---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: On the religious Right and religious…"
description: "\"On the religious Right and religious people in general have the feeling that the world is not just material, the world is not just there for us to do w..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/jonathan-haidt-1823_bodies_on-the-religious-right-and-religious-peo_1620943.jpg"
---

#  On the religious Right and religious people in general…

![“On the religious Right and religious people in general have the feeling that the world is not just material, the world is not just there for us to do what we want with. That our bodies, things have an immaterial essence, a spiritual essence that God is in all of us.” quote by Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/jonathan-haidt-1823_bodies_on-the-religious-right-and-religious-peo_1620943.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/jonathan-haidt-1823_bodies_on-the-religious-right-and-religious-peo_1620943.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/jonathan-haidt-1823_bodies_on-the-religious-right-and-religious-peo_1620943.jpg)

> “On the religious Right and religious people in general have the feeling that the world is not just material, the world is not just there for us to do what we want with. That our bodies, things have an immaterial essence, a spiritual essence that God is in all of us.”

[Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/)

## About This Quote

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

People often view reality as having a non‑material, spiritual dimension that gives meaning beyond physical existence.

**In simple terms:** Many believe life has a spiritual side beyond the physical.

Key Takeaway

Recognize both material and spiritual perspectives.

Themes

spirituality materialism meaning human nature

Mood

contemplative thoughtful

Type

philosophical reflective

When to use this quote

- religious practice
- ethical debates
- personal reflection
- counseling

Key Concepts

dualism transcendence anthropology

Questions to Reflect On

- How does spiritual belief shape your values?
- Can material and spiritual views coexist peacefully?

A Different Perspective

Spiritual beliefs can conflict with empirical evidence.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bodies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bodies/) [Essence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essence/) [Feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling/) [Feeling World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-world-272066/) [General](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/general/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just/) [Material](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/material/) [Our](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) [Religious people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-people/) [Religious right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-right/) [Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/) [Spiritual Essence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual-essence-272065/) [Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things/) [Us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/us/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [It is the profoundest of cosmic ironies. The divine power, our true spiritual essence, does not achieve perfection until it hits the 'rock' bottom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lon-milo-duquette/it-is-the-profoundest-of-cosmic-ironies-the-divine-power-our-true/)

[Lon Milo DuQuette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lon-milo-duquette/)

> [“When I occasionally quote the words of Jesus or the Buddha, from A Course in Miracles or from other teachings, I do so not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/when-i-occasionally-quote-the-words-of-jesus-or-the-buddha-from-a/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [Everything that we do has a spiritual essence. There is a spiritual dimension in everything. All of life has meaning and everything that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamza-yusuf/everything-that-we-do-has-a-spiritual-essence-there-is-a-spiritual/)

[Hamza Yusuf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamza-yusuf/)

> [The first spiritual law of success is the Law of Pure Potentiality. This law is based on the fact that we are, in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/the-first-spiritual-law-of-success-is-the-law-of-pure-potentiality/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [“To see and appreciate the soul of others with whom you are in a relationship is a higher state of awareness. To see only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-l-weiss/to-see-and-appreciate-the-soul-of-others-with-whom-you-are-in-a/)

[Brian L. Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-l-weiss/)

> [“And when we identify with a role, we disconnect from our most authentic self: our spiritual essence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-s-rosenthal/and-when-we-identify-with-a-role-we-disconnect-from-our-most/)

[Robert S. Rosenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-s-rosenthal/)

> [At its core, meditation is about touching the spiritual essence that exists within us all. Our spiritual essence is not something that we create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-hoopes/at-its-core-meditation-is-about-touching-the-spiritual-essence-that/)

[Aaron Hoopes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-hoopes/)

> [“Poetry is the spiritual essence of life; and therefore not a low-calorie diet for the brain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-kristian-goldmund-aumann/poetry-is-the-spiritual-essence-of-life-and-therefore-not-a-low/)

[sir kristian goldmund aumann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sir-kristian-goldmund-aumann/)

> [Ironically, it is when we identify with our spirits rather than our bodies that we are most powerful on the material plane. Our overidentification…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/ironically-it-is-when-we-identify-with-our-spirits-rather-than-our/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [I think there's a karmic purpose that souls make before they decide to come into people's bodies and become someone's parent, or become someone's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bat-for-lashes/i-think-there-s-a-karmic-purpose-that-souls-make-before-they-decide/)

[Bat for Lashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bat-for-lashes/)

> [“The political dominance of the Religious Right over the past three decades in America has had a profoundly negative effect on how Americans think about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-himes/the-political-dominance-of-the-religious-right-over-the-past-three/)

[Andrew Himes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-himes/)

> [The theory that religion is a force for peace, often heard among the religious right and its allies today, does not fit the facts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-theory-that-religion-is-a-force-for-peace-often-heard-among-the/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [In Lincoln's day a President's religion was a very private affair. There were no public prayer meetings, no attempts to woo the Religious Right.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/in-lincoln-s-day-a-president-s-religion-was-a-very-private-affair/)

[David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/)

> [Rights mean you have a right to your life. You have a right to your liberty, and you should have a right to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/rights-mean-you-have-a-right-to-your-life-you-have-a-right-to-your/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [“Consider these questions: Did Jesus ever suggest by word of example that we should aspire to acquire, let alone take over, the power of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-a-boyd/consider-these-questions-did-jesus-ever-suggest-by-word-of-example/)

[Gregory A. Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-a-boyd/)

## More by Jonathan Haidt

> [Love and work are to people what water and sunshine are to plants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/love-and-work-are-to-people-what-water-and-sunshine-are-to-plants/)

[Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/)

> [You can see the rider serving the elephant when people are morally dumbfounded. They have strong gut feelings about what is right and wrong,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/you-can-see-the-rider-serving-the-elephant-when-people-are-morally/)

[Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/)

> [Congress is full of good, decent, smart people who have devoted their lives to public service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/congress-is-full-of-good-decent-smart-people-who-have-devoted-their/)

[Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/)

> [Once you understand the power of stimulus control, you can use it to your advantage by changing the stimuli in your environment and avoiding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/once-you-understand-the-power-of-stimulus-control-you-can-use-it-to/)

[Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/)

> [“The ethic of autonomy is based on the idea that people are, first and foremost, autonomous individuals with wants, needs, and preferences. People should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/the-ethic-of-autonomy-is-based-on-the-idea-that-people-are-first-and/)

[Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/)

> [I got interested in the American culture war back in 2004, and it's one of the only growth stocks I've ever invested in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/i-got-interested-in-the-american-culture-war-back-in-2004-and-it-s/)

[Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/)

> [I think of myself as a social scientist. In order to get hired and to get promoted, we're forced to declare a disciplinary and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/i-think-of-myself-as-a-social-scientist-in-order-to-get-hired-and-to/)

[Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/)

> [“We should not expect individuals to produce good, open-minded, truth-seeking reasoning, particularly when self-interest or reputational concerns are in play. But if you put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/we-should-not-expect-individuals-to-produce-good-open-minded-truth/)

[Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/)

> [The most powerful force ever known on this planet is human cooperation - a force for construction and destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/the-most-powerful-force-ever-known-on-this-planet-is-human/)

[Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/)

> [It only takes twenty generations of selective breeding to create large differences or appearance and behavior in other mammals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/it-only-takes-twenty-generations-of-selective-breeding-to-create/)

[Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/)

> [If you think half of America votes badly because they are stupid or religious, you are trapped in a matrix ... Take the red…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/if-you-think-half-of-america-votes-badly-because-they-are-stupid-or/)

[Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/)

> [“Our minds have the potential to become righteous about many different concerns, and only a few of these concerns are activated during childhood. Other”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/our-minds-have-the-potential-to-become-righteous-about-many-different/)

[Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/)

> [People who devote their lives to studying something often come to believe that the object of their fascination is the key to understanding everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/people-who-devote-their-lives-to-studying-something-often-come-to/)

[Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/)

> [“Nonetheless, if you are trying to change an organization or a society and you do not consider the effects of your changes on moral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/nonetheless-if-you-are-trying-to-change-an-organization-or-a-society/)

[Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/)

> [If you have a personality predisposed to liberalism, you might gravitate more to the artsy crowd or the anti-establishment crowd. And then those peers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/if-you-have-a-personality-predisposed-to-liberalism-you-might/)

[Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/)

[Explore all 204 Jonathan Haidt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/)

## More Bodies quotes

> [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [Seriously, why don't straight men have bodies like this?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-hobbes/seriously-why-don-t-straight-men-have-bodies-like-this/)

[Miranda Hobbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-hobbes/)

> [Close contact between science and the practice of collective farms and State farms creates inexhaustible opportunities for the development of theoretical knowledge, enabling us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trofim-lysenko/close-contact-between-science-and-the-practice-of-collective-farms/)

[Trofim Lysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trofim-lysenko/)

> [I personally don't have a problem with naked bodies on television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-anne-down/i-personally-don-t-have-a-problem-with-naked-bodies-on-television/)

[Lesley-Anne Down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-anne-down/)

> [The eye— it cannot choose but see; we cannot bid the ear be still; our bodies feel, where'er they be, against or with our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/the-eye-it-cannot-choose-but-see-we-cannot-bid-the-ear-be-still-our/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [“Time erodes us all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-rosoff/time-erodes-us-all/)

[Meg Rosoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-rosoff/)

> [“Discrimination is not just racial now. It’s also about the kind of body parts you have.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yudhanjaya-wijeratne/discrimination-is-not-just-racial-now-it-s-also-about-the-kind-of/)

[Yudhanjaya Wijeratne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yudhanjaya-wijeratne/)

> [I would be a traitor to these poor burned bodies if I came here to talk good fellowship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-schneiderman/i-would-be-a-traitor-to-these-poor-burned-bodies-if-i-came-here-to/)

[Rose Schneiderman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-schneiderman/)

> [“When bodies talk, a hand brushing across a face declares love the tongue never speaks. When bodies talk, eyes make promises and lips keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-payton/when-bodies-talk-a-hand-brushing-across-a-face-declares-love-the/)

[Stella Payton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-payton/)

> [“Dead bodies. Dead bodies. Lots of them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-field/dead-bodies-dead-bodies-lots-of-them/)

[Elle Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elle-field/)

> [“One will in two minds, one heart in two bodies, and two bodies in one flesh.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pettie/one-will-in-two-minds-one-heart-in-two-bodies-and-two-bodies-in-one/)

[George Pettie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pettie/)

> [Angels do not have bodies in the traditional sense, but they have etheric forms that we can feel. Most of us are feeling the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doreen-virtue/angels-do-not-have-bodies-in-the-traditional-sense-but-they-have/)

[Doreen Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doreen-virtue/)

> [Either there are no corporeal substances, and bodies are merely phenomena which are true or consistent with each other, such as a rainbow or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gottfried-leibniz/either-there-are-no-corporeal-substances-and-bodies-are-merely/)

[Gottfried Leibniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gottfried-leibniz/)

> [“these hips are big hips. they need space to move around in. they don't fit into little petty places.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-clifton/these-hips-are-big-hips-they-need-space-to-move-around-in-they-don-t/)

[Lucille Clifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-clifton/)

> [Our bodies are molded rivers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/our-bodies-are-molded-rivers/)

[Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

[Browse all 496 Bodies quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bodies/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "On the religious Right and religious people in general have the feeling that the world is not just material, the world is not just there for us to do what we want with. That our bodies, things have an immaterial essence, a spiritual essence that God is in all of us.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jonathan Haidt"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/on-the-religious-right-and-religious-people-in-general-have-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bodies"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/on-the-religious-right-and-religious-people-in-general-have-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/jonathan-haidt-1823_bodies_on-the-religious-right-and-religious-peo_1620943.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/jonathan-haidt-1823_bodies_on-the-religious-right-and-religious-peo_1620943.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/jonathan-haidt-1823_bodies_on-the-religious-right-and-religious-peo_1620943.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“On the religious Right and religious people in general have the feeling that the world is not just material…” — Jonathan Haidt",
                "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": "Jonathan Haidt",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "On the religious Right and religious...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/on-the-religious-right-and-religious-people-in-general-have-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/on-the-religious-right-and-religious-people-in-general-have-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
