--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I say this because the Left has taken…" description: "\"I say this because the Left has taken what passes for their principles as an absolute religion. They don't think anymore. They just react. When they ha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc2/nat-hentoff-1615_absolutes_i-say-this-because-the-left-has-taken-wh_2606883.png" --- # I say this because the Left has taken what passes for… ![“I say this because the Left has taken what passes for their principles as an absolute religion. They don't think anymore. They just react. When they have somebody like [Barack] Obama whom they put into office, they believed in the religious sense and, of course, that is a large part of the reason…” quote by Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc2/nat-hentoff-1615_absolutes_i-say-this-because-the-left-has-taken-wh_2606883.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc2/nat-hentoff-1615_absolutes_i-say-this-because-the-left-has-taken-wh_2606883.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc2/nat-hentoff-1615_absolutes_i-say-this-because-the-left-has-taken-wh_2606883.png) > “I say this because the Left has taken what passes for their principles as an absolute religion. They don't think anymore. They just react. When they have somebody like \[Barack\] Obama whom they put into office, they believed in the religious sense and, of course, that is a large part of the reason for their silence on these issues.” [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author critiques how some on the Left treat their principles like a rigid doctrine, stifling critical thought and reacting without reflection. **In simple terms:** Left treated dogmatic; lack of critical thinking Key Takeaway Question rigid ideology Themes politics dogma critical thinking Mood critical concerned Type political analytical When to use this quote - political debates - media analysis - policy discussions Key Concepts ideology groupthink confirmation bias Questions to Reflect On - How can open dialogue replace doctrinal thinking? - What are the risks of treating principles as religion? A Different Perspective Rigid dogma can ignore nuance and lead to poor decisions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absolute Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolute-religion-1994285/) [Absolutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolutes/) [Barack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barack/) [Believed Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believed-religious-1994284/) [Courses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courses/) [Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues/) [Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left/) [Like Barack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-barack-398994/) [Office](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/office/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) [Religious Sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-sense-288423/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) [Taken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taken/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [“At the time, most Europeans believed that religious conformity was necessary to safeguard civil order, and they questioned how such a diverse colony could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-kidder/at-the-time-most-europeans-believed-that-religious-conformity-was/) [David S. 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