---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Christianity was preached by ignorant men…"
description: "\"Christianity was preached by ignorant men and believed by servants, and that is why it resembles nothing ever known.\" — Joseph de Maistre"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/776/joseph-de-maistre-11359_art_christianity-was-preached-by-ignorant-me_3206122.jpg"
---

#  Christianity was preached by ignorant men and believed by…

![“Christianity was preached by ignorant men and believed by servants, and that is why it resembles nothing ever known.” quote by Joseph de Maistre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/776/joseph-de-maistre-11359_art_christianity-was-preached-by-ignorant-me_3206122.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/776/joseph-de-maistre-11359_art_christianity-was-preached-by-ignorant-me_3206122.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/776/joseph-de-maistre-11359_art_christianity-was-preached-by-ignorant-me_3206122.jpg)

> “Christianity was preached by ignorant men and believed by servants, and that is why it resembles nothing ever known.”

[Joseph de Maistre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-de-maistre/)

## About This Quote

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

He argues that religious teachings are propagated by uninformed leaders and accepted by passive followers, leading to a faith that lacks authentic grounding.

**In simple terms:** Religion is spread by ignorant leaders and accepted by obedient believers, making it seem baseless.

Key Takeaway

Question authority and seek personal understanding.

Themes

religion authority faith ignorance

Mood

skeptical critical

Type

philosophical controversial

When to use this quote

- education reform
- spiritual inquiry
- critical thinking

Key Concepts

philosophy theology historical critique

Questions to Reflect On

- What evidence supports or refutes this claim?
- How does personal experience shape belief?

A Different Perspective

The view may overlook sincere personal experiences of faith.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Believed Servants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believed-servants-5971447/) [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Christianity Preached](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity-preached-5971446/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Ignorant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorant/) [Ignorant Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorant-men-571311/) [Known](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/known/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Preached Ignorant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preached-ignorant-5971445/) [Servant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/servant/)

## Related quotes

> [Ignorant men differ from beasts only in their figure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cleanthes/ignorant-men-differ-from-beasts-only-in-their-figure/)

[Cleanthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cleanthes/)

> [Ignorant men do not know what good they hold in their hands until they've flung it away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/ignorant-men-do-not-know-what-good-they-hold-in-their-hands-until/)

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

> [I do not pretend to know where many ignorant men are sure - that is all that agnosticism means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-darrow/i-do-not-pretend-to-know-where-many-ignorant-men-are-sure-that-is-all/)

[Clarence Darrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-darrow/)

> [“These unwise utterances, however, were made, for the most part, by the overzealous and ignorant. Men who had no grasp of the real genius…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-h-roberts/these-unwise-utterances-however-were-made-for-the-most-part-by-the/)

[B. H. Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-h-roberts/)

> [“Masters are great but books are better. He who has a library has a thousand teachers. Your Prophet said, “Seek lore, even if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/masters-are-great-but-books-are-better-he-who-has-a-library-has-a/)

[Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/)

> [The more ignorant men are, the more convinced are they that their little parish and their little chapel is an apex to which civilization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-more-ignorant-men-are-the-more-convinced-are-they-that-their/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [The authors of the gospels were unlettered and ignorant men and the teachings of Jesus have come to us mutilated, misstated and unintelligible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-authors-of-the-gospels-were-unlettered-and-ignorant-men-and-the/)

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

> [I am an agnostic; I do not pretend to know what many ignorant men are sure of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-darrow/i-am-an-agnostic-i-do-not-pretend-to-know-what-many-ignorant-men-are/)

[Clarence Darrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-darrow/)

> [Machines can only find what ignorant men have programmed them to find.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/poul-anderson/machines-can-only-find-what-ignorant-men-have-programmed-them-to-find/)

[Poul Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/poul-anderson/)

> [Ignorant men raise questions that wise men answered a thousand years ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/ignorant-men-raise-questions-that-wise-men-answered-a-thousand-years/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [A good many causes tend to make good masters and mistresses quite as rare as good servants… The large and rapid fortunes by which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-kemble/a-good-many-causes-tend-to-make-good-masters-and-mistresses-quite-as/)

[Fanny Kemble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-kemble/)

> [Laws are not masters but servants, and he rules them who obey them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/laws-are-not-masters-but-servants-and-he-rules-them-who-obey-them/)

[Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/)

> [May God bless each of us in our calls to serve. May our faith strengthen as we serve in righteousness, faithfully keeping the commandments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-tom-perry/may-god-bless-each-of-us-in-our-calls-to-serve-may-our-faith/)

[L. Tom Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-tom-perry/)

> [In relations between the rich and the strong, between the rich and the poor, between the master and the servant, it's liberty that grinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-relations-between-the-rich-and-the-strong-between-the-rich-and-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Serve in the grace of strength within thy soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/serve-in-the-grace-of-strength-within-thy-soul/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

## More by Joseph de Maistre

> [War is thus divine in itself, since it is a law of the world. War is divine through its consequences of a supernatural nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-de-maistre/war-is-thus-divine-in-itself-since-it-is-a-law-of-the-world-war-is/)

[Joseph de Maistre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-de-maistre/)

> [Nothing is necessary except God, and nothing is less necessary than pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-de-maistre/nothing-is-necessary-except-god-and-nothing-is-less-necessary-than/)

[Joseph de Maistre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-de-maistre/)

> [It is not the mediocrity of women's education which makes their weakness; it is their weakness which necessarily causes their mediocrity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-de-maistre/it-is-not-the-mediocrity-of-women-s-education-which-makes-their/)

[Joseph de Maistre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-de-maistre/)

> [We are all bound to the throne of the Supreme Being by a flexible chain which restrains without enslaving us. The most wonderful aspect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-de-maistre/we-are-all-bound-to-the-throne-of-the-supreme-being-by-a-flexible/)

[Joseph de Maistre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-de-maistre/)

> [All pain is a punishment, and every punishment is inflicted for love as much as for justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-de-maistre/all-pain-is-a-punishment-and-every-punishment-is-inflicted-for-love/)

[Joseph de Maistre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-de-maistre/)

> [Without doubt God is the universal moving force, but each being is moved according to the nature that God has given it. He directs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-de-maistre/without-doubt-god-is-the-universal-moving-force-but-each-being-is/)

[Joseph de Maistre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-de-maistre/)

> [Man is insatiable for power; he is infantile in his desires and, always discontented with what he has, loves only what he has not.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-de-maistre/man-is-insatiable-for-power-he-is-infantile-in-his-desires-and-always/)

[Joseph de Maistre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-de-maistre/)

> [A child is an angel dependent on man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-de-maistre/a-child-is-an-angel-dependent-on-man/)

[Joseph de Maistre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-de-maistre/)

> [“Thus is worked out, from maggots up to man, the universal law of the violent destruction of living beings. The whole earth, continually steeped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-de-maistre/thus-is-worked-out-from-maggots-up-to-man-the-universal-law-of-the/)

[Joseph de Maistre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-de-maistre/)

> [If there was no moral evil upon earth, there would be no physical evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-de-maistre/if-there-was-no-moral-evil-upon-earth-there-would-be-no-physical-evil/)

[Joseph de Maistre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-de-maistre/)

> [Man is so muddled, so dependent on the things immediately before his eyes, that every day even the most submissive believer can be seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-de-maistre/man-is-so-muddled-so-dependent-on-the-things-immediately-before-his/)

[Joseph de Maistre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-de-maistre/)

> [The concept of number is the obvious distinction between the beast and man. Thanks to number, the cry becomes a song, noise acquires rhythm,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-de-maistre/the-concept-of-number-is-the-obvious-distinction-between-the-beast/)

[Joseph de Maistre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-de-maistre/)

> [Every time that a man who is not an absolute fool presents you with a question he considers very problematic after giving it careful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-de-maistre/every-time-that-a-man-who-is-not-an-absolute-fool-presents-you-with-a/)

[Joseph de Maistre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-de-maistre/)

> [Every country has the government it deserves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-de-maistre/every-country-has-the-government-it-deserves/)

[Joseph de Maistre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-de-maistre/)

> [Genius does not seem to derive any great support from syllogisms. Its carriage is free; its manner has a touch of inspiration. We see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-de-maistre/genius-does-not-seem-to-derive-any-great-support-from-syllogisms-its/)

[Joseph de Maistre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-de-maistre/)

[Explore all 60 Joseph de Maistre quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-de-maistre/)

## More Art quotes

> [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/)

[Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/)

> [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/)

[Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/)

> [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/)

[Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/)

[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/)

> [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/)

[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/)

> [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

[Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Christianity was preached by ignorant men and believed by servants, and that is why it resembles nothing ever known.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Joseph de Maistre"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-de-maistre/christianity-was-preached-by-ignorant-men-and-believed-by-servants/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-de-maistre/christianity-was-preached-by-ignorant-men-and-believed-by-servants/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/776/joseph-de-maistre-11359_art_christianity-was-preached-by-ignorant-me_3206122.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/776/joseph-de-maistre-11359_art_christianity-was-preached-by-ignorant-me_3206122.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/776/joseph-de-maistre-11359_art_christianity-was-preached-by-ignorant-me_3206122.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Christianity was preached by ignorant men and believed by servants, and that is why it resembles nothing…” — Joseph de Maistre",
                "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": "Joseph de Maistre",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-de-maistre/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Christianity was preached by ignorant men...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-de-maistre/christianity-was-preached-by-ignorant-men-and-believed-by-servants/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-de-maistre/christianity-was-preached-by-ignorant-men-and-believed-by-servants/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
