--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: God is not attracted to mountaintops or…" description: "\"“God is not attracted to mountaintops or church steeples. God is drawn to suffering, and the dark places it surfaces.”\" — Keith Ablow" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fca/keith-ablow-13205_dark-place_god-is-not-attracted-to-mountaintops-or_1592275.jpg" --- # God is not attracted to mountaintops or church steeples… ![“God is not attracted to mountaintops or church steeples. God is drawn to suffering, and the dark places it surfaces.” quote by Keith Ablow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fca/keith-ablow-13205_dark-place_god-is-not-attracted-to-mountaintops-or_1592275.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fca/keith-ablow-13205_dark-place_god-is-not-attracted-to-mountaintops-or_1592275.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fca/keith-ablow-13205_dark-place_god-is-not-attracted-to-mountaintops-or_1592275.jpg) > ““God is not attracted to mountaintops or church steeples. God is drawn to suffering, and the dark places it surfaces.”” [Keith Ablow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ablow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Divine attention is drawn to human suffering rather than lofty symbols. **In simple terms:** God cares about pain, not just grand places. Key Takeaway Focus on alleviating suffering. Themes spirituality compassion humanity Mood thoughtful serious Type theological philosophical When to use this quote - counseling - social work - theology Key Concepts theodicy existentialism Questions to Reflect On - Why do people seek symbols for comfort? - How can we respond to suffering? A Different Perspective The claim may oversimplify diverse theological views. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attracted Mountaintops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attracted-mountaintops-1754415/) [Dark place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark-place/) [God Attracted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-attracted-848607/) [God Drawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-drawn-2727252/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Steeples God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steeples-god-1754414/) [Suffering Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering-dark-5619935/) ## Related quotes > [God is not attracted to mountaintops or church steeples. God is drawn to suffering, and the dark places it surfaces, which is why sharing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ablow/god-is-not-attracted-to-mountaintops-or-church-steeples-god-is-drawn/) [Keith Ablow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ablow/) > [Pain and suffering are the dark strands through the tapestry of your life, providing the shadows that give depth and dimension to the masterpiece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-girzone/pain-and-suffering-are-the-dark-strands-through-the-tapestry-of-your/) [Joseph Girzone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-girzone/) > [Before the coming of Jesus Christ, men fled away from God and, being attached to the earth, refused to unite themselves to their Creator.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alphonsus-liguori/before-the-coming-of-jesus-christ-men-fled-away-from-god-and-being/) [Alphonsus Liguori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alphonsus-liguori/) > [I discovered an astonishing truth: God is attracted to weakness. He cannot resist those who humbly and honestly admit how desperately they need him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cymbala/i-discovered-an-astonishing-truth-god-is-attracted-to-weakness-he/) [Jim Cymbala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cymbala/) > [I have discovered an astonishing truth. God is attracted to weaknesses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cymbala/i-have-discovered-an-astonishing-truth-god-is-attracted-to-weaknesses/) [Jim Cymbala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cymbala/) > [At first we feel called by God and attracted by him. We grow in our vocation and get the impression that God has gripped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/notker-wolf/at-first-we-feel-called-by-god-and-attracted-by-him-we-grow-in-our/) [Notker Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/notker-wolf/) > [“Sometimes your destiny takes you to dark places where you'd rather not be, but destiny, as they say, is destiny.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/sometimes-your-destiny-takes-you-to-dark-places-where-you-d-rather/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [“If you're going into a dark place... you should take a bright light, and shine it on everything. If you don't want to see,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/if-you-re-going-into-a-dark-place-you-should-take-a-bright-light-and/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Being a correspondent at the Vietnam war for me was about exposing myself to danger but it wasn't completely self-serving. I felt that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-caputo/being-a-correspondent-at-the-vietnam-war-for-me-was-about-exposing/) [Philip Caputo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-caputo/) > [“Sometimes people walk away from love because it is so beautiful that it terrifies them. Sometimes they leave because the connection shines a bright…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-brown/sometimes-people-walk-away-from-love-because-it-is-so-beautiful-that/) [Jeff Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-brown/) > [“In the middle of the cemetery is a grassy plane, strangely vacant. There are no granite tombs or crumbling concrete, just a sun-washed treeless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-caldwell-crosby/in-the-middle-of-the-cemetery-is-a-grassy-plane-strangely-vacant/) [Molly Caldwell Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-caldwell-crosby/) > [“I see now that when Norma flowered in our garden I became a weed, allowed to exist only where I would not be seen,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/i-see-now-that-when-norma-flowered-in-our-garden-i-became-a-weed/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [“Hope brings light into dark places.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/hope-brings-light-into-dark-places/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Social media has become a dark place, and the sites need to clean up their act if they want people to keep using them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-reid/social-media-has-become-a-dark-place-and-the-sites-need-to-clean-up/) [Susanna Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-reid/) > [All comedy comes from a dark place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katt-williams/all-comedy-comes-from-a-dark-place/) [Katt Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katt-williams/) ## More by Keith Ablow > [“Nothing overdone, nothing racy, which made her all the more alluring.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ablow/nothing-overdone-nothing-racy-which-made-her-all-the-more-alluring/) [Keith Ablow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ablow/) > [What was it about not knowing a person that allowed you to wonder whether she might be the answer to all your problems?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ablow/what-was-it-about-not-knowing-a-person-that-allowed-you-to-wonder/) [Keith Ablow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ablow/) > [God is not attracted to mountaintops or church steeples. God is drawn to suffering, and the dark places it surfaces, which is why sharing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ablow/god-is-not-attracted-to-mountaintops-or-church-steeples-god-is-drawn/) [Keith Ablow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ablow/) > [“Human empathy, while not found on any chart of human anatomy, is the reason we instinctively hurt for our children… it is the reason…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ablow/human-empathy-while-not-found-on-any-chart-of-human-anatomy-is-the/) [Keith Ablow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ablow/) > [“I shook my head at all the things that can happen to break a man as he grows up and away from the pure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ablow/i-shook-my-head-at-all-the-things-that-can-happen-to-break-a-man-as/) [Keith Ablow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ablow/) > [The irrational thoughts were the ones with the power to burn holes in your gut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ablow/the-irrational-thoughts-were-the-ones-with-the-power-to-burn-holes-in/) [Keith Ablow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ablow/) > [“That's what a little victory in psychiatry looks like. You slip into the shadows, dodging the mind's defense mechanisms, glad enough to take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ablow/that-s-what-a-little-victory-in-psychiatry-looks-like-you-slip-into/) [Keith Ablow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ablow/) > [I think men should be able to veto women's abortions if they're willing to care for the child after it's born.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ablow/i-think-men-should-be-able-to-veto-women-s-abortions-if-they-re/) [Keith Ablow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ablow/) > [“The good guys had to operate on a higher level than the killers--just for society to keep track of who was who.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ablow/the-good-guys-had-to-operate-on-a-higher-level-than-the-killers-just/) [Keith Ablow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ablow/) > [“Like most of the connections that explain the pain in our hearts, he couldn't bring it to mind. He couldn't see the truth because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ablow/like-most-of-the-connections-that-explain-the-pain-in-our-hearts-he/) [Keith Ablow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ablow/) > [Insight doesn't necessarily produce self-control. Sometimes you just see your destructiveness more clearly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ablow/insight-doesn-t-necessarily-produce-self-control-sometimes-you-just/) [Keith Ablow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ablow/) > [If you take the teachings of Jesus, whether you consider yourself saved or you don't, those teachings are pristine. They're wonderful guides for life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ablow/if-you-take-the-teachings-of-jesus-whether-you-consider-yourself/) [Keith Ablow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ablow/) > [“Maybe learning to be human was about learning to live in pain, not trying to figure out how to live pain-free. (156)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ablow/maybe-learning-to-be-human-was-about-learning-to-live-in-pain-not/) [Keith Ablow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ablow/) > [For a psychiatrist to be any good, he has to be willing to corner you, close off the easy exits, even when it hurts.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ablow/for-a-psychiatrist-to-be-any-good-he-has-to-be-willing-to-corner-you/) [Keith Ablow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ablow/) > [Most children would rather preserve the fantasy of a loving connection with their fathers and mothers, at all costs, even if it costs them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ablow/most-children-would-rather-preserve-the-fantasy-of-a-loving/) [Keith Ablow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ablow/) [Explore all 51 Keith Ablow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ablow/) ## More Dark place quotes > [All comedy comes from a dark place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katt-williams/all-comedy-comes-from-a-dark-place/) [Katt Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katt-williams/) > [Social media has become a dark place, and the sites need to clean up their act if they want people to keep using them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-reid/social-media-has-become-a-dark-place-and-the-sites-need-to-clean-up/) [Susanna Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-reid/) > [“Hope brings light into dark places.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/hope-brings-light-into-dark-places/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“I see now that when Norma flowered in our garden I became a weed, allowed to exist only where I would not be seen,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/i-see-now-that-when-norma-flowered-in-our-garden-i-became-a-weed/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [“In the middle of the cemetery is a grassy plane, strangely vacant. There are no granite tombs or crumbling concrete, just a sun-washed treeless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-caldwell-crosby/in-the-middle-of-the-cemetery-is-a-grassy-plane-strangely-vacant/) [Molly Caldwell Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-caldwell-crosby/) > [“Sometimes people walk away from love because it is so beautiful that it terrifies them. Sometimes they leave because the connection shines a bright…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-brown/sometimes-people-walk-away-from-love-because-it-is-so-beautiful-that/) [Jeff Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-brown/) > [Being a correspondent at the Vietnam war for me was about exposing myself to danger but it wasn't completely self-serving. I felt that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-caputo/being-a-correspondent-at-the-vietnam-war-for-me-was-about-exposing/) [Philip Caputo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-caputo/) > [“If you're going into a dark place... you should take a bright light, and shine it on everything. If you don't want to see,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/if-you-re-going-into-a-dark-place-you-should-take-a-bright-light-and/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Sometimes your destiny takes you to dark places where you'd rather not be, but destiny, as they say, is destiny.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/sometimes-your-destiny-takes-you-to-dark-places-where-you-d-rather/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [When you're writing in first person, like I do, you can't give a fluffy version of someone's thoughts because even the most prudish woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-o-porter/when-you-re-writing-in-first-person-like-i-do-you-can-t-give-a-fluffy/) [Dawn O'Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-o-porter/) > ['This will pass and it always does.' I consistently have to keep telling myself that because being an entrepreneur means that you go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/majora-carter/this-will-pass-and-it-always-does-i-consistently-have-to-keep-telling/) [Majora Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/majora-carter/) > [“Don’t be afraid of your dark places,” Mom told her. “If you can shine a light on them, you’ll find treasure there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/don-t-be-afraid-of-your-dark-places-mom-told-her-if-you-can-shine-a/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [“Yes, for every child, rich or poor, there's a time of running through a dark place; and there's no word for a child's fear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agee/yes-for-every-child-rich-or-poor-there-s-a-time-of-running-through-a/) [James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/) > [The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-world-is-indeed-full-of-peril-and-in-it-there-are-many-dark/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All I would say is that when I've been very down or having kind of a tough time in my life, certain films or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-friend/all-i-would-say-is-that-when-i-ve-been-very-down-or-having-kind-of-a/) [Rupert Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-friend/) [Browse all 410 Dark place quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark-place/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“God is not attracted to mountaintops or church steeples. God is drawn to suffering, and the dark places it surfaces.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Keith Ablow" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ablow/god-is-not-attracted-to-mountaintops-or-church-steeples-god-is-drawn-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dark place" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ablow/god-is-not-attracted-to-mountaintops-or-church-steeples-god-is-drawn-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fca/keith-ablow-13205_dark-place_god-is-not-attracted-to-mountaintops-or_1592275.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fca/keith-ablow-13205_dark-place_god-is-not-attracted-to-mountaintops-or_1592275.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fca/keith-ablow-13205_dark-place_god-is-not-attracted-to-mountaintops-or_1592275.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“God is not attracted to mountaintops or church steeples. God is drawn to suffering, and the dark places it…” — Keith Ablow", "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": "Keith Ablow", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ablow/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“God is not attracted to mountaintops...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ablow/god-is-not-attracted-to-mountaintops-or-church-steeples-god-is-drawn-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ablow/god-is-not-attracted-to-mountaintops-or-church-steeples-god-is-drawn-2/#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 } } ] } ```