---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How can the Church be received as a…"
description: "\"How can the Church be received as a trustworthy guide in the invisible, which falls into so many errors in the visible?\" — John William Draper"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81f/john-william-draper-27492_church_how-can-the-church-be-received-as-a-trus_842070.png"
---

#  How can the Church be received as a trustworthy guide in…

![“How can the Church be received as a trustworthy guide in the invisible, which falls into so many errors in the visible?” quote by John William Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81f/john-william-draper-27492_church_how-can-the-church-be-received-as-a-trus_842070.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81f/john-william-draper-27492_church_how-can-the-church-be-received-as-a-trus_842070.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81f/john-william-draper-27492_church_how-can-the-church-be-received-as-a-trus_842070.png)

> “How can the Church be received as a trustworthy guide in the invisible, which falls into so many errors in the visible?”

[John William Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-william-draper/)

## About This Quote

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

The Church must be trustworthy in unseen matters, but visible errors undermine that trust.

**In simple terms:** Church credibility suffers from visible mistakes.

Key Takeaway

Seek consistency between belief and practice.

Themes

faith trust knowledge

Mood

inquisitive skeptical

Type

philosophical theological

When to use this quote

- religious guidance
- education
- public policy
- personal belief

Key Concepts

epistemology institutional credibility error analysis

Questions to Reflect On

- How can institutions reconcile visible flaws?
- What role does faith play when evidence is lacking?

A Different Perspective

Human error is inevitable, challenging absolute trust.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Church Received](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church-received-652380/) [Errors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/errors/) [Errors Visible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/errors-visible-652379/) [Fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall/) [Guide Invisible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guide-invisible-652377/) [Guides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guides/) [Invisible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invisible/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Trustworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trustworthy/) [Trustworthy Guide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trustworthy-guide-652378/)

## Related quotes

> [Experience is always a trustworthy guide; it may not tell you everything, but it never lies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-sand/experience-is-always-a-trustworthy-guide-it-may-not-tell-you/)

[George Sand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-sand/)

> [Is it at all surprising that the number of those who hold the opinions of the Church in light esteem should so rapidly increase?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-william-draper/is-it-at-all-surprising-that-the-number-of-those-who-hold-the/)

[John William Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-william-draper/)

> [A trustworthy marriage has weathered temptation and anger and jealousy, resentment, self-righteousness and a little bit of selfishness. When you get over and get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-dee/a-trustworthy-marriage-has-weathered-temptation-and-anger-and/)

[Ruby Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-dee/)

> [“True respect and trust grow when we honor our words with consistent actions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayoub-imilouane/true-respect-and-trust-grow-when-we-honor-our-words-with-consistent/)

[Ayoub Imilouane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayoub-imilouane/)

> [A democracy survives when its citizens have access to trustworthy and impartial sources of information, when it can discern lies from truth. Take this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/a-democracy-survives-when-its-citizens-have-access-to-trustworthy-and/)

[Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/)

> [You can as easily love without trusting as you can hug without embracing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/you-can-as-easily-love-without-trusting-as-you-can-hug-without/)

[Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/)

> [“How can you trust me, after what your own brother did to you?" "Because he was false", said Damen, "and you are true. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-pacat/how-can-you-trust-me-after-what-your-own-brother-did-to-you-because/)

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

> [“A good enemy can be better than the best of friend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simona-panova/a-good-enemy-can-be-better-than-the-best-of-friend/)

[Simona Panova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simona-panova/)

> [“If you cannot trust people - trust numbers. Even if they look unbelievable - they never lie.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-vato/if-you-cannot-trust-people-trust-numbers-even-if-they-look/)

[Thomas Vato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-vato/)

> [Gary Speed was honourable, trustworthy and a joy to manage. He was honest, he was a role model and he was a great bloke.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-wilkinson/gary-speed-was-honourable-trustworthy-and-a-joy-to-manage-he-was/)

[Howard Wilkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-wilkinson/)

> [Despite what our modern society would have you believe, the Witch within you is not dangerous, but protective. She is not frivolous, but exceedingly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-cabot/despite-what-our-modern-society-would-have-you-believe-the-witch/)

[Laurie Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-cabot/)

> [Being trustworthy requires: Doing the right thing. And doing things right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-peppers/being-trustworthy-requires-doing-the-right-thing-and-doing-things/)

[Don Peppers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-peppers/)

> [Faith don't come in a bushel basket, Missy. It come one step at a time. Decide to trust Him for one little thing today,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-austin/faith-don-t-come-in-a-bushel-basket-missy-it-come-one-step-at-a-time/)

[Lynn Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-austin/)

> [“Strong trust is built brick by brick, through honesty, consistency, and showing up even when it’s hard to keep the promise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayoub-imilouane/strong-trust-is-built-brick-by-brick-through-honesty-consistency-and/)

[Ayoub Imilouane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayoub-imilouane/)

> [Is it a coincidence that stories from the private life became more popular just as the grand hope for public redemption through revolution was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-griffin/is-it-a-coincidence-that-stories-from-the-private-life-became-more/)

[Susan Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-griffin/)

## More by John William Draper

> [Science has never sought to ally herself with civil power. She has never subjected anyone to mental torment, physical torment, least of all death,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-william-draper/science-has-never-sought-to-ally-herself-with-civil-power-she-has/)

[John William Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-william-draper/)

> [Is it at all surprising that the number of those who hold the opinions of the Church in light esteem should so rapidly increase?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-william-draper/is-it-at-all-surprising-that-the-number-of-those-who-hold-the/)

[John William Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-william-draper/)

> [So great was the preference given to sacred over profane learning that Christianity had been in existence fifteen hundred years, and had not produced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-william-draper/so-great-was-the-preference-given-to-sacred-over-profane-learning/)

[John William Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-william-draper/)

> [A divine revelation must necessarily be intolerant of contradiction; it must repudiate all improvement in itself, and view with disdain that arising from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-william-draper/a-divine-revelation-must-necessarily-be-intolerant-of-contradiction/)

[John William Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-william-draper/)

> [I have to deplore the systematic manner in which the literature of Europe has continued to put out of sight our obligations to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-william-draper/i-have-to-deplore-the-systematic-manner-in-which-the-literature-of/)

[John William Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-william-draper/)

> [The scientific study of Nature tends not only to correct and ennoble the intellectual conceptions of man; it serves also to ameliorate his physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-william-draper/the-scientific-study-of-nature-tends-not-only-to-correct-and-ennoble/)

[John William Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-william-draper/)

> [Is it not true that for every person the course of life is along the line of least resistance, and that in this the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-william-draper/is-it-not-true-that-for-every-person-the-course-of-life-is-along-the/)

[John William Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-william-draper/)

> [Experimental investigation, to borrow a phrase employed by Kepler respecting the testing of hypotheses, is "a very great thief of time." Sometimes it costs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-william-draper/experimental-investigation-to-borrow-a-phrase-employed-by-kepler/)

[John William Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-william-draper/)

> [In England Giordano Bruno had given lectures on the plurality of worlds, and in that country had written, in Italian, his most important works.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-william-draper/in-england-giordano-bruno-had-given-lectures-on-the-plurality-of/)

[John William Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-william-draper/)

> [As to Science, she has never sought to ally herself to civil power. She has never attempted to throw odium or inflict social ruin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-william-draper/as-to-science-she-has-never-sought-to-ally-herself-to-civil-power-she/)

[John William Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-william-draper/)

> [How is it that the Church produced no geometer in her autocratic reign of twelve hundred years?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-william-draper/how-is-it-that-the-church-produced-no-geometer-in-her-autocratic/)

[John William Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-william-draper/)

> [Over events, we may have some control, but over the law of life's progress none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-william-draper/over-events-we-may-have-some-control-but-over-the-law-of-life-s/)

[John William Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-william-draper/)

> [Four years after the death of Justinian, A.D. 569, was born at Mecca, in Arabia the man who, of all men exercised the greatest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-william-draper/four-years-after-the-death-of-justinian-a-d-569-was-born-at-mecca-in/)

[John William Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-william-draper/)

> [In early life I had felt a strong desire to devote myself to the experimental study of nature; and, happening to see a glass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-william-draper/in-early-life-i-had-felt-a-strong-desire-to-devote-myself-to-the/)

[John William Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-william-draper/)

> [The history of Science is not a mere record of isolated discoveries; it is a narrative of the conflict of two contending powers, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-william-draper/the-history-of-science-is-not-a-mere-record-of-isolated-discoveries/)

[John William Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-william-draper/)

[Explore all 20 John William Draper quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-william-draper/)

## More Church quotes

> [While the 1963 Birmingham church bombing is the most historic, there also was a series of church burnings in the 1990s. Recognition of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthea-butler/while-the-1963-birmingham-church-bombing-is-the-most-historic-there/)

[Anthea Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthea-butler/)

> [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/)

[Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/)

> [Turn over the pages of history and read the damning record of the church's opposition to every advance in every field of science. . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/upton-sinclair/turn-over-the-pages-of-history-and-read-the-damning-record-of-the/)

[Upton Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/upton-sinclair/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/)

[Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/)

> [God is not calling us to go to church; he is calling us to be his church, the hope of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-groeschel/god-is-not-calling-us-to-go-to-church-he-is-calling-us-to-be-his/)

[Craig Groeschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-groeschel/)

> [The emerging church movement has come to believe that the ultimate context of the spiritual aspirations of a follower of Jesus Christ is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samir-selmanovic/the-emerging-church-movement-has-come-to-believe-that-the-ultimate/)

[Samir Selmanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samir-selmanovic/)

> [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/)

[Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/)

> [There could be no more powerful argument against mixing religion and government than the success of independent African American churches in placing racial segregation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/there-could-be-no-more-powerful-argument-against-mixing-religion-and/)

[Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/)

> [Worship is not about personality, temperament, personal limitations, church background, or comfort. It is about God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wimber/worship-is-not-about-personality-temperament-personal-limitations/)

[John Wimber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wimber/)

> [A beggarly people, A church and no steeple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-b-macaulay/a-beggarly-people-a-church-and-no-steeple/)

[Thomas B. Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-b-macaulay/)

> [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pound-st-paul-s-church-into-atoms-and-consider-any-single-atom-it-is/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [The religion of art, like the religion of politics, was born from the ruins of Christianity. Art inherited from the old religion the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/the-religion-of-art-like-the-religion-of-politics-was-born-from-the/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [The minute you walk outside of your church on Sunday you're in mission territory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barron/the-minute-you-walk-outside-of-your-church-on-sunday-you-re-in/)

[Robert Barron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barron/)

> [I'm not ashamed of the things I believe and why I believe them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-huckabee/i-m-not-ashamed-of-the-things-i-believe-and-why-i-believe-them/)

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

[Browse all 9,430 Church quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "How can the Church be received as a trustworthy guide in the invisible, which falls into so many errors in the visible?",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John William Draper"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-william-draper/how-can-the-church-be-received-as-a-trustworthy-guide-in-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Church"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-william-draper/how-can-the-church-be-received-as-a-trustworthy-guide-in-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81f/john-william-draper-27492_church_how-can-the-church-be-received-as-a-trus_842070.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81f/john-william-draper-27492_church_how-can-the-church-be-received-as-a-trus_842070.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81f/john-william-draper-27492_church_how-can-the-church-be-received-as-a-trus_842070.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“How can the Church be received as a trustworthy guide in the invisible, which falls into so many errors in…” — John William Draper",
                "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 William Draper",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-william-draper/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "How can the Church be received...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-william-draper/how-can-the-church-be-received-as-a-trustworthy-guide-in-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-william-draper/how-can-the-church-be-received-as-a-trustworthy-guide-in-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
