--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper…" description: "\"Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper, distinctly heard the voice of Jesus telling him to kill women, and he was locked up for life. George W. Bush say..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e1/richard-dawkins-115_destruction_peter-sutcliffe-the-yorkshire-ripper-dis_1308601.jpg" --- # Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper, distinctly heard… ![“Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper, distinctly heard the voice of Jesus telling him to kill women, and he was locked up for life. George W. Bush says that God told him to invade Iraq (a pity God didn't vouchsafe him a revelation that there were no weapons of mass destruction).” quote by Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e1/richard-dawkins-115_destruction_peter-sutcliffe-the-yorkshire-ripper-dis_1308601.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e1/richard-dawkins-115_destruction_peter-sutcliffe-the-yorkshire-ripper-dis_1308601.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e1/richard-dawkins-115_destruction_peter-sutcliffe-the-yorkshire-ripper-dis_1308601.jpg) > “Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper, distinctly heard the voice of Jesus telling him to kill women, and he was locked up for life. George W. Bush says that God told him to invade Iraq (a pity God didn't vouchsafe him a revelation that there were no weapons of mass destruction).” [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. Attributing violent acts to divine commands is a dangerous rationalization; it obscures personal responsibility and political motives. **In simple terms:** Divine justification for violence is flawed. Key Takeaway Question authority claims. Themes religion violence politics Mood critical skeptical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - terrorism - war propaganda Key Concepts moral responsibility critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - How do we separate belief from action? - What safeguards prevent misuse of faith? A Different Perspective Not all believers act violently. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Destruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destruction/) [Iraq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iraq/) [Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus/) [Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass/) [Pity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pity/) [Revelations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revelations/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) [Weapons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weapons/) [Weapons of mass destruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weapons-of-mass-destruction/) [Yorkshire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yorkshire/) ## Related quotes > [The President said that Gold told him to invade Iraq. You see that's what happens when you mix New Testament and Old Milwaukee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/the-president-said-that-gold-told-him-to-invade-iraq-you-see-that-s/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [One phrase I would dearly like to consign to the can is 'Out of the Box.' The thinking that told us we should invade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-brown/one-phrase-i-would-dearly-like-to-consign-to-the-can-is-out-of-the/) [Tina Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-brown/) > [“They all looked at me like I was telling them they had to kill puppies and strangle kittens.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-moody/they-all-looked-at-me-like-i-was-telling-them-they-had-to-kill/) [V. Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-moody/) > [The voices are telling me to kill you…aha just kidding! You should have saw your face! XD](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-g/the-voices-are-telling-me-to-kill-you-aha-just-kidding-you-should/) Jeremy G > [Gawd I'm tired of people telling me to kill myself. You know what I got to say to that right now? Fuck off! Im…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/gawd-i-m-tired-of-people-telling-me-to-kill-myself-you-know-what-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All of our lives end at one point in time.. right? Okay, so answer this for me. Why do you keep telling me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-of-our-lives-end-at-one-point-in-time-right-okay-so-answer-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Why are you telling me this?” Kath protested, getting to her feet. Keath was telling her how to kill him. “I just need you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalcee-clornel/why-are-you-telling-me-this-kath-protested-getting-to-her-feet-keath/) [Kalcee Clornel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalcee-clornel/) > [I hear Jesus telling us to stop negotiating with Him, to stop offering something we think we have in exchange for His blessings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-crabb/i-hear-jesus-telling-us-to-stop-negotiating-with-him-to-stop-offering/) [Larry Crabb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-crabb/) > [“When I watched all the children, their copper, brown, and beige faces staring up at me as I taught Sunday school, I felt that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/when-i-watched-all-the-children-their-copper-brown-and-beige-faces-2/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“I was just as black as I had been the day that I was born. Therefore, when I faced a congregation, it began to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/i-was-just-as-black-as-i-had-been-the-day-that-i-was-born-therefore/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“Jesus is calling the bluff of the religious. He says, why play this game? Why call me Lord as if you care who I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-harris/jesus-is-calling-the-bluff-of-the-religious-he-says-why-play-this/) [Joshua Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-harris/) > [“In short, you can’t have the truths without the Truth. Either Jesus is telling the truth about Himself, or He is lying about everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-arthur/in-short-you-can-t-have-the-truths-without-the-truth-either-jesus-is/) [Sarah Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-arthur/) > [“Jesus is not telling us to believe unbelievable things, as if that would somehow please God. He is much more saying to us, “Try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/jesus-is-not-telling-us-to-believe-unbelievable-things-as-if-that/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [I think that's the mother and father of all cop-outs. It's an honest scientific quest to discover where this apparent improbability comes from. Now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-think-that-s-the-mother-and-father-of-all-cop-outs-it-s-an-honest/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“he’d spent his whole life trying to make God love him—and that this didn’t matter in the slightest. All that mattered was that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mallon/he-d-spent-his-whole-life-trying-to-make-god-love-him-and-that-this/) [Thomas Mallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mallon/) ## 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 Destruction quotes > [For not only every democracy, but certainly every republic, bears within itself the seeds of its own destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-not-only-every-democracy-but-certainly-every-republic-bears/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There are no white lies, there is only the blackest of destruction, and a white lie is the blackest of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/there-are-no-white-lies-there-is-only-the-blackest-of-destruction-and/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [A time will come when the science of destruction shall bend before the arts of peace; when the genius which multiplies our powers, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-arago/a-time-will-come-when-the-science-of-destruction-shall-bend-before/) [Francois Arago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-arago/) > [Perhaps the greatest and least visible form of impoverishment caused by the Corporate State is the destruction of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-a-reich/perhaps-the-greatest-and-least-visible-form-of-impoverishment-caused/) [Charles A. Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-a-reich/) > [Somewhere somebody must have some sense. Men must see that force begets force, hate begets hate, toughness begets toughness. And it is all a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/somewhere-somebody-must-have-some-sense-men-must-see-that-force/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Death is but an aspect of life, and the destruction of one material form is but a prelude to building up of another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/death-is-but-an-aspect-of-life-and-the-destruction-of-one-material/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Hundreds of millions of human beings on our planet increasingly suffer from unemployment, poverty, hunger, and the destruction of their families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-kung/hundreds-of-millions-of-human-beings-on-our-planet-increasingly/) [Hans Kung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-kung/) > [Away with you, water, destruction of wine!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catullus/away-with-you-water-destruction-of-wine/) [Catullus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catullus/) > [Some voluntary castaways there will always be, whom no fostering kindness and no parental care can preserve from self-destruction; but if any are lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/some-voluntary-castaways-there-will-always-be-whom-no-fostering/) [Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/) > [“You are a lawmaker in your own right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/you-are-a-lawmaker-in-your-own-right/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [ No visiting angel, or explorer from another planet, could have guessed that this bland orb \[Earth\] teemed with vermin, with world-mastering, self-torturing, incipiently angelic… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/no-visiting-angel-or-explorer-from-another-planet-could-have-guessed/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) > [As far as I know, the question of whether and how it could be strategically or morally justified was never the subject of open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-far-as-i-know-the-question-of-whether-and-how-it-could-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Is there some lesson on how to be friends? I think what it means is that central to living a life that is good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rakoff/is-there-some-lesson-on-how-to-be-friends-i-think-what-it-means-is/) [David Rakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rakoff/) > [“We're on the eve of destruction. Men have lost all sense of honor. Power has become their faith instead of faith being their power.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atiq-rahimi/we-re-on-the-eve-of-destruction-men-have-lost-all-sense-of-honor/) Atiq Rahimi [Browse all 3,161 Destruction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destruction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper, distinctly heard the voice of Jesus telling him to kill women, and he was locked up for life. George W. 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