--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Atheism is an idea. Most often (thank…" description: "\"“Atheism is an idea. Most often (thank God), it is an idea lived and told with blunt jumbo-crayon clumsiness. Some child of Christianity or Judaism don..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e63/n-d-wilson-2571_atheism_atheism-is-an-idea-most-often-thank-god_1903170.png" --- # Atheism is an idea. Most often (thank God), it is an idea… ![“Atheism is an idea. Most often (thank God), it is an idea lived and told with blunt jumbo-crayon clumsiness. Some child of Christianity or Judaism dons an unbelieving Zorro costume and preens about the living room. Behold, a dangerous thinker of thinks! A believer in…” quote by N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e63/n-d-wilson-2571_atheism_atheism-is-an-idea-most-often-thank-god_1903170.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e63/n-d-wilson-2571_atheism_atheism-is-an-idea-most-often-thank-god_1903170.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e63/n-d-wilson-2571_atheism_atheism-is-an-idea-most-often-thank-god_1903170.png) > ““Atheism is an idea. Most often (thank God), it is an idea lived and told with blunt jumbo-crayon clumsiness. Some child of Christianity or Judaism dons an unbelieving Zorro costume and preens about the living room. Behold, a dangerous thinker of thinks! A believer in free-from-any-and-all-goodness! Fear my brainy blade! Put candy in their bucket. Act scared. Don't tell them that they're adorable. Atheism is not an idea we want fleshed out. Atheism incarnate does happen in this reality narrative. But it doesn't rant about Islam's treatment of women as did the (often courageous) atheist Christopher Hitchens. It doesn't thunder words like evil and mean it (as Hitch so often did) when talking about oppressive communist regimes. His costume slipped all the time—and in many of his best moments. Atheism incarnate is nihilism from follicle to toenail. It is morality merely as evolved herd survival instinct (non-bindng, of course, and as easy for us to outgrow as our feathers were). When Hitchens thundered, he stood in the boots of forefathers who knew that all thunder comes from on high.”” [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote satirically critiques how atheism is sometimes presented as a blunt, caricatured stance, contrasting it with more nuanced critiques of religion and morality. **In simple terms:** It mocks simplistic portrayals of atheism and warns against reducing morality to mere survival instinct. Key Takeaway Question depth over caricature. Themes skepticism religion morality culture humor Mood ironic critical thought‑provoking Type philosophical satirical commentary When to use this quote - debates on belief - public speaking - media commentary - educational curricula - personal worldview development Key Concepts philosophy critique satire Questions to Reflect On - How can we discuss atheism without resorting to stereotypes? - What role does humor play in serious philosophical discourse? A Different Perspective It may overgeneralize atheism and ignore sincere, thoughtful non-believers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Living room](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living-room/) [Survival instinct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survival-instinct/) ## Related quotes > [“Christopher Hitchens once said that he drinks “because it makes other people less boring.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-maarten-troost/christopher-hitchens-once-said-that-he-drinks-because-it-makes-other/) [J. Maarten Troost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-maarten-troost/) > [“I’ve often wondered how the term “'New Atheism”' gained such currency. It is a misnomer. There is nothing new about nonbelief. All of us,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-tayler/i-ve-often-wondered-how-the-term-new-atheism-gained-such-currency-it/) [Jeffrey Tayler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-tayler/) > [ It was a very funny conference. I knew \[Christopher Hitchens\] before that. He had always been a good angel to me. He once stole… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/it-was-a-very-funny-conference-i-knew-christopher-hitchens-before/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“If you want to know why the “new atheists” like Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Sam Atkins sell so many books, the answer is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/if-you-want-to-know-why-the-new-atheists-like-richard-dawkins/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [I like whimsy and satire, and that's what Americans like so much about Brits. We bring subtlety and sense of humor that you sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milo-yiannopoulos/i-like-whimsy-and-satire-and-that-s-what-americans-like-so-much-about/) [Milo Yiannopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milo-yiannopoulos/) > [“It is quite clear, whether you read Christopher Hitchens or Friedrich Nietzsche, that the image of God running the world to which they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/it-is-quite-clear-whether-you-read-christopher-hitchens-or-friedrich/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [Christopher Hitchens and I were not friends or even acquaintances. We never met or spoke on the phone, just exchanged occasional brief letters -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-king/christopher-hitchens-and-i-were-not-friends-or-even-acquaintances-we/) [Florence King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-king/) > [Christopher Hitchens is perhaps the greatest orator ever. He's such a famous atheist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-buble/christopher-hitchens-is-perhaps-the-greatest-orator-ever-he-s-such-a/) [Michael Buble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-buble/) > [“For Dawkins, atheism is a necessary consequence of evolution. He has argued that the religious impulse is simply an evolutionary mistake, a ‘misfiring of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/for-dawkins-atheism-is-a-necessary-consequence-of-evolution-he-has/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [Christopher Hitchens was a writer and an orator with a matchless style, commanding a vocabulary and a range of literary and historical allusion far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/christopher-hitchens-was-a-writer-and-an-orator-with-a-matchless/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“Literary censorship should not be necessary within the parameters of the law because it's simply a reflection of prevailing social prejudices! Writing should challenge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-tar/literary-censorship-should-not-be-necessary-within-the-parameters-of/) Jack Tar > [ “One evening, at the time of the Six-Day War, I \[Christopher Hitchens\] had my wicked way with a lovely lady, who had earlier intimated… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-brown/one-evening-at-the-time-of-the-six-day-war-i-christopher-hitchens-had/) [Craig Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-brown/) > [“Incidentally, I have also learned a bit about the importance of avoiding feminine embarrassment ('Daddy,' wrote Sophia when she enrolled at the New School…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/incidentally-i-have-also-learned-a-bit-about-the-importance-of/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Atheism is a moral position - a rather rigid one, if you've ever read the opinions of its highest-profile espousers, Christopher Hitchens and Richard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-coady/atheism-is-a-moral-position-a-rather-rigid-one-if-you-ve-ever-read/) [Lynn Coady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-coady/) > [I do look for openings where I can overturn popular misconceptions, but unlike Christopher Hitchens, I am neither a contrarian nor a lone heretic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/i-do-look-for-openings-where-i-can-overturn-popular-misconceptions/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) ## More by N.D. Wilson > [“But if that was going to happen, it was going to happen whether or not he worried about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/but-if-that-was-going-to-happen-it-was-going-to-happen-whether-or-not/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [“We haven't stopped running, but we are getting slower. We have little people running with us now. We have passed others. Our own people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/we-haven-t-stopped-running-but-we-are-getting-slower-we-have-little/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [Going where no man has gone before is more difficult than it sounds. 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But one thing I do know is that our bellies aren't big enough for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-three-years-down-here-i-ve-not-learned-too-much-but-one-thing-i/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [Drink your wine. Laugh from your gut. Burden your moments with thankfulness. Be as empty as you can be when that clock winds down.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/drink-your-wine-laugh-from-your-gut-burden-your-moments-with/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [If God gives you (or makes you) a joke, what are you meant to do in response? (Receive it. Laugh.) If God gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/if-god-gives-you-or-makes-you-a-joke-what-are-you-meant-to-do-in/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [“Infinite goes all the way up and all the way down; and at every level, with equal attention, He creates with the full dose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/infinite-goes-all-the-way-up-and-all-the-way-down-and-at-every-level/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [God is a God of galaxies, of storms, of roaring seas and boiling thunder, but He is also the God of bread baking, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/god-is-a-god-of-galaxies-of-storms-of-roaring-seas-and-boiling/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [The moon was up, painting the world silver, making things look just a little more alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/the-moon-was-up-painting-the-world-silver-making-things-look-just-a/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [The world is R-rated, and no one's checking IDs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/the-world-is-r-rated-and-no-one-s-checking-ids/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [We are narrative creatures, and we need narrative nourishment-nar rative catechisms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/we-are-narrative-creatures-and-we-need-narrative-nourishment-nar/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [In Bright Shadow: C.S. Lewis on the Imagination for Theology and Discipleship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/in-bright-shadow-c-s-lewis-on-the-imagination-for-theology-and/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) [Explore all 160 N.D. Wilson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) ## 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 is an idea. Most often (thank God), it is an idea lived and told with blunt jumbo-crayon clumsiness. Some child of Christianity or Judaism dons an unbelieving Zorro costume and preens about the living room. Behold, a dangerous thinker of thinks! A believer in free-from-any-and-all-goodness! Fear my brainy blade! Put candy in their bucket. Act scared. Don't tell them that they're adorable. Atheism is not an idea we want fleshed out. Atheism incarnate does happen in this reality narrative. But it doesn't rant about Islam's treatment of women as did the (often courageous) atheist Christopher Hitchens. It doesn't thunder words like evil and mean it (as Hitch so often did) when talking about oppressive communist regimes. His costume slipped all the time—and in many of his best moments. Atheism incarnate is nihilism from follicle to toenail. It is morality merely as evolved herd survival instinct (non-bindng, of course, and as easy for us to outgrow as our feathers were). When Hitchens thundered, he stood in the boots of forefathers who knew that all thunder comes from on high.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "N.D. 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