--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Religious belief, like history itself, is…" description: "\"Religious belief, like history itself, is a story that is always unfolding, always subject to inquiry and ripe for questioning. For without doubt there..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03f/jon-meacham-2863_belief_religious-belief-like-history-itself-is_3218717.png" --- # Religious belief, like history itself, is a story that is… ![“Religious belief, like history itself, is a story that is always unfolding, always subject to inquiry and ripe for questioning. For without doubt there is no faith.” quote by Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03f/jon-meacham-2863_belief_religious-belief-like-history-itself-is_3218717.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03f/jon-meacham-2863_belief_religious-belief-like-history-itself-is_3218717.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03f/jon-meacham-2863_belief_religious-belief-like-history-itself-is_3218717.png) > “Religious belief, like history itself, is a story that is always unfolding, always subject to inquiry and ripe for questioning. For without doubt there is no faith.” [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Faith and history are evolving narratives that invite continual questioning and doubt. **In simple terms:** Faith and history are always changing stories. Key Takeaway Embrace inquiry and doubt in belief systems. Themes faith history inquiry Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - religious communities - educators - students Key Concepts epistemology belief systems critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - How does questioning strengthen belief? - When is doubt harmful? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on doubt can erode confidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Belief Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief-like-1543686/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Doubt Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt-faith/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Inquiry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inquiry/) [Questioning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/questioning/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) [Religious belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-belief/) [Ripe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ripe/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) [Subjects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjects/) [Unfolding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unfolding/) ## Related quotes > [The power of the American system of republicanism lies in its capacity to allow religious belief to be a competing, not a controlling, factor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/the-power-of-the-american-system-of-republicanism-lies-in-its/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [Atheism is a belief system”, is like saying “not going skiing, is a hobby.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/atheism-is-a-belief-system-is-like-saying-not-going-skiing-is-a-hobby/) [Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/) > [Belief, like love, must be voluntary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/belief-like-love-must-be-voluntary/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [The only way to store information is by agreement. The belief system is like a Book of Law that rules our mind. Our biggest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-angel-ruiz/the-only-way-to-store-information-is-by-agreement-the-belief-system/) [Miguel Angel Ruiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-angel-ruiz/) > [“A limiting belief is practically invisible to us – it hides in habit and custom and mores. It is the way we live. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-armstrong/a-limiting-belief-is-practically-invisible-to-us-it-hides-in-habit/) [Linda Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-armstrong/) > [Belief is like plastic flowers, which look like flowers from far away. Trust is real rose. It has roots, and roots go deep into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/belief-is-like-plastic-flowers-which-look-like-flowers-from-far-away/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Belief is a very peculiar thing: we tend to put more store in a belief we like than a fact we hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-tobolowsky/belief-is-a-very-peculiar-thing-we-tend-to-put-more-store-in-a-belief/) [Stephen Tobolowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-tobolowsky/) > [I think belief is like having the first Microsoft Windows - it's so rudimentary, in the human brainwork, it's so obviously a sham.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-everett/i-think-belief-is-like-having-the-first-microsoft-windows-it-s-so/) [Rupert Everett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-everett/) > [“Belief, like fear or love, is a force to be understood as we understand the theory of relativity and principals of uncertainty. Phenomena that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/belief-like-fear-or-love-is-a-force-to-be-understood-as-we-understand/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [An old belief is like an old shoe. We so value its comfort that we fail to notice the hole in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/an-old-belief-is-like-an-old-shoe-we-so-value-its-comfort-that-we/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [Saying atheism is a belief system is like saying not going skiing is a hobby.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/saying-atheism-is-a-belief-system-is-like-saying-not-going-skiing-is/) [Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/) > [A belief is like a guillotine, just as heavy, just as light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-belief-is-like-a-guillotine-just-as-heavy-just-as-light/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I have a very strong belief in what I like, or a very strong opinion in genre films that I like to watch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-stahelski/i-have-a-very-strong-belief-in-what-i-like-or-a-very-strong-opinion/) [Chad Stahelski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-stahelski/) > [The right belief is like a good cloak, I think. If it fits you well, it keeps you warm and safe. The wrong fit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/the-right-belief-is-like-a-good-cloak-i-think-if-it-fits-you-well-it/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“Belief is like that, a circle, and often I find that the seemingly simplistic explanations from childhood for the unexplainable have merit, maybe more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-a-washburn/belief-is-like-that-a-circle-and-often-i-find-that-the-seemingly/) [Frances A. Washburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-a-washburn/) ## More by Jon Meacham > [Scripture is not inerrant; believers are called to interpret biblical texts in light of tradition and reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/scripture-is-not-inerrant-believers-are-called-to-interpret-biblical/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [As a southerner born after the epic events of the civil rights movement, I've always wondered how on earth people of good will could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/as-a-southerner-born-after-the-epic-events-of-the-civil-rights/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [We are now living in a post-Roosevelt, post-Reagan universe. What comes next will not be post-partisan, because faction is an intrinsic human impulse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/we-are-now-living-in-a-post-roosevelt-post-reagan-universe-what-comes/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [“his other hand. Sensitive to his guest’s affliction, Churchill realized that “every step” was”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/his-other-hand-sensitive-to-his-guest-s-affliction-churchill-realized/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [Too many activists have convinced themselves that they have a monopoly on truth. A little humility and a sense of history could move us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/too-many-activists-have-convinced-themselves-that-they-have-a/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [In the fullness of time, I suspect that bigotry against homosexuals will seem as repugnant as racial prejudice does today. Or so one hopes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/in-the-fullness-of-time-i-suspect-that-bigotry-against-homosexuals/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [Mysteries and thrillers are not the same things, though they are literary siblings. Roughly put, I would say the distinction is that mysteries emphasize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/mysteries-and-thrillers-are-not-the-same-things-though-they-are/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [“When Lincoln was running for the House of Representatives from Illinois, he was charged with being “a scoffer at religion,” wrote the historian William…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/when-lincoln-was-running-for-the-house-of-representatives-from/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [“The Man who has not Music in his Soul, Or is not touch’d with Concord of sweet Sounds, Is fit for Treason, Stratagems, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/the-man-who-has-not-music-in-his-soul-or-is-not-touch-d-with-concord/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [I am an Episcopalian who takes the faith of my fathers seriously, and I would, I think, be disheartened if my own young children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/i-am-an-episcopalian-who-takes-the-faith-of-my-fathers-seriously-and/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [Only the most unapologetic biblical fundamentalists, for instance, take every biblical injunction literally. If we all took all scripture at the same level of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/only-the-most-unapologetic-biblical-fundamentalists-for-instance-take/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [“There was, of course, a more immediate point to frequent gatherings of lawmakers, diplomats, and cabinet officers at the president’s table. It tends to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/there-was-of-course-a-more-immediate-point-to-frequent-gatherings-of/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [“For Jefferson, William and Mary was largely about what university life is supposed to be about: reading books, enjoying the company of like-minded, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/for-jefferson-william-and-mary-was-largely-about-what-university-life/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [One wonders whether the Obama re-election campaign may be on the right track as it seeks to apply the you-break-it-you-own-it rule to Bush and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/one-wonders-whether-the-obama-re-election-campaign-may-be-on-the/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [Reagan is the Republican FDR, an exemplar of presidential greatness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/reagan-is-the-republican-fdr-an-exemplar-of-presidential-greatness/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) [Explore all 146 Jon Meacham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) ## More Belief quotes > [“Cine a ucis stelele? Cine a surpat drumul spre viitor al celor din morminte?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ionel-teodoreanu/cine-a-ucis-stelele-cine-a-surpat-drumul-spre-viitor-al-celor-din/) [Ionel Teodoreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ionel-teodoreanu/) > [“MIND & GRIND Self-belief and hard work can propel you past more talented peers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamil-ali/mind-grind-self-belief-and-hard-work-can-propel-you-past-more/) [Kamil Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamil-ali/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [It took me 20 years of hard training to get the physique I have today. what you need is what i had - BELIEF…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/branch-warren/it-took-me-20-years-of-hard-training-to-get-the-physique-i-have-today/) [Branch Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/branch-warren/) > [“Here is a fundamental difference between the man of faith and the man of unbelief. The unbeliever is 'of the world', judges everything by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-w-pink/here-is-a-fundamental-difference-between-the-man-of-faith-and-the-man/) [Arthur W. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-w-pink/) > [“She herself vacillated when it came to belief. She did not particularly believe in God. Or, rather, she didn't believe in a particular God.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/she-herself-vacillated-when-it-came-to-belief-she-did-not/) [Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [“Rigid traditions capture souls prisons of spiritual thought man’s religion has captured a god grown too small and very weak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle/rigid-traditions-capture-souls-prisons-of-spiritual-thought-man-s/) [David W Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle/) > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [In business, as in politics, it is never easy to go against the beliefs and attitudes held by the majority. The businessman who moves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-paul-getty/in-business-as-in-politics-it-is-never-easy-to-go-against-the-beliefs/) [J. Paul Getty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-paul-getty/) > [There's no greatest moment in the arts. It's a life; it's a continuity thing. You can't have a great moment because it's spiritual. 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