--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Interesting Avil, the priests and the…" description: "\"“Interesting Avil, the priests and the acolytes of the various religions and temples of Torea build their whole lives on a lie. At first, as children t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b0/martyn-stanley-78131_atheism_interesting-avil-the-priests-and-the-aco_1653819.jpg" --- # Interesting Avil, the priests and the acolytes of the… ![“Interesting Avil, the priests and the acolytes of the various religions and temples of Torea build their whole lives on a lie. At first, as children they believe it. Maybe as they grow older and more wise they see the absurdness of their beliefs, but by that time they have invested time and…” quote by Martyn Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b0/martyn-stanley-78131_atheism_interesting-avil-the-priests-and-the-aco_1653819.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b0/martyn-stanley-78131_atheism_interesting-avil-the-priests-and-the-aco_1653819.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b0/martyn-stanley-78131_atheism_interesting-avil-the-priests-and-the-aco_1653819.jpg) > ““Interesting Avil, the priests and the acolytes of the various religions and temples of Torea build their whole lives on a lie. At first, as children they believe it. Maybe as they grow older and more wise they see the absurdness of their beliefs, but by that time they have invested time and emotional energy into those beliefs, then seeing them crumble and fall apart would be too hard for them to bear. So the protect the lie, they shore it up with more lies and they ebb out their short lives, knowing what they preach is untrue, but preaching it all the same... Almost as if preaching it hard enough will make it true... Are they trying to convince their congregation? Or themselves? You are wiser than you look Avil.”” Martyn Stanley ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People cling to religious beliefs despite evidence of absurdity because of emotional investment, leading them to reinforce falsehoods. **In simple terms:** Emotional investment makes people defend false beliefs. Key Takeaway Question assumptions and seek evidence. Themes religion psychology beliefs Mood critical skeptical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal crises - educational settings - interfaith dialogues Key Concepts cognitive dissonance faith social reinforcement Questions to Reflect On - Why do we protect ideas that no longer serve us? - What strategies help people let go of harmful beliefs? A Different Perspective Changing deep‑seated beliefs is psychologically painful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Atheist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheist/) [Atheist-argument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheist-argument/) [Atheistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheistic/) [Atheists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheists/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Beliefs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beliefs/) [Emotional energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional-energy/) [Lies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lies/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religious beliefs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-beliefs/) ## Related quotes > [“On the revelation that there are no gods or afterlife:- "I do not 'like' the truth any more than you Avil, or anyone. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martyn-stanley/on-the-revelation-that-there-are-no-gods-or-afterlife-i-do-not-like/) Martyn Stanley > [“An atheist is someone who is disappointed in his search of god. He is a man who strongly needed god but couldn't find him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/an-atheist-is-someone-who-is-disappointed-in-his-search-of-god-he-is/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [“The less instructed atheist will ask whether God can make a weight so heavy that He cannot lift it, in the happy belief that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sheed/the-less-instructed-atheist-will-ask-whether-god-can-make-a-weight-so/) [Frank Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sheed/) > [“Don't create unbelief or doubt in people's minds. When you do so you ruin their lives and you have nothing to give them in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/don-t-create-unbelief-or-doubt-in-people-s-minds-when-you-do-so-you/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [“In the Christian religion, though perhaps not in any other, we frequently find a conception of god that is selfcontradictory and therefore corresponds to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-robinson/in-the-christian-religion-though-perhaps-not-in-any-other-we/) Richard Robinson > [“According to the anthropic principle proponents, if the universal constants (e.g. gravitation, the strong force, etc.) were just a nose-hair off, the universe as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-m-jackson/according-to-the-anthropic-principle-proponents-if-the-universal/) [G.M. Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-m-jackson/) > [“An omnipotent god can create a being whose acts are known only to itself. An omniscient god cannot do this. It would appear, then,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-r-la-croix/an-omnipotent-god-can-create-a-being-whose-acts-are-known-only-to/) Richard R. LA Croix > [“Let's say that the consensus is that our species, being the higher primates, Homo Sapiens, has been on the planet for at least 100,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/let-s-say-that-the-consensus-is-that-our-species-being-the-higher/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“If God's love encompasses the whole world and if everyone who does not believe in him will perish, then surely this question needs to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-templeton/if-god-s-love-encompasses-the-whole-world-and-if-everyone-who-does/) [Charles Templeton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-templeton/) > [“Once you believe that god is not a private property of anybody, you are on your way to becoming a new messiah. Maybe your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/once-you-believe-that-god-is-not-a-private-property-of-anybody-you/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [“In order for a god to be all-knowing, he must know even the fact of his own omniscience. But can he do this? He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-puccetti/in-order-for-a-god-to-be-all-knowing-he-must-know-even-the-fact-of/) Roland Puccetti > [“It's a random universe. Shit happens. Good people get stage 4 cancer and dipshits win the lottery. There is no justice. Everything doesn't always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-r-bufogle/it-s-a-random-universe-shit-happens-good-people-get-stage-4-cancer/) [Quentin R. Bufogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-r-bufogle/) > [“If you are a pastor there is no way you can lose faith without losing face, you are considered the devil incarnate by your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/if-you-are-a-pastor-there-is-no-way-you-can-lose-faith-without-losing/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [“The claim of fine tuning is subjective. As I stated before, no measurement in physics is perfect. The amount of precision we demand can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-m-jackson/the-claim-of-fine-tuning-is-subjective-as-i-stated-before-no/) [G.M. Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-m-jackson/) > [“Atheism is not against god, it is against the religious establishment who use god they have never seen or heard from to establish their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/atheism-is-not-against-god-it-is-against-the-religious-establishment/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) ## More by Martyn Stanley > [“On the revelation that there are no gods or afterlife:- "I do not 'like' the truth any more than you Avil, or anyone. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martyn-stanley/on-the-revelation-that-there-are-no-gods-or-afterlife-i-do-not-like/) Martyn Stanley > [“The trouble was, love was such a strong emotion. It made everything else unimportant. It grabbed you and imprisoned you in the moment." Deathsworn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martyn-stanley/the-trouble-was-love-was-such-a-strong-emotion-it-made-everything/) Martyn Stanley Explore all 3 Martyn Stanley quotes ## 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": "“Interesting Avil, the priests and the acolytes of the various religions and temples of Torea build their whole lives on a lie. At first, as children they believe it. Maybe as they grow older and more wise they see the absurdness of their beliefs, but by that time they have invested time and emotional energy into those beliefs, then seeing them crumble and fall apart would be too hard for them to bear. So the protect the lie, they shore it up with more lies and they ebb out their short lives, knowing what they preach is untrue, but preaching it all the same... Almost as if preaching it hard enough will make it true... Are they trying to convince their congregation? Or themselves? You are wiser than you look Avil.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Martyn Stanley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martyn-stanley/interesting-avil-the-priests-and-the-acolytes-of-the-various/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Atheism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martyn-stanley/interesting-avil-the-priests-and-the-acolytes-of-the-various/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b0/martyn-stanley-78131_atheism_interesting-avil-the-priests-and-the-aco_1653819.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b0/martyn-stanley-78131_atheism_interesting-avil-the-priests-and-the-aco_1653819.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b0/martyn-stanley-78131_atheism_interesting-avil-the-priests-and-the-aco_1653819.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Interesting Avil, the priests and the acolytes of the various religions and temples of Torea build their…” — Martyn Stanley", "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": "Martyn Stanley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martyn-stanley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Interesting Avil, the priests and the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martyn-stanley/interesting-avil-the-priests-and-the-acolytes-of-the-various/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martyn-stanley/interesting-avil-the-priests-and-the-acolytes-of-the-various/#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 } } ] } ```