---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A merely symbolic religion does not…"
description: "\"A merely symbolic religion does not threaten the ruling regime of materialistic science.\" — Nancy Pearcey"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/nancy-pearcey-3368_doe_a-merely-symbolic-religion-does-not-thre_393357.png"
---

#  A merely symbolic religion does not threaten the ruling…

![“A merely symbolic religion does not threaten the ruling regime of materialistic science.” quote by Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/nancy-pearcey-3368_doe_a-merely-symbolic-religion-does-not-thre_393357.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/nancy-pearcey-3368_doe_a-merely-symbolic-religion-does-not-thre_393357.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/nancy-pearcey-3368_doe_a-merely-symbolic-religion-does-not-thre_393357.png)

> “A merely symbolic religion does not threaten the ruling regime of materialistic science.”

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Symbolic religion doesn't challenge materialist scientific authority.

**In simple terms:** Symbolic faith lacks power against science.

Key Takeaway

Recognize limits of symbolic belief.

Themes

religion science materialism philosophy

Mood

analytical critical

Type

theoretical philosophical

When to use this quote

- Academic debate
- public policy
- education curricula

Key Concepts

Epistemology worldview conflict

Questions to Reflect On

- Can symbolic faith influence scientific discourse?
- What role does symbolism play in culture?

A Different Perspective

Science may address existential questions.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Materialistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materialistic/) [Merely Symbolic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/merely-symbolic-3543586/) [Regime Materialistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regime-materialistic-3543587/) [Regimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regimes/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religion Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion-does-286389/) [Ruling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ruling/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Symbolic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/symbolic/) [Symbolic Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/symbolic-religion-3543585/)

## Related quotes

> [“I too play with symbols... but I play in such a way that I do not forget that I am playing. For nothing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johannes-kepler/i-too-play-with-symbols-but-i-play-in-such-a-way-that-i-do-not-forget/)

[Johannes Kepler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johannes-kepler/)

> [Barack Obama's victories in 2008 and 2012 were dismissed by some of his critics as merely symbolic for African Americans. But there is nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/barack-obama-s-victories-in-2008-and-2012-were-dismissed-by-some-of/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

> [“A religion that does not give inner peace, it cannot be called a religion, can it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/a-religion-that-does-not-give-inner-peace-it-cannot-be-called-a/)

[Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/)

> [“There is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-sewell/there-is-no-religion-without-love-and-people-may-talk-as-much-as-they/)

[Anna Sewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-sewell/)

> [ I think that \[Jay\] Gould's separate compartments was a purely political ploy to win middle-of-the-road religious people to the science camp. But it's a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-think-that-jay-gould-s-separate-compartments-was-a-purely-political/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [This is what self-centered religion does to us: it allows us to use it to further our own ends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/this-is-what-self-centered-religion-does-to-us-it-allows-us-to-use-it/)

[John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/)

> [“Religion is not the place where the problem of man’s egotism is automatically solved. Rather, it is there that the ultimate battle between human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-j-keller/religion-is-not-the-place-where-the-problem-of-man-s-egotism-is/)

[Timothy J. Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-j-keller/)

> [Let us here observe, that a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things, never has power sufficient to produce the faith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-us-here-observe-that-a-religion-that-does-not-require-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Because art does for me what religion does-- it organizes a seemingly chaotic world. Because it is my way of making sense of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-t-jones/because-art-does-for-me-what-religion-does-it-organizes-a-seemingly/)

[Bill T. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-t-jones/)

> [“The world of fundamental religion does not recognize even the slightest variation in meaning should this meaning fall outside its own definition of truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-griffin/the-world-of-fundamental-religion-does-not-recognize-even-the/)

[Susan Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-griffin/)

> [If religion does not make us better people, it will make us very much worse. And of all the bad men who have lived,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/if-religion-does-not-make-us-better-people-it-will-make-us-very-much/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [Religion does not blithely promise some sort of no-trouble, no-problem, no-poverty world; but rather a spirit, a power, an enthusiasm that endows everyone with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/religion-does-not-blithely-promise-some-sort-of-no-trouble-no-problem/)

[Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/)

> [“The teachings of a religion should influence the personality and daily conduct of each believer. Thus, each person's conduct will normally be a reflection,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-teachings-of-a-religion-should-influence-the-personality-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It is less hurtful to compel a man to marry someone whom he does not love than to follow a religion in which he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-williams/it-is-less-hurtful-to-compel-a-man-to-marry-someone-whom-he-does-not/)

[Roger Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-williams/)

> [In my opinion, most organized religion does neither agentic service nor relational nurturance very well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/in-my-opinion-most-organized-religion-does-neither-agentic-service/)

[Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/)

## More by Nancy Pearcey

> [Pro-lifers have long been castigated for bringing private values into the public square. But actually it is the pro-abortion position that is based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/pro-lifers-have-long-been-castigated-for-bringing-private-values-into/)

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

> [“Redemption is not just about being saved \*from\* the consequences of sin, it is also about being saved \*to\* something- to resume the task…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/redemption-is-not-just-about-being-saved-from-the-consequences-of-sin/)

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

> [“Author conveys contemporary respect for Methodist preachers who rode the circuit of frontier settlements to put themselves at risk for the Gospel near the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/author-conveys-contemporary-respect-for-methodist-preachers-who-rode/)

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

> [Literary theory has become a parody of science, generating its own arcane jargon. In the process, tragically, it discourages love of literature for its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/literary-theory-has-become-a-parody-of-science-generating-its-own/)

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

> [“Many of us don't even know what it means to have a Christian perspective on our work. Oh, we know that being a Christian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/many-of-us-don-t-even-know-what-it-means-to-have-a-christian/)

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

> [“People are not relativistic when it comes to matters of science, engineering, and technology; rather, they are relativistic and pluralistic in matters of religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/people-are-not-relativistic-when-it-comes-to-matters-of-science/)

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

> [Knowing the truth has meaning only as a first step to living the truth day by day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/knowing-the-truth-has-meaning-only-as-a-first-step-to-living-the/)

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

> [The most consistent versions of materialism deny the reality of anything beyond matter - no soul, no spirit, no will, no mind. This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/the-most-consistent-versions-of-materialism-deny-the-reality-of/)

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

> [During the first 13 centuries after the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, no one thought of setting up a creche to celebrate Christmas. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/during-the-first-13-centuries-after-the-birth-of-jesus-in-bethlehem/)

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

> [In many cases students are never exposed to competing ideas within their families, churches, or Christian schools, and as a result they go out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/in-many-cases-students-are-never-exposed-to-competing-ideas-within/)

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

> [“The sword of the Spirit has been muffled up and decked out with flowers and ribbons," author writes, conveying the sentiments of a Congregationist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/the-sword-of-the-spirit-has-been-muffled-up-and-decked-out-with/)

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

> [“No matter how hard people work to suppress their knowledge of God, creation itself keeps challenging them. “Human life is a continual wrestling match…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/no-matter-how-hard-people-work-to-suppress-their-knowledge-of-god/)

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

> [The loss of objectivity in moral thought does not lead to liberation. It leads to oppression. Secular ideologies preach liberty, but they practice tyranny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/the-loss-of-objectivity-in-moral-thought-does-not-lead-to-liberation/)

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

> [“Christianity explains why truth is not merely a human construction. The world is not a creation of my own mind. It is the handiwork…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/christianity-explains-why-truth-is-not-merely-a-human-construction/)

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

> [Because a human is a someone and not a something, the source of human life must also be a Someone - not the blind,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/because-a-human-is-a-someone-and-not-a-something-the-source-of-human/)

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

[Explore all 132 Nancy Pearcey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

## More Doe quotes

> [So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self- satisfied; in fact, he can easily become dangerous, as it does not take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/so-the-fool-as-distinct-from-the-scoundrel-is-completely-self/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [I cannot forbid a person to marry several wives, for it does not contradict Scripture. MARTIN LUTHER, letter to Chancellor Gregory Brück, January 13,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/i-cannot-forbid-a-person-to-marry-several-wives-for-it-does-not/)

[Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/)

> [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [Sometimes a sign or a quote is simply interesting by itself and does not require anything beyond being framed on a page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/sometimes-a-sign-or-a-quote-is-simply-interesting-by-itself-and-does/)

[Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/)

> [A home is not a museum. It doesn't have to be furnished with Picasso paintings, or Sheraton suites, or Oriental rugs, or Chinese pottery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/a-home-is-not-a-museum-it-doesn-t-have-to-be-furnished-with-picasso/)

[James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [He's a fool that marries; but he's a greater fool that does not marry a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wycherley/he-s-a-fool-that-marries-but-he-s-a-greater-fool-that-does-not-marry/)

[William Wycherley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wycherley/)

> [Nothing old is ever reborn but neither does it totally disappear. And that which has once been born, will always reappear in a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-aalto/nothing-old-is-ever-reborn-but-neither-does-it-totally-disappear-and/)

[Alvar Aalto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-aalto/)

> [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. What the U.S. knows is that if you don't have a coalition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/one-of-the-things-the-united-states-does-well-is-building-coalitions/)

[Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/)

> [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. There's a reason the right does it and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/preaching-to-the-choir-actually-arms-the-choir-with-arguments-and/)

[Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [If Wall Street crashes, does Main Street follow? Not necessarily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/if-wall-street-crashes-does-main-street-follow-not-necessarily/)

[Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/)

> [It does not seem to me to be sufficiently recognized everywhere among the officials that the existence or non-existence of our people and Empire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-von-hindenburg/it-does-not-seem-to-me-to-be-sufficiently-recognized-everywhere-among/)

[Paul von Hindenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-von-hindenburg/)

[Browse all 25,574 Doe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "A merely symbolic religion does not threaten the ruling regime of materialistic science.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Nancy Pearcey"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/a-merely-symbolic-religion-does-not-threaten-the-ruling-regime-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Doe"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/a-merely-symbolic-religion-does-not-threaten-the-ruling-regime-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/nancy-pearcey-3368_doe_a-merely-symbolic-religion-does-not-thre_393357.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/nancy-pearcey-3368_doe_a-merely-symbolic-religion-does-not-thre_393357.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/nancy-pearcey-3368_doe_a-merely-symbolic-religion-does-not-thre_393357.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A merely symbolic religion does not threaten the ruling regime of materialistic science.” — Nancy Pearcey",
                "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": "Nancy Pearcey",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "A merely symbolic religion does not...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/a-merely-symbolic-religion-does-not-threaten-the-ruling-regime-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/a-merely-symbolic-religion-does-not-threaten-the-ruling-regime-of/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
