Aggression Quote by Joseph Lewis
““If you do not want to stop the wheels of progress; if you do not want to go back to the Dark Ages; if you do not want to live again under tyranny, then you must guard your liberty, and you must not let the church get control of your government. If you do, you will lose the greatest legacy ever bequeathed to the human race—intellectual freedom. Now let me tell you another thing. If all the energy and wealth wasted upon religion—in all of its varied forms—had been spent to understand life and its problems, we would today be living under conditions that would seem almost like Utopia. Most of our social and domestic problems would have been solved, and equally as important, our understanding and relations with the other peoples of the world would have, by now, brought about universal peace. Man would have a better understanding of his motives and actions, and would have learned to curb his primitive instincts for revenge and retaliation. He would, by now, know that wars of hate, aggression, and aggrandizement are only productive of more hate and more human suffering. The enlightened and completely emancipated man from the fears of a God and the dogma of hate and revenge would make him a brother to his fellow man. He would devote his energies to discoveries and inventions, which theology previously condemned as a defiance of God, but which have proved so beneficial to him. He would no longer be a slave to a God and live in cringing fear!””
About This Quote
Source Speech: Public address, date unknown, likely early 20th century anti‑religious lecture
Advocates separating church from state to protect intellectual freedom, arguing that religious resources could instead solve humanity’s problems and foster peace.
In simple terms: Freedom requires secular government; religious resources could better improve humanity.
Promote secular governance and redirect resources to scientific progress.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- policy making
- education reform
- philanthropy
- international diplomacy
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How would society balance moral guidance with secular governance?
- What are the risks of removing religious influence entirely?
Religious belief may provide community and moral guidance for some, complicating a purely secular approach.