--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If children were taught to question and…" description: "\"“If children were taught to question and think through their beliefs, instead of being taught the superior virtue of faith without question, it is a go..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74c/richard-dawkins-115_children_if-children-were-taught-to-question-and_2175168.jpg" --- # If children were taught to question and think through… ![“If children were taught to question and think through their beliefs, instead of being taught the superior virtue of faith without question, it is a good bet that there would be no suicide bombers. Suicide bombers do what they do because they really believe what they were taught in their religious…” quote by Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74c/richard-dawkins-115_children_if-children-were-taught-to-question-and_2175168.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74c/richard-dawkins-115_children_if-children-were-taught-to-question-and_2175168.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74c/richard-dawkins-115_children_if-children-were-taught-to-question-and_2175168.jpg) > ““If children were taught to question and think through their beliefs, instead of being taught the superior virtue of faith without question, it is a good bet that there would be no suicide bombers. Suicide bombers do what they do because they really believe what they were taught in their religious schools: that duty to God exceeds all other priorities, and that martyrdom in his service will be rewarded in the gardens of Paradise.”” [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Critical thinking and questioning religious teachings could reduce extremist violence driven by unexamined faith. **In simple terms:** Questioning faith may prevent extremist acts. Key Takeaway Encourage critical inquiry in education. Themes education religion extremism critical thinking Mood concerned thoughtful Type analytical persuasive When to use this quote - school curricula - parental guidance - community workshops - interfaith dialogue Key Concepts dogma radicalization psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can societies foster questioning without alienating believers? - What role does education play in preventing radicalization? A Different Perspective Changing deep-seated beliefs is difficult and may face resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Suicide bombers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suicide-bombers/) ## Related quotes > [If children were taught to question and think through their beliefs, instead of being taught the superior virtue of faith without question, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/if-children-were-taught-to-question-and-think-through-their-beliefs/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“Faith is an evil precisely because it requires no justification and brooks no argument. Teaching children that unquestioned faith is a virtue primes them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/faith-is-an-evil-precisely-because-it-requires-no-justification-and/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [There is all the difference in the world between teaching children about religion and handing them over to be taught by the religious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polly-toynbee/there-is-all-the-difference-in-the-world-between-teaching-children/) [Polly Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polly-toynbee/) > [Those who say they believe in God and yet neither love nor fear Him, do not in fact believe in Him but in those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-unamuno/those-who-say-they-believe-in-god-and-yet-neither-love-nor-fear-him/) [Miguel de Unamuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-unamuno/) > [My dad taught me my faith, and I believe what he taught me. The man never lied to me in his life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-gibson/my-dad-taught-me-my-faith-and-i-believe-what-he-taught-me-the-man/) [Mel Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-gibson/) > [A cat is more intelligent than people believe, and can be taught any crime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/a-cat-is-more-intelligent-than-people-believe-and-can-be-taught-any/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [As long as we accept the principle that religious faith must be respected simply because it is religious faith, it is hard to withhold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/as-long-as-we-accept-the-principle-that-religious-faith-must-be/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [It doesn't hurt me. I'm not governed by the fear of what other people say. Events don't elicit feelings; I think beliefs elicit feelings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-kelly/it-doesn-t-hurt-me-i-m-not-governed-by-the-fear-of-what-other-people/) [Chip Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-kelly/) > [But that's part of faith. Believing and knowing despite what other people say, and despite what the world might think of your beliefs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/but-that-s-part-of-faith-believing-and-knowing-despite-what-other/) [James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) > [One reason why I recommend the abandonment of religious beliefs is because I think those beliefs are wrong. There is no evidence that our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-levay/one-reason-why-i-recommend-the-abandonment-of-religious-beliefs-is/) [Simon LeVay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-levay/) > [People often ask me whether I believe in God. I haven't seen God. But I think that one's beliefs are one's God - and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapil-dev/people-often-ask-me-whether-i-believe-in-god-i-haven-t-seen-god-but-i/) [Kapil Dev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapil-dev/) > [“Many signs point to the fact that the youth of the Third World will no longer tolerate living in circumstances that give them no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rom-o-dallaire/many-signs-point-to-the-fact-that-the-youth-of-the-third-world-will/) [Roméo Dallaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rom-o-dallaire/) > [I did a study of soldiers returning from Iraq, and their levels of PTSD were much higher if they had had to shoot a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-bloom/i-did-a-study-of-soldiers-returning-from-iraq-and-their-levels-of/) [Mia Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-bloom/) > [The suicide bombers who struck London on 7 July 2005 killed 52 innocent people and wounded hundreds more. All of them must live with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-suicide-bombers-who-struck-london-on-7-july-2005-killed-52/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't just denounce suicide bombers. I denounce those governments which use indiscriminate slaughter to advance their foreign policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-livingstone/i-don-t-just-denounce-suicide-bombers-i-denounce-those-governments/) [Ken Livingstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-livingstone/) ## More by Richard Dawkins > [At the deepest level, all living things that have ever been looked at have the same DNA code. And many of the same genes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/at-the-deepest-level-all-living-things-that-have-ever-been-looked-at/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [The word 'mundane' has come to mean 'boring' and 'dull', and it really shouldn't - it should mean the opposite. Because it comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-word-mundane-has-come-to-mean-boring-and-dull-and-it-really/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [We animals are the most complicated things in the known universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-animals-are-the-most-complicated-things-in-the-known-universe/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“The fundamentalist Kurt Wise proclaims that all the evidence in the universe would not change his mind. The true scientist, however passionately he may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-fundamentalist-kurt-wise-proclaims-that-all-the-evidence-in-the/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“I have found it an amusing strategy, when asked whether I am an atheist, to point out that the questioner is also an atheist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-have-found-it-an-amusing-strategy-when-asked-whether-i-am-an/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Religions do make claims about the universe--the same kinds of claims that scientists make, except they're usually false.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/religions-do-make-claims-about-the-universe-the-same-kinds-of-claims/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“much of the Bible is not systematically evil but just plain weird, as you would expect of a chaotically cobbled-together anthology of disjointed documents,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/much-of-the-bible-is-not-systematically-evil-but-just-plain-weird-as/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [The recurrent laryngeal nerve - which runs from the head to the voice box - goes all the way down into the chest, loops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-recurrent-laryngeal-nerve-which-runs-from-the-head-to-the-voice/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [The Roman Catholic Church is an institution for whose gains the phrase "ill-gotten" might have been specially invented. And of all its money-making rip-offs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-roman-catholic-church-is-an-institution-for-whose-gains-the/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Let us understand what our own selfish genes are up to because we may then at least have the chance to upset their designs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/let-us-understand-what-our-own-selfish-genes-are-up-to-because-we-may/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [What's going to happen when I die? I may be buried, or I may be cremated, I may give my body to science. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/what-s-going-to-happen-when-i-die-i-may-be-buried-or-i-may-be/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Or why it is acceptable to train fast runners and high jumpers but not to breed them. I can think of some answers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/or-why-it-is-acceptable-to-train-fast-runners-and-high-jumpers-but/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [We have seen that living things are too improbable and too beautifully 'designed' to have come into existence by chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-have-seen-that-living-things-are-too-improbable-and-too/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“We will not go quietly away. If in the future that requires violence”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-will-not-go-quietly-away-if-in-the-future-that-requires-violence/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [It's a truly disgusting idea that the creator of the universe - capable of inventing the laws of physics and designing the evolutionary process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/it-s-a-truly-disgusting-idea-that-the-creator-of-the-universe-capable/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) [Explore all 1,239 Richard Dawkins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/) [Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) [Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If children were taught to question and think through their beliefs, instead of being taught the superior virtue of faith without question, it is a good bet that there would be no suicide bombers. Suicide bombers do what they do because they really believe what they were taught in their religious schools: that duty to God exceeds all other priorities, and that martyrdom in his service will be rewarded in the gardens of Paradise.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Dawkins" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/if-children-were-taught-to-question-and-think-through-their-beliefs-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Children" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/if-children-were-taught-to-question-and-think-through-their-beliefs-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74c/richard-dawkins-115_children_if-children-were-taught-to-question-and_2175168.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74c/richard-dawkins-115_children_if-children-were-taught-to-question-and_2175168.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74c/richard-dawkins-115_children_if-children-were-taught-to-question-and_2175168.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If children were taught to question and think through their beliefs, instead of being taught the superior…” — Richard Dawkins", "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": "Richard Dawkins", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“If children were taught to question...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/if-children-were-taught-to-question-and-think-through-their-beliefs-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/if-children-were-taught-to-question-and-think-through-their-beliefs-2/#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 } } ] } ```