--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nowadays nobody bothers, and it is…" description: "\"Nowadays nobody bothers, and it is considered in slightly bad taste to even raise the question of God's existence. Matters of religion are like matters..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bf/john-searle-17370_abstract_nowadays-nobody-bothers-and-it-is-consid_1149787.jpg" --- # Nowadays nobody bothers, and it is considered in slightly… ![“Nowadays nobody bothers, and it is considered in slightly bad taste to even raise the question of God's existence. Matters of religion are like matters of sexual preference: they are not discussed in public, and even the abstract questions are discussed only by bores.” quote by John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bf/john-searle-17370_abstract_nowadays-nobody-bothers-and-it-is-consid_1149787.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bf/john-searle-17370_abstract_nowadays-nobody-bothers-and-it-is-consid_1149787.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bf/john-searle-17370_abstract_nowadays-nobody-bothers-and-it-is-consid_1149787.jpg) > “Nowadays nobody bothers, and it is considered in slightly bad taste to even raise the question of God's existence. Matters of religion are like matters of sexual preference: they are not discussed in public, and even the abstract questions are discussed only by bores.” [John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/) ## 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 treated like private preference, avoided in public debate, limiting open discussion. **In simple terms:** Religion is seen as private, not public. Key Takeaway Encourage respectful public dialogue on belief. Themes religion public discourse privacy social norms Mood critical contemplative Type philosophical social When to use this quote - media commentary - academic panels - community forums - policy debates Key Concepts Secularism free speech cultural taboo Questions to Reflect On - Should belief be a public matter? - How to balance respect and openness? A Different Perspective Avoiding the topic can suppress important perspectives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abstract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Preference](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preference/) ## Related quotes > [“And some scientists and other intellectuals are convinced—too eagerly in my view—that the question of God's existence belongs in the forever inaccessible PAP category.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/and-some-scientists-and-other-intellectuals-are-convinced-too-eagerly/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [The most compelling evidence for God's existence is Christ. If God does not exist, then Christ was the biggest fool who ever lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/the-most-compelling-evidence-for-god-s-existence-is-christ-if-god/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [What can be accomplished by a few principles is not effected by many. But it seems that everything we see in the world can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/what-can-be-accomplished-by-a-few-principles-is-not-effected-by-many/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [Even if it were true that we need God to be moral, it would of course not make God's existence more likely, merely more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/even-if-it-were-true-that-we-need-god-to-be-moral-it-would-of-course/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [It is not the objective proof of God's existence that we want but the experience of God's presence. That is the miracle we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/it-is-not-the-objective-proof-of-god-s-existence-that-we-want-but-the/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [Why do we need to justify God's existence? He exists. We need to justify our own existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamza-yusuf/why-do-we-need-to-justify-god-s-existence-he-exists-we-need-to/) [Hamza Yusuf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamza-yusuf/) > [In the absence of any other proof, the thumb alone would convince me of God's existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-newton/in-the-absence-of-any-other-proof-the-thumb-alone-would-convince-me/) [Isaac Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-newton/) > [“You are an argument for God's existence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvain-reynard/you-are-an-argument-for-god-s-existence/) [Sylvain Reynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvain-reynard/) > [“It is not objective proof of God's existence that we want but, whether we use religious language for it or not, the experience of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/it-is-not-objective-proof-of-god-s-existence-that-we-want-but-whether/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [Science's tools will never prove or disprove God's existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/science-s-tools-will-never-prove-or-disprove-god-s-existence/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [ Believers who have formulated such proofs \[for God's existence\] ... would never have come to believe as a result of such proofs ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/believers-who-have-formulated-such-proofs-for-god-s-existence-would/) [Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/) > [From my perspective, God cannot be completely contained within nature, and therefore God's existence is outside of science's ability to really weigh in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/from-my-perspective-god-cannot-be-completely-contained-within-nature/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [God's existence cannot be deduced by reason alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-of-ockham/god-s-existence-cannot-be-deduced-by-reason-alone/) [William of Ockham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-of-ockham/) > [Good and happy people who believe in God are the greatest living arguments for God's existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/good-and-happy-people-who-believe-in-god-are-the-greatest-living/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [“Adam and Eve had first-hand empirical evidence of God’s existence. He walked in the Garden with them. Their problem was that God told them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-a/adam-and-eve-had-first-hand-empirical-evidence-of-god-s-existence-he/) [Ray A](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-a/) ## More by John Searle > [The problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/the-problem-posed-by-indirect-speech-acts-is-the-problem-of-how-it-is/) [John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/) > [Where consciousness is concerned, the appearance is the reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/where-consciousness-is-concerned-the-appearance-is-the-reality/) [John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/) > [In many cases it is a matter for decision and not a simple matter of fact whether x understands y; and so on](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/in-many-cases-it-is-a-matter-for-decision-and-not-a-simple-matter-of/) [John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/) > [We often attribute 'understanding' and other cognitive predicates by metaphor and analogy to cars, adding machines, and other artifacts, but nothing is proved by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/we-often-attribute-understanding-and-other-cognitive-predicates-by/) [John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/) > [I will argue that in the literal sense the programmed computer understands what the car and the adding machine understand, namely, exactly nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/i-will-argue-that-in-the-literal-sense-the-programmed-computer/) [John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/) > [We do not live in several different, or even two different, worlds, a mental world and a physical world, a scientific world and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/we-do-not-live-in-several-different-or-even-two-different-worlds-a/) [John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/) > [Whatever is referred to must exist. 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It's sort of an abstract silliness, that sometimes the joke isn't the star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/describing-comic-sensibility-is-near-impossible-it-s-sort-of-an/) [Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) > [For people of color - especially African Americans - the idea that racist cops might frame members of their community is no abstract notion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/for-people-of-color-especially-african-americans-the-idea-that-racist/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [The word of the Lord never comes to us as an opinion, no attempt is made to support it by argument, it comes as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-w-ivins/the-word-of-the-lord-never-comes-to-us-as-an-opinion-no-attempt-is/) Anthony W. Ivins > [A mobile is an abstract sculpture made chiefly out of sheet metal, steel rods, wire and wood. 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