--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The problem is that you can't impose the…" description: "\"The problem is that you can't impose the church's teachings on all Americans as a matter of law.\" — Mario Cuomo" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc6/mario-cuomo-4807_church_the-problem-is-that-you-can-t-impose-the_2772314.png" --- # The problem is that you can't impose the church's… ![“The problem is that you can't impose the church's teachings on all Americans as a matter of law.” quote by Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc6/mario-cuomo-4807_church_the-problem-is-that-you-can-t-impose-the_2772314.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc6/mario-cuomo-4807_church_the-problem-is-that-you-can-t-impose-the_2772314.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc6/mario-cuomo-4807_church_the-problem-is-that-you-can-t-impose-the_2772314.png) > “The problem is that you can't impose the church's teachings on all Americans as a matter of law.” [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Imposing religious doctrine as law infringes on pluralistic freedoms. **In simple terms:** Religion shouldn’t dictate law. Key Takeaway Separate church teachings from legislation. Themes separation of church and state law religion freedom Mood thoughtful serious Type political ethical When to use this quote - legislative drafting - court cases - public policy - activism Key Concepts constitutional law political theory civil rights Questions to Reflect On - How can societies respect religious diversity while upholding secular law? - What safeguards protect against religious overreach? A Different Perspective Balancing moral values with secular law can be complex. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [It is paramount that we take control of the story behind our movement, which is that we seek equality for all Americans, no matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-reid/it-is-paramount-that-we-take-control-of-the-story-behind-our-movement/) [Eric Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-reid/) > [In the U.S., African- Americans, no matter what we do - when we sit in, when we freedom ride, when we kneel in, whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/in-the-u-s-african-americans-no-matter-what-we-do-when-we-sit-in-when/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [“The task at hand is not about securing the goodness of the American Idea or about perfecting the union. It is about according dignity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-s-glaude-jr/the-task-at-hand-is-not-about-securing-the-goodness-of-the-american/) [Eddie S. Glaude Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-s-glaude-jr/) > [“Whatever religious tradition you call your own, you will probably find religious diversity even within it. We can believe we mean the same things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-tyger/whatever-religious-tradition-you-call-your-own-you-will-probably-find/) George Tyger > [...I don't think my church's teachings were incorrect, just incomplete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/i-don-t-think-my-church-s-teachings-were-incorrect-just-incomplete/) [Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/) > [“Slavery was abolished in 1355 because of church teachings stating that all men are equal in the eyes of God.§”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-johansson-robinowitz/slavery-was-abolished-in-1355-because-of-church-teachings-stating/) [Christina Johansson Robinowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-johansson-robinowitz/) > [If we all gave all our goods to the poor, the church would fall apart. If we all hated our father and mother, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/if-we-all-gave-all-our-goods-to-the-poor-the-church-would-fall-apart/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [“The Lord needs men and women who can talk with confidence about what they believe. 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Miller Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-m-miller-jr/) > [I would not, under any circumstances, try to impose my personal faith and belief on the rest of the country. I don't think that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edwards/i-would-not-under-any-circumstances-try-to-impose-my-personal-faith/) [John Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edwards/) ## More by Mario Cuomo > [There is a respectable body of economic thought that holds that casino gambling is actually economically regressive to a state and a community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/there-is-a-respectable-body-of-economic-thought-that-holds-that/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) > [We believe in a government that is characterized by fairness and reasonableness, a reasonableness that goes beyond labels, that doesn't distort or promise to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/we-believe-in-a-government-that-is-characterized-by-fairness-and/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) > [America was born in outrageous ambition, so bold as to be improbable. The deprived, the oppressed, the powerless from all over the globe came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/america-was-born-in-outrageous-ambition-so-bold-as-to-be-improbable/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) > [The biggest aggravation in the Arab world, the biggest reason for their anger toward us and the creation of those suicide terrorists, is Israel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/the-biggest-aggravation-in-the-arab-world-the-biggest-reason-for/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) > [Nobody has ever gotten a bigger push than Bill Clinton gave to Obama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/nobody-has-ever-gotten-a-bigger-push-than-bill-clinton-gave-to-obama/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) > [It is not a government's obligation to provide services, but to see that they are provided.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/it-is-not-a-government-s-obligation-to-provide-services-but-to-see/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) > [My favorite thought about Abraham Lincoln is he believed in two things: loving one another and working together to make this world better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/my-favorite-thought-about-abraham-lincoln-is-he-believed-in-two/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) > [9/11 occurs, and you're going to rebuild, and after awhile, the memory will be there, but there will be something new there, and different,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/9-11-occurs-and-you-re-going-to-rebuild-and-after-awhile-the-memory/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) > [The Mafia is a question every time an Italian raises his head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/the-mafia-is-a-question-every-time-an-italian-raises-his-head/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) > [People asked me what I want as an epitaph: 'He tried'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/people-asked-me-what-i-want-as-an-epitaph-he-tried/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) > [I had not even thought of running for president until one day in 1991, at a small fund-raiser, completely unanticipated, someone stood up and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/i-had-not-even-thought-of-running-for-president-until-one-day-in-1991/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) > [I protect my right to be a Catholic by preserving your right to believe as a Jew, a Protestant, or non-believer, or as anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/i-protect-my-right-to-be-a-catholic-by-preserving-your-right-to/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) > [I love immigrants. Legal, illegal - they're not to be despised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/i-love-immigrants-legal-illegal-they-re-not-to-be-despised/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) > [Barack Obama is probably one of the brightest in terms of sheer intelligence... also probably the best orator we've ever had as a president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/barack-obama-is-probably-one-of-the-brightest-in-terms-of-sheer/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) > [The American people need no course in philosophy or political science of church history to know that God should not be made into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/the-american-people-need-no-course-in-philosophy-or-political-science/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) [Explore all 105 Mario Cuomo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) ## More Church quotes > [While the 1963 Birmingham church bombing is the most historic, there also was a series of church burnings in the 1990s. Recognition of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthea-butler/while-the-1963-birmingham-church-bombing-is-the-most-historic-there/) [Anthea Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthea-butler/) > [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/) [Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/) > [Turn over the pages of history and read the damning record of the church's opposition to every advance in every field of science. . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/upton-sinclair/turn-over-the-pages-of-history-and-read-the-damning-record-of-the/) [Upton Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/upton-sinclair/) > [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/) > [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/) [Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/) > [God is not calling us to go to church; he is calling us to be his church, the hope of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-groeschel/god-is-not-calling-us-to-go-to-church-he-is-calling-us-to-be-his/) [Craig Groeschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-groeschel/) > [The emerging church movement has come to believe that the ultimate context of the spiritual aspirations of a follower of Jesus Christ is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samir-selmanovic/the-emerging-church-movement-has-come-to-believe-that-the-ultimate/) [Samir Selmanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samir-selmanovic/) > [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [There could be no more powerful argument against mixing religion and government than the success of independent African American churches in placing racial segregation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/there-could-be-no-more-powerful-argument-against-mixing-religion-and/) [Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/) > [Worship is not about personality, temperament, personal limitations, church background, or comfort. It is about God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wimber/worship-is-not-about-personality-temperament-personal-limitations/) [John Wimber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wimber/) > [A beggarly people, A church and no steeple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-b-macaulay/a-beggarly-people-a-church-and-no-steeple/) [Thomas B. Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-b-macaulay/) > [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pound-st-paul-s-church-into-atoms-and-consider-any-single-atom-it-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The religion of art, like the religion of politics, was born from the ruins of Christianity. Art inherited from the old religion the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/the-religion-of-art-like-the-religion-of-politics-was-born-from-the/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [The minute you walk outside of your church on Sunday you're in mission territory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barron/the-minute-you-walk-outside-of-your-church-on-sunday-you-re-in/) [Robert Barron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barron/) > [I'm not ashamed of the things I believe and why I believe them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-huckabee/i-m-not-ashamed-of-the-things-i-believe-and-why-i-believe-them/) [Mike Huckabee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-huckabee/) [Browse all 9,430 Church quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The problem is that you can't impose the church's teachings on all Americans as a matter of law.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mario Cuomo" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/the-problem-is-that-you-can-t-impose-the-church-s-teachings-on-all/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Church" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/the-problem-is-that-you-can-t-impose-the-church-s-teachings-on-all/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc6/mario-cuomo-4807_church_the-problem-is-that-you-can-t-impose-the_2772314.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc6/mario-cuomo-4807_church_the-problem-is-that-you-can-t-impose-the_2772314.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc6/mario-cuomo-4807_church_the-problem-is-that-you-can-t-impose-the_2772314.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The problem is that you can't impose the church's teachings on all Americans as a matter of law.” — Mario Cuomo", "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": "Mario Cuomo", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The problem is that you can't...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/the-problem-is-that-you-can-t-impose-the-church-s-teachings-on-all/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/the-problem-is-that-you-can-t-impose-the-church-s-teachings-on-all/#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 } } ] } ```