--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What is driving the tendency to discount…" description: "\"What is driving the tendency to discount Joseph Smith's revelations is not that they seem less reasonable than those of Moses; it is that the book cont..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9a/noah-feldman-12383_antiquity_what-is-driving-the-tendency-to-discount_1464179.jpg" --- # What is driving the tendency to discount Joseph Smith's… ![“What is driving the tendency to discount Joseph Smith's revelations is not that they seem less reasonable than those of Moses; it is that the book containing them is so new. When it comes to prophecy, antiquity breeds authenticity. Events in the distant past, we tend to think, occurred in sacred…” quote by Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9a/noah-feldman-12383_antiquity_what-is-driving-the-tendency-to-discount_1464179.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9a/noah-feldman-12383_antiquity_what-is-driving-the-tendency-to-discount_1464179.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9a/noah-feldman-12383_antiquity_what-is-driving-the-tendency-to-discount_1464179.jpg) > “What is driving the tendency to discount Joseph Smith's revelations is not that they seem less reasonable than those of Moses; it is that the book containing them is so new. When it comes to prophecy, antiquity breeds authenticity. Events in the distant past, we tend to think, occurred in sacred, mythic time.” [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) ## 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 argues that newer religious texts are discounted not because their ideas are less logical, but because their recent origin makes them seem less authentic compared to ancient scriptures. **In simple terms:** Newer revelations are doubted due to their recentness, not their reasonableness. Key Takeaway Recognize bias toward age when evaluating truth. Themes religion authority history perception authenticity Mood critical reflective inquisitive Type analytical historical philosophical When to use this quote - academic study of religion - interfaith dialogue - personal faith decisions - teaching religious history Key Concepts cognitive bias tradition scriptural authority Questions to Reflect On - How does the age of a text influence your trust in it? - Can modern revelations be as authentic as ancient ones? A Different Perspective Ancient texts may also contain errors, so age alone isn’t a reliable measure of truth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Antiquity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antiquity/) [Authenticity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authenticity/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Breeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breeds/) [Containing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/containing/) [Discount](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discount/) [Distant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distant/) [Driving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/driving/) [Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) [Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joseph/) [Joseph smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joseph-smith/) [Less](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/less/) [Moses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moses/) [Mythic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mythic/) [New](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new/) [Occurred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occurred/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Prophecy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prophecy/) [Prophecy Antiquity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prophecy-antiquity-5296707/) [Reasonable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reasonable/) [Revelations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revelations/) [Revelations Reasonable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revelations-reasonable-5296708/) [Sacred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacred/) [Seem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seem/) [Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smith/) [Smith Revelations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smith-revelations-5296706/) [Tend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tend/) [Tendency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tendency/) [Than](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/than/) [Them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/them/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Those](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/those/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Astronauts are like these mythic legends, but really, they are just regular people, people who wear chinos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/astronauts-are-like-these-mythic-legends-but-really-they-are-just/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [There's a lot of places where the image of a cube as a thing of power is pertinent. 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You can count on Scandinavian literature for a certain kind of darkness, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-abani/i-read-mostly-irish-african-japanese-south-american-and-african/) [Chris Abani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-abani/) > [I'd say that most of life seems to me to be that way, a mixture of the mundane and the mythic, when you're living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-foos/i-d-say-that-most-of-life-seems-to-me-to-be-that-way-a-mixture-of-the/) [Laurie Foos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-foos/) > [“I don't like the word 'allegorical', I don't like the word 'symbolic' - the word I really like is 'mythic', and people always think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/i-don-t-like-the-word-allegorical-i-don-t-like-the-word-symbolic-the/) [William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/) > [Beyond its romance, 'Titanic' offers an indelibly wrenching story of blind arrogance and its terrible consequences. It's the rare Hollywood adventure film that brings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-maslin/beyond-its-romance-titanic-offers-an-indelibly-wrenching-story-of/) [Janet Maslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-maslin/) > [I love mythic stuff. I love playing with gods, I love playing with myths. A lot of it has to do with that they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-love-mythic-stuff-i-love-playing-with-gods-i-love-playing-with/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I would love to approach, like, what are the lives of the people that actually play 'Mythic Quest,' because you have these devs that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-ganz/i-would-love-to-approach-like-what-are-the-lives-of-the-people-that/) [Megan Ganz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-ganz/) > [“To her he was still mythic, still larger than life, still the man who could deactivate monsters. He was also the man who made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-cawthon/to-her-he-was-still-mythic-still-larger-than-life-still-the-man-who/) [Scott Cawthon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-cawthon/) > [“Keep away from her," said Ameer Merchant, but once the inexorable dynamic of the mythic has been set in motion, you might as well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/keep-away-from-her-said-ameer-merchant-but-once-the-inexorable/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Like a lot of Irish households we read a lot of Irish history. 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President Eisenhower was eager to put an end to hostilities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/in-1953-after-the-armistice-ending-the-korean-war-south-korea-lay-in/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [The Chinese public is deeply nationalist, which matters to China's unelected political leadership as much as U.S. nationalism does to American politicians. As China…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/the-chinese-public-is-deeply-nationalist-which-matters-to-china-s/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [In an ideological age, diplomacy may seem weak and prosaic. But sometimes it is all we have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/in-an-ideological-age-diplomacy-may-seem-weak-and-prosaic-but/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [When we put our trust in diplomacy, it is not because it is an inspiring or uplifting discourse or because it helps us see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/when-we-put-our-trust-in-diplomacy-it-is-not-because-it-is-an/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [I have a 2-year-old son, and I know I'm dealing with a big, grand word when I can't point to the thing when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/i-have-a-2-year-old-son-and-i-know-i-m-dealing-with-a-big-grand-word/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [Prisoners, according to the law, who are non-U.S. citizens and are detained outside the U.S. - including in Guantanamo Bay - are denied 'habeas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/prisoners-according-to-the-law-who-are-non-u-s-citizens-and-are/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [In politics, Joseph Smith was something of a radical. 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But this is mostly myth. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/we-often-imagine-that-the-court-serves-as-a-sort-of-neutral-umpire/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) [Explore all 55 Noah Feldman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) ## More Antiquity quotes > [The clatter of a changing world is not pleasant, and those who have enjoyed the comforts and protection of the old order may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/the-clatter-of-a-changing-world-is-not-pleasant-and-those-who-have/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [Astrology is knocking at the gates of our universities: A Tübingen professor has switched over to astrology and a course on astrology was given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/astrology-is-knocking-at-the-gates-of-our-universities-a-t-bingen/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Everyone who wants to know what will happen ought to examine what has happened: everything in this world in any epoch has their replicas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/everyone-who-wants-to-know-what-will-happen-ought-to-examine-what-has/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [“A very long time ago, some 2.5 million years B.C., the mother of human species as we know it, our ultimate ancestor, appeared in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-f-cantor/a-very-long-time-ago-some-2-5-million-years-b-c-the-mother-of-human/) [Norman F. Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-f-cantor/) > [What subsists to-day by violence continues to-morrow by acquiescence and is perpetuated by tradition; till at last the hoary abuse shakes the gray hairs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-everett/what-subsists-to-day-by-violence-continues-to-morrow-by-acquiescence/) [Edward Everett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-everett/) > [“Since antiquity, men have defined themselves by those who are excluded.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-robinson/since-antiquity-men-have-defined-themselves-by-those-who-are-excluded/) [Jim Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-robinson/) > [While the business of education in Europe consists in lectures upon the ruins of Palmyra and the antiquities of Herculaneum , or in disputes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-rush/while-the-business-of-education-in-europe-consists-in-lectures-upon/) [Benjamin Rush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-rush/) > [In antiquity there was only silence. In the nineteenth century, with the invention of the machine, Noise was born. Today, Noise triumphs and reigns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luigi-russolo/in-antiquity-there-was-only-silence-in-the-nineteenth-century-with/) [Luigi Russolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luigi-russolo/) > [Arles is certainly one of the most interesting towns I have ever seen, whether viewed as a place remarkable for the objects of antiquity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/arles-is-certainly-one-of-the-most-interesting-towns-i-have-ever-seen/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [An established government has an infinite advantage, by that very circumstance of its being established--the bulk of mankind being governed by authority, not reason,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/an-established-government-has-an-infinite-advantage-by-that-very/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [In antiquity slaves were, in all honesty called slaves. In the middle ages, they took the name of serfs. Nowadays they are called wage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/in-antiquity-slaves-were-in-all-honesty-called-slaves-in-the-middle/) [Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) > [I was brought up in Florence, a beautiful medieval town whose rhythm is completely in antiquity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oleg-cassini/i-was-brought-up-in-florence-a-beautiful-medieval-town-whose-rhythm/) [Oleg Cassini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oleg-cassini/) > [Although Damascus is considered the oldest city in the world, the date of its foundation going beyond tradition, there are very few relics of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bayard-taylor/although-damascus-is-considered-the-oldest-city-in-the-world-the-date/) [Bayard Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bayard-taylor/) > [“Educated and ambitious, with their own forthright opinions, the women of the Garvey set did more to determine political direction than many councillors. 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