinity, Jesus was regarded as divine, and in predominant Christian belief this divinity was not compatible with human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-stearns/as-a-part-of-the-holy-trinity-jesus-was-regarded-as-divine-and-in/)

[Peter Stearns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-stearns/)

> [The central Christian belief is that Christ's death has somehow put us right with God and given us a fresh start.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/the-central-christian-belief-is-that-christ-s-death-has-somehow-put/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [To understand at all what life means, one must begin with Christian belief. And I think knowledge may be sorrow with a man unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mountford/to-understand-at-all-what-life-means-one-must-begin-with-christian/)

[William Mountford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mountford/)

> [The love which moves the world, according to common Christian belief, is God's love and the love of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-adler/the-love-which-moves-the-world-according-to-common-christian-belief/)

[Mortimer Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-adler/)

> [“The only way to doubt Christianity rightly and fairly is to discern the alternate belief under each of your doubts and then to ask…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-j-keller/the-only-way-to-doubt-christianity-rightly-and-fairly-is-to-discern/)

[Timothy J. Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-j-keller/)

> [Part of Christian belief is to find out what's true about Jesus and let that challenge our culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright-2/part-of-christian-belief-is-to-find-out-what-s-true-about-jesus-and/)

[N. T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright-2/)

> [Historically the belief in heaven and the belief in utopia are like compensatory buckets in a well: when one goes down the other comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/historically-the-belief-in-heaven-and-the-belief-in-utopia-are-like/)

[Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/)

## More by John Gray

> [“The success of a relationship is solely dependent on two factors: a man's ability to listen lovingly and respectfully to a woman's feelings, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/the-success-of-a-relationship-is-solely-dependent-on-two-factors-a/)

[John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/)

> [“Men and women arguing in this way hurt not only their feelings but also their relationship. Just as communication is the most important element…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/men-and-women-arguing-in-this-way-hurt-not-only-their-feelings-but/)

[John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/)

> [Just as a man is fulfilled through working out the intricate details of solving a problem, a woman is fulfilled through talking about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/just-as-a-man-is-fulfilled-through-working-out-the-intricate-details/)

[John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/)

> [“The calls of birds and the traces left by wolves to mark off their territories are no less forms of language than the sings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/the-calls-of-birds-and-the-traces-left-by-wolves-to-mark-off-their/)

[John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/)

> [“The good life is not found in dreams of progress,but in coping with tragic contingencies.We have been reared on religions and philosophies that deny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/the-good-life-is-not-found-in-dreams-of-progress-but-in-coping-with/)

[John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/)

> [To offer a man unsolicited advice is to presume that he doesn't know what to do or that he can't do it on his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/to-offer-a-man-unsolicited-advice-is-to-presume-that-he-doesn-t-know/)

[John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/)

> [We mistakenly assume that if our partners love us they will react and behave in certain ways - the ways we react and behave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/we-mistakenly-assume-that-if-our-partners-love-us-they-will-react-and/)

[John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/)

> [“We think our actions express our decisions. But in nearly all of our life, willing decides nothing. We cannot wake up or fall asleep,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/we-think-our-actions-express-our-decisions-but-in-nearly-all-of-our/)

[John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/)

> [“Life was indeed cruel; but it was better to glorify the Will than deny it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/life-was-indeed-cruel-but-it-was-better-to-glorify-the-will-than-deny/)

[John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/)

> [That love motivates you to cooperate, respect, appreciate, cherish, and admire that person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/that-love-motivates-you-to-cooperate-respect-appreciate-cherish-and/)

[John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/)

> [“Although feelings of attraction are automatic, in order to sustain attraction in a personal relationship we must also be skillful in presenting ourselves in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/although-feelings-of-attraction-are-automatic-in-order-to-sustain/)

[John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/)

> [When men and women are able to respect and accept their differences then love has a chance to blossom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/when-men-and-women-are-able-to-respect-and-accept-their-differences/)

[John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/)

> [“If there is anything unique about the human animal, it is that it has the ability to grow knowledge at an accelerating rate while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/if-there-is-anything-unique-about-the-human-animal-it-is-that-it-has/)

[John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/)

> [To love someone is to acknowledge the goodness of who they are. Through loving a person we awaken their awareness of their own innate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/to-love-someone-is-to-acknowledge-the-goodness-of-who-they-are/)

[John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/)

> [“Today we have made a fetish of choice; but a chosen death is forbidden. Perhaps what distinguishes humans from other animals is that humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/today-we-have-made-a-fetish-of-choice-but-a-chosen-death-is-forbidden/)

[John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/)

[Explore all 104 John Gray quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/)

## More Christian faith quotes

> [All of my children are ideologically and politically in sync with me, they all have authentic Christian faith. It's something I'm very grateful for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-huckabee/all-of-my-children-are-ideologically-and-politically-in-sync-with-me/)

[Mike Huckabee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-huckabee/)

> [What until recently seemed to be only the apocalyptic fantasies of the Christian faith has today entered the sphere of the soberest scientific calculations;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-brunner/what-until-recently-seemed-to-be-only-the-apocalyptic-fantasies-of/)

[Emil Brunner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-brunner/)

> [It's essential that we learn how to defend the Bible and the Christian faith for our sake and our children's. If we don't, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-ham/it-s-essential-that-we-learn-how-to-defend-the-bible-and-the/)

[Ken Ham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-ham/)

> [It's time for us to rise up, get out of the rut and routine, and begin to take our Christian faith seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/it-s-time-for-us-to-rise-up-get-out-of-the-rut-and-routine-and-begin/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [Our Christian faith is actually very subversive of the conventional notion of success - the notion that what invests a person with worth is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/our-christian-faith-is-actually-very-subversive-of-the-conventional/)

[Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/)

> [The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the crowning proof of Christianity. If the resurrection did not take place, then Christianity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-m-morris/the-bodily-resurrection-of-jesus-christ-from-the-dead-is-the-crowning/)

[Henry M. Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-m-morris/)

> [And your Highnesses, as Catholic Christians and Princes, devoted to the holy Christian faith and the propagation thereof - and enemies of the sect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-columbus/and-your-highnesses-as-catholic-christians-and-princes-devoted-to-the/)

[Christopher Columbus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-columbus/)

> [All the stories of the Bible that I know came to me first from my grandfather's lips... He would see stories in everything. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/all-the-stories-of-the-bible-that-i-know-came-to-me-first-from-my/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [My Christian faith is my backbone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bear-grylls/my-christian-faith-is-my-backbone/)

[Bear Grylls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bear-grylls/)

> [All Gaza's temples are torn down and burned and the city is cleansed of every belief but the Christian faith. The most stubborn opponents,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramsay-macmullen/all-gaza-s-temples-are-torn-down-and-burned-and-the-city-is-cleansed/)

[Ramsay MacMullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramsay-macmullen/)

> [“I find it strangely comforting that walking the path of Christian faith means being confronted moment by moment with what is counterintuitive and ultimately…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-enns/i-find-it-strangely-comforting-that-walking-the-path-of-christian/)

[Peter Enns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-enns/)

> [“Once we understand that the activity in the spirit realm is more real than what we experience in this world, wonders like this will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-duval/once-we-understand-that-the-activity-in-the-spirit-realm-is-more-real/)

[Daniel Duval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-duval/)

> [“LEAD PEOPLE TO COMMITMENT We have seen that nonbelievers in worship actually “close with Christ” in two basic ways: some may come to Christ…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/lead-people-to-commitment-we-have-seen-that-nonbelievers-in-worship/)

[Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/)

> [I was born into a Christian household, in a parsonage in fact, so I grew up in sort of a missionary atmosphere but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/i-was-born-into-a-christian-household-in-a-parsonage-in-fact-so-i/)

[Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/)

> [Our society is illuminated by the spiritual insights of the Hebrew prophets. America and Israel have a common love of human freedom and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/our-society-is-illuminated-by-the-spiritual-insights-of-the-hebrew/)

[Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/)

[Browse all 422 Christian faith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian-faith/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Humanism is not science, but religion - the post-Christian faith that humans can make a world better than any in which they have so far lived. In pre-Christian Europe is was taken for granted that the future would be like the past. Knowledge and invention might advance, but ethics would remain much the same. History was a series of cycles, with no overall meaning. Against this pagan view, Christians understood history as a story of sin and redemption. Humanism is the transformation of this Christian doctrine of salvation into a project of universal human emancipation. The idea of progress is a secular version of the Christian belief in providence. That is why among the ancient pagans it was unknown.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Gray"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/humanism-is-not-science-but-religion-the-post-christian-faith-that/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Christian faith"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/humanism-is-not-science-but-religion-the-post-christian-faith-that/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/947/john-gray-4628_christian-faith_humanism-is-not-science-but-religion-the_839784.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/947/john-gray-4628_christian-faith_humanism-is-not-science-but-religion-the_839784.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/947/john-gray-4628_christian-faith_humanism-is-not-science-but-religion-the_839784.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Humanism is not science, but religion - the post-Christian faith that humans can make a world better than…” — John Gray",
                "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": "John Gray",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Humanism is not science, but religion...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/humanism-is-not-science-but-religion-the-post-christian-faith-that/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/humanism-is-not-science-but-religion-the-post-christian-faith-that/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
