--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Atheism rises above creeds and puts…" description: "\"“Atheism rises above creeds and puts Humanity upon one plane. There can be no 'chosen people' in the Atheist philosophy. There are no bended knees in A..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b9/joseph-lewis-20519_atheism_atheism-rises-above-creeds-and-puts-huma_2984372.jpg" --- # Atheism rises above creeds and puts Humanity upon one… ![“Atheism rises above creeds and puts Humanity upon one plane. There can be no 'chosen people' in the Atheist philosophy. There are no bended knees in Atheism; No supplications, no prayers; No sacrificial redemptions; No 'divine' revelations; No washing in the blood of the lamb; No crusades, no…” quote by Joseph Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b9/joseph-lewis-20519_atheism_atheism-rises-above-creeds-and-puts-huma_2984372.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b9/joseph-lewis-20519_atheism_atheism-rises-above-creeds-and-puts-huma_2984372.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b9/joseph-lewis-20519_atheism_atheism-rises-above-creeds-and-puts-huma_2984372.jpg) > ““Atheism rises above creeds and puts Humanity upon one plane. There can be no 'chosen people' in the Atheist philosophy. There are no bended knees in Atheism; No supplications, no prayers; No sacrificial redemptions; No 'divine' revelations; No washing in the blood of the lamb; No crusades, no massacres, no holy wars; No heaven, no hell, no purgatory; No silly rewards and no vindictive punishments; No christs, and no saviors; No devils, no ghosts and no gods.”” [Joseph Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lewis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Atheism rejects all divine concepts, advocating a purely human-centered worldview without supernatural beliefs. **In simple terms:** Atheism denies gods and rituals. Key Takeaway Focus on human values, reject supernatural claims. Themes atheism humanism secularism Mood analytical critical Type philosophical ideological When to use this quote - education - public policy - interfaith dialogue - personal belief formation Key Concepts philosophy of religion ethics existentialism Questions to Reflect On - How do you find purpose without religion? - Can moral systems exist without divine authority? A Different Perspective Some find meaning in spirituality, making pure atheism challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Atheist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheist/) [Creeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creeds/) [Crusades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crusades/) [Devils](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devils/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine/) [Gods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gods/) [Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven/) [Hell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hell/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Massacres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/massacres/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Prayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer/) [Purgatory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purgatory/) [Redemption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/redemption/) [Revelation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revelation/) [Savior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/savior/) ## Related quotes > [ I reject her \[Ayn Rand's\] philosophy. It's an atheist philosophy. It reduces human interactions down to mere contracts and it is antithetical to my… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ryan/i-reject-her-ayn-rand-s-philosophy-it-s-an-atheist-philosophy-it/) [Paul Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ryan/) > [“We not only do not believe that man is punished for his 'sins,' but emphatically state that there is no such thing as sin.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lewis/we-not-only-do-not-believe-that-man-is-punished-for-his-sins-but/) [Joseph Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lewis/) > [“Is that why you do good deeds, Richie? To shorten your time in Purgatory?' 'Oh, honey,' he said, brushing lint from an orange sleeve.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-nava/is-that-why-you-do-good-deeds-richie-to-shorten-your-time-in/) [Michael Nava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-nava/) > [Supernatural hasn't spent a lot of time on relationship stories, and this is a really nice mechanism to do that without imposing that on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-carver/supernatural-hasn-t-spent-a-lot-of-time-on-relationship-stories-and/) Jeremy Carver > [“True, the doctrine of purgatory was not so popular outside Roman circles in the nineteenth century. But “penal substitution,” which had been emphasized partly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/true-the-doctrine-of-purgatory-was-not-so-popular-outside-roman/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [The life we led was a proof of man's capacity for adaptation.I think that even the condemned souls in purgatory after time develop a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-life-we-led-was-a-proof-of-man-s-capacity-for-adaptation-i-think/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [God -- if he really exist -- is good, alive, self-conscious, and governs all things according to his benevolent and holy providence; but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-batchelder-greene/god-if-he-really-exist-is-good-alive-self-conscious-and-governs-all/) [William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) > [“If Hell is other people... then Purgatory is airports.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/if-hell-is-other-people-then-purgatory-is-airports/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“For me, dear reader, that place was purgatory incarnate; neither good nor bad, but a gateway to great rewards or even greater punishments.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-sheldon/for-me-dear-reader-that-place-was-purgatory-incarnate-neither-good/) [Joss Sheldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-sheldon/) > [We live with incessant music, all the time. It's like some weird musical purgatory, there is absolutely no rest for the ears, no space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-blake/we-live-with-incessant-music-all-the-time-it-s-like-some-weird/) [James Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-blake/) > [A prison! heav'ns, I loath the hated name, Famine's metropolis, the sink of shame, A nauseous sepulchre, whose craving womb Hourly inters poor mortals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brown-jr/a-prison-heav-ns-i-loath-the-hated-name-famine-s-metropolis-the-sink/) [Tom Brown, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brown-jr/) > [I want to serve. I love my country. I love service above self and I don't want my talents to go to waste. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-broadwell/i-want-to-serve-i-love-my-country-i-love-service-above-self-and-i-don/) [Paula Broadwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-broadwell/) > [If the politics of inaction and delay that have triumphed in this country continues for another decade, then Planetary Purgatory in the likely future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-romm/if-the-politics-of-inaction-and-delay-that-have-triumphed-in-this/) [Joseph J. Romm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-romm/) > [I see no reason why I should not live on indefinitely just as I have done, and on the whole I am more comfortable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-borden/i-see-no-reason-why-i-should-not-live-on-indefinitely-just-as-i-have/) [Mary Borden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-borden/) > [Time is a purgatory that has cleansed all fury from my memories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/time-is-a-purgatory-that-has-cleansed-all-fury-from-my-memories/) [Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/) ## More by Joseph Lewis > [“Unless death is made a lesson for the living, the life lived is wasted. Why should life come into existence only to be destroyed?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lewis/unless-death-is-made-a-lesson-for-the-living-the-life-lived-is-wasted/) [Joseph Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lewis/) > [“When Dr. James Young Simpson sought to apply anesthesia to a woman in childbirth, the clergymen of his day foamed at the mouth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lewis/when-dr-james-young-simpson-sought-to-apply-anesthesia-to-a-woman-in/) [Joseph Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lewis/if-you-do-not-want-to-stop-the-wheels-of-progress-if-you-do-not-want/) [Joseph Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lewis/) > [Superstition is the poison of the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lewis/superstition-is-the-poison-of-the-mind/) [Joseph Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lewis/) > [“The history of man proves that religion perverts man's concept of life and the universe, and has made him a cringing coward before the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lewis/the-history-of-man-proves-that-religion-perverts-man-s-concept-of/) [Joseph Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lewis/) > [“It is now established by verifiable evidence that religion stultifies the brain and is the great obstacle in the path of intellectual progress. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lewis/it-is-now-established-by-verifiable-evidence-that-religion-stultifies/) [Joseph Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lewis/) > [“It is inconceivable that any form of intelligence would waste so much time and effort to make such an inferior piece of life—with all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lewis/it-is-inconceivable-that-any-form-of-intelligence-would-waste-so-much/) [Joseph Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lewis/) > [“The Biblical writers not only had no knowledge of these things, but they had a perverted concept of life and the universe. Their concept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lewis/the-biblical-writers-not-only-had-no-knowledge-of-these-things-but/) [Joseph Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lewis/) > [“Many ask what difference does it make whether man believes in a God or not. It makes a big difference. It makes all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lewis/many-ask-what-difference-does-it-make-whether-man-believes-in-a-god/) [Joseph Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lewis/) > [“It was because 'in 1776 our fathers retired the gods from politics.' The basic principle of the American Republic is the freedom of man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lewis/it-was-because-in-1776-our-fathers-retired-the-gods-from-politics-the/) [Joseph Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lewis/) > [“We not only do not believe that man is punished for his 'sins,' but emphatically state that there is no such thing as sin.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lewis/we-not-only-do-not-believe-that-man-is-punished-for-his-sins-but/) [Joseph Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lewis/) > [“It is because of the Biblical curse on man's search for knowledge, which has so paralyzed his mind during the past ages, and its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lewis/it-is-because-of-the-biblical-curse-on-man-s-search-for-knowledge/) [Joseph Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lewis/) > [“And what hypocrisy it is on the part of our Government to have the Bible in our courts of law for the culprit to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lewis/and-what-hypocrisy-it-is-on-the-part-of-our-government-to-have-the/) [Joseph Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lewis/) > [“ Ingersoll could not understand the mind of those who, once having been told the truth, preferred to remain under the spell of superstition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lewis/ingersoll-could-not-understand-the-mind-of-those-who-once-having-been/) [Joseph Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lewis/if-you-do-not-want-to-stop-the-wheels-of-progress-if-you-do-not-want-2/) [Joseph Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lewis/) [Explore all 30 Joseph Lewis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lewis/) ## More Atheism quotes > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [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/) > [No philosophy, no religion, has ever brought so glad a message to the world as this good news of Atheism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-besant/no-philosophy-no-religion-has-ever-brought-so-glad-a-message-to-the/) [Annie Besant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-besant/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [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/) > [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/) > [God speaks through me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/god-speaks-through-me/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/a-knowledge-of-the-existence-of-something-we-cannot-penetrate-of-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [You cannot ... transmute some incoherent mixture of words into sense merely by introducing the three-letter word "God" to be its grammatical subject.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-flew/you-cannot-transmute-some-incoherent-mixture-of-words-into-sense/) [Antony Flew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-flew/) > [Many humanists have argued that happiness involves a combination of hedonism and creative moral development; that an exuberant life fuses excellence and enjoyment, meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kurtz/many-humanists-have-argued-that-happiness-involves-a-combination-of/) [Paul Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kurtz/) > [If, with all the time at my disposal, with all the wealth of the resources of this vast universe, to do with as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/if-with-all-the-time-at-my-disposal-with-all-the-wealth-of-the/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [Do you think that was kind? Do you think it was godlike? What would you think of a physician, if a woman came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-h-gardener/do-you-think-that-was-kind-do-you-think-it-was-godlike-what-would-you/) [Helen H. Gardener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-h-gardener/) > [Science can destroy religion by ignoring it as well as by disproving its tenets. No one ever demonstrated, so far as I am aware,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/science-can-destroy-religion-by-ignoring-it-as-well-as-by-disproving/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [Honest investigation is utterly impossible within the pale of any church, for the reason, that if you think the church is right you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/honest-investigation-is-utterly-impossible-within-the-pale-of-any/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) [Browse all 4,769 Atheism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Atheism rises above creeds and puts Humanity upon one plane. There can be no 'chosen people' in the Atheist philosophy. There are no bended knees in Atheism; No supplications, no prayers; No sacrificial redemptions; No 'divine' revelations; No washing in the blood of the lamb; No crusades, no massacres, no holy wars; No heaven, no hell, no purgatory; No silly rewards and no vindictive punishments; No christs, and no saviors; No devils, no ghosts and no gods.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Lewis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lewis/atheism-rises-above-creeds-and-puts-humanity-upon-one-plane-there-can/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Atheism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lewis/atheism-rises-above-creeds-and-puts-humanity-upon-one-plane-there-can/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b9/joseph-lewis-20519_atheism_atheism-rises-above-creeds-and-puts-huma_2984372.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b9/joseph-lewis-20519_atheism_atheism-rises-above-creeds-and-puts-huma_2984372.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b9/joseph-lewis-20519_atheism_atheism-rises-above-creeds-and-puts-huma_2984372.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Atheism rises above creeds and puts Humanity upon one plane. There can be no 'chosen people' in the Atheist…” — Joseph Lewis", "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 Lewis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lewis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Atheism rises above creeds and puts...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lewis/atheism-rises-above-creeds-and-puts-humanity-upon-one-plane-there-can/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lewis/atheism-rises-above-creeds-and-puts-humanity-upon-one-plane-there-can/#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 } } ] } ```