--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One of the things that is wrong with…" description: "\"One of the things that is wrong with religion is that it teaches us to be satisfied with answers which are not really answers at all.\" — Richard Dawkins" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50e/richard-dawkins-115_answers_one-of-the-things-that-is-wrong-with-rel_2314813.jpg" --- # One of the things that is wrong with religion is that it… ![“One of the things that is wrong with religion is that it teaches us to be satisfied with answers which are not really answers at all.” quote by Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50e/richard-dawkins-115_answers_one-of-the-things-that-is-wrong-with-rel_2314813.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50e/richard-dawkins-115_answers_one-of-the-things-that-is-wrong-with-rel_2314813.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50e/richard-dawkins-115_answers_one-of-the-things-that-is-wrong-with-rel_2314813.jpg) > “One of the things that is wrong with religion is that it teaches us to be satisfied with answers which are not really answers at all.” [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. Religion often offers answers that lack empirical support, leading to complacency. **In simple terms:** Religion gives unsatisfying answers. Key Takeaway Question assumptions critically. Themes religion skepticism knowledge truth Mood skeptical reflective Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - debates - education - personal belief - policy making Key Concepts philosophy epistemology faith Questions to Reflect On - Do you accept answers without evidence? - How can we seek deeper truth? A Different Perspective Answers may ignore complex realities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [Listen and watch the world around you. Don't be satisfied with answers others give you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avi/listen-and-watch-the-world-around-you-don-t-be-satisfied-with-answers/) [Avi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avi/) > [I am against religion because it teaches us to be satisfied with not understanding the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-am-against-religion-because-it-teaches-us-to-be-satisfied-with-not/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Religion teaches the dangerous nonsense that death is not the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/religion-teaches-the-dangerous-nonsense-that-death-is-not-the-end/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Religion teaches you to be satisfied with nonanswers. It’s a sort of crime against childhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/religion-teaches-you-to-be-satisfied-with-nonanswers-it-s-a-sort-of/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“More generally, as I shall repeat in Chapter 8, one of the truly bad effects of religion is that it teaches us that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/more-generally-as-i-shall-repeat-in-chapter-8-one-of-the-truly-bad/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [If you equate God's judgment with your judgment, you have a wrong religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/if-you-equate-god-s-judgment-with-your-judgment-you-have-a-wrong/) [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) > [I do not believe I should live by a book but by my heart cause no matter what I do itll be wrong to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ashmore/i-do-not-believe-i-should-live-by-a-book-but-by-my-heart-cause-no/) [Timothy Ashmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ashmore/) > [So much wrong could religion induce.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/so-much-wrong-could-religion-induce/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [But Marge, what if we chose the wrong religion? Each week we just make God madder and madder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-marge-what-if-we-chose-the-wrong-religion-each-week-we-just-make/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Religion to me is when man gets ahold of spirituality: "My god is right, yours is wrong." Religion to me is the human condition.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/religion-to-me-is-when-man-gets-ahold-of-spirituality-my-god-is-right/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [You see, it's been our misfortune to have the wrong religion. Why didn't we have the religion of the Japanese, who regard sacrifice for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/you-see-it-s-been-our-misfortune-to-have-the-wrong-religion-why-didn/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [Reflection of your faith in your conduct abroad if you do wrong, people you do not, you say the wrong religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/reflection-of-your-faith-in-your-conduct-abroad-if-you-do-wrong/) Mak\_786 > [“There is no room for rosy eyed acceptance of the cultural decay around us. Highly suspect will be any Christian literary and cultural critic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-swanson/there-is-no-room-for-rosy-eyed-acceptance-of-the-cultural-decay/) [Kevin Swanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-swanson/) > [Marx was wrong--religion is not the opiate of the masses, baseball is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madalyn-murray-o-hair/marx-was-wrong-religion-is-not-the-opiate-of-the-masses-baseball-is/) [Madalyn Murray O'Hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madalyn-murray-o-hair/) > [I think that what went wrong with religion is the same thing that went wrong with politics. Is that it became too money based…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-davies/i-think-that-what-went-wrong-with-religion-is-the-same-thing-that/) [Dave Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-davies/) ## 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 Answers quotes > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [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/) > [“As long as you keep searching,the answers will come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kynock/as-long-as-you-keep-searching-the-answers-will-come/) [Mitch Kynock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kynock/) > [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/) [Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/) > [A religious person answers to God, not to the elected or non-elected official.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/a-religious-person-answers-to-god-not-to-the-elected-or-non-elected/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. The lyrics are the answer to all your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-asking-a-girl-how-she-feels-try-looking-through-her/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [Enjoying life isn't about finding the answers, but living the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-margolis/enjoying-life-isn-t-about-finding-the-answers-but-living-the-questions/) [Sue Margolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-margolis/) Browse all 7,843 Answers quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "One of the things that is wrong with religion is that it teaches us to be satisfied with answers which are not really answers at all.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Dawkins" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/one-of-the-things-that-is-wrong-with-religion-is-that-it-teaches-us/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Answers" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/one-of-the-things-that-is-wrong-with-religion-is-that-it-teaches-us/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50e/richard-dawkins-115_answers_one-of-the-things-that-is-wrong-with-rel_2314813.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50e/richard-dawkins-115_answers_one-of-the-things-that-is-wrong-with-rel_2314813.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50e/richard-dawkins-115_answers_one-of-the-things-that-is-wrong-with-rel_2314813.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“One of the things that is wrong with religion is that it teaches us to be satisfied with answers which are…” — 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": "One of the things that is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/one-of-the-things-that-is-wrong-with-religion-is-that-it-teaches-us/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/one-of-the-things-that-is-wrong-with-religion-is-that-it-teaches-us/#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 } } ] } ```