---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think religious individualism doesn't…"
description: "\"I think religious individualism doesn't fulfill impulses toward community and solidarity and it doesn't necessarily work for people when things go real..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc2/ross-douthat-2949_bad_i-think-religious-individualism-doesn-t_2075335.png"
---

#  I think religious individualism doesn't fulfill impulses…

![“I think religious individualism doesn't fulfill impulses toward community and solidarity and it doesn't necessarily work for people when things go really bad.” quote by Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc2/ross-douthat-2949_bad_i-think-religious-individualism-doesn-t_2075335.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc2/ross-douthat-2949_bad_i-think-religious-individualism-doesn-t_2075335.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc2/ross-douthat-2949_bad_i-think-religious-individualism-doesn-t_2075335.png)

> “I think religious individualism doesn't fulfill impulses toward community and solidarity and it doesn't necessarily work for people when things go really bad.”

[Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Individualistic religion often neglects communal needs, making it less effective in crises.

**In simple terms:** Religion focused on the self may fail in hard times.

Key Takeaway

Balance personal belief with community support.

Themes

community religion solidarity individualism

Mood

analytical critical

Type

theoretical philosophical

When to use this quote

- family emergencies
- natural disasters
- economic downturns
- personal crises

Key Concepts

Social cohesion theology psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- How can religious practice nurture both self and others?
- What structures help faith communities respond to crises?

A Different Perspective

Individualism can also foster resilience and personal agency.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Individualism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individualism/) [Individualism Doesn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individualism-doesn-4026872/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religious Individualism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-individualism-3044066/) [Solidarity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solidarity/) [Solidarity Doesn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solidarity-doesn-3402404/) [Think Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-religious-954467/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/)

## Related quotes

> [“Just when we are in many ways moving to an ever greater validation of the sacredness of the individual person, our capacity to imagine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-n-bellah/just-when-we-are-in-many-ways-moving-to-an-ever-greater-validation-of/)

[Robert N. Bellah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-n-bellah/)

> [When economic conditions are difficult, people tend to be less generous and protect themselves; the question of solidarity doesn't mean much to them at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/when-economic-conditions-are-difficult-people-tend-to-be-less/)

[Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/)

> [When I was an adolescent, I was obsessed with having many commercial things, cars, clothes, stupid things. Now that I have all that, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/till-lindemann/when-i-was-an-adolescent-i-was-obsessed-with-having-many-commercial/)

[Till Lindemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/till-lindemann/)

> [“Religion may not be something you approve of, and that's just fine. But agrarian religious culture is going to be powerful. If you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-astyk/religion-may-not-be-something-you-approve-of-and-that-s-just-fine-but/)

[Sharon Astyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-astyk/)

> [If you tell people you talk to God, they'll think you're religious, but if you say God talks to you, it's ten to one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fulghum/if-you-tell-people-you-talk-to-god-they-ll-think-you-re-religious-but/)

[Robert Fulghum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fulghum/)

> [I think religious movies are more of a subset of the broader historical trend, and also the fact that there is more history in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolph-lundgren/i-think-religious-movies-are-more-of-a-subset-of-the-broader/)

[Dolph Lundgren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolph-lundgren/)

> [I think that religious culture and the industry of religion pretty much deserves most of the heat that it gets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramy-youssef/i-think-that-religious-culture-and-the-industry-of-religion-pretty/)

[Ramy Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramy-youssef/)

> [Those who do not think religious organizations should have an opinion on climate change misunderstand the former and the moral dimension of the latter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blase-j-cupich/those-who-do-not-think-religious-organizations-should-have-an-opinion/)

[Blase J. Cupich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blase-j-cupich/)

> [We must not think that religious concerns swamped all other social activities. They simply provided a focal point for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/we-must-not-think-that-religious-concerns-swamped-all-other-social/)

[Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/)

> [There can never be any real opposition between religion and science; for the one is the complement of the other. Every serious and reflective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-planck/there-can-never-be-any-real-opposition-between-religion-and-science/)

[Max Planck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-planck/)

> [I think most religious belief structures are essentially like mind viruses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/panos-cosmatos/i-think-most-religious-belief-structures-are-essentially-like-mind/)

[Panos Cosmatos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/panos-cosmatos/)

> [I don't think in the religious way that most people associate that word with, but Hern is a committed guy. He's doing the hardest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-richardson/i-don-t-think-in-the-religious-way-that-most-people-associate-that/)

[John H Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-richardson/)

> [I don't think my religious convictions should be held against me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/i-don-t-think-my-religious-convictions-should-be-held-against-me/)

[Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/)

> [I think I'm a very religious person. I think I believe in God as much as any man does. I don't only believe in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-gaines/i-think-i-m-a-very-religious-person-i-think-i-believe-in-god-as-much/)

[Ernest Gaines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-gaines/)

> [To me, ideology is corrupt; it's a parasite on religious structures. To be an ideologue is to have all of the terrible things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-peterson/to-me-ideology-is-corrupt-it-s-a-parasite-on-religious-structures-to/)

[Jordan Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-peterson/)

## More by Ross Douthat

> [Human beings seek community, and permanent openness is hard to sustain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/human-beings-seek-community-and-permanent-openness-is-hard-to-sustain/)

[Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/)

> [The American intelligentsia has been pretty secular for a long time. There have always been figures like Oprah Winfrey, let's put it that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/the-american-intelligentsia-has-been-pretty-secular-for-a-long-time/)

[Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/)

> [On the evidence we have, the meritocratic ideal ends up being just as undemocratic as the old emphasis on inheritance and tradition, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/on-the-evidence-we-have-the-meritocratic-ideal-ends-up-being-just-as/)

[Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/)

> [“The physical vanity of the diet-and-exercise obsessive is recast as the pursuit of a kind of ritual purity, hedged about with taboos and guilt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/the-physical-vanity-of-the-diet-and-exercise-obsessive-is-recast-as/)

[Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/)

> [There were times at Harvard when I actually longed to hang out with a few more Trotskyists, rather than yet another set of future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/there-were-times-at-harvard-when-i-actually-longed-to-hang-out-with-a/)

[Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/)

> [Many things about American life, that even secular people consider good, have flowed from the presence of a robust, resilient institutional Christianity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/many-things-about-american-life-that-even-secular-people-consider/)

[Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/)

> [“What he felt during his Spanish encounter with left-wing anti-Christianity was similar to his reactions to the anti-Christianity of the right. The "novelty and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/what-he-felt-during-his-spanish-encounter-with-left-wing-anti/)

[Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/)

> [“In an age of stagnant or declining birthrates, too, these communities’ willingness to heed the admonition to be fruitful and multiply has led to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/in-an-age-of-stagnant-or-declining-birthrates-too-these-communities/)

[Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/)

> [America's problem isn't too much religion or too little of it. It's bad religion: the slow-motion collapse of traditional Christianity and the rise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/america-s-problem-isn-t-too-much-religion-or-too-little-of-it-it-s/)

[Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/)

> [I do think you can see, throughout American history, this temptation, and it's both a liberal and a conservative temptation, to take a healthy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/i-do-think-you-can-see-throughout-american-history-this-temptation/)

[Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/)

> [Where conservative Catholics have the power to resist what seem like false ideas or disastrous innovations they must do so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/where-conservative-catholics-have-the-power-to-resist-what-seem-like/)

[Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/)

> [It is not white nationalism to believe that countries like the United States would be better off with more babies. That belief can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/it-is-not-white-nationalism-to-believe-that-countries-like-the-united/)

[Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/)

> [Most people want the convenience of the Internet far more than they want the private spaces that older forms of communication protected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/most-people-want-the-convenience-of-the-internet-far-more-than-they/)

[Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/)

> [If you live under a system that claims to have high ideals but seems ineradicably opposed to your own people's flourishing, the desire for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/if-you-live-under-a-system-that-claims-to-have-high-ideals-but-seems/)

[Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/)

> [Our crisis of the house divided was a Christian civil war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/our-crisis-of-the-house-divided-was-a-christian-civil-war/)

[Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/)

[Explore all 144 Ross Douthat quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/)

## More Bad quotes

> [If I am going to be phased out by whatever powers, then I want people to know that it is not because I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parvathy/if-i-am-going-to-be-phased-out-by-whatever-powers-then-i-want-people/)

[Parvathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parvathy/)

> [Sometimes I'm in a bad mood, sometimes I'm in a good mood. It's like everyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tricky/sometimes-i-m-in-a-bad-mood-sometimes-i-m-in-a-good-mood-it-s-like/)

[Tricky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tricky/)

> [Unfortunately, we all go through bad phases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sushmita-sen/unfortunately-we-all-go-through-bad-phases/)

[Sushmita Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sushmita-sen/)

> [The Derby experience had not been good for me and the way it finished left a very bad taste in my mouth so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-pearson/the-derby-experience-had-not-been-good-for-me-and-the-way-it-finished/)

[Nigel Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-pearson/)

> [What people tend to forget is the journey that I had getting to Formula One. There were plenty of years where I had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hamilton/what-people-tend-to-forget-is-the-journey-that-i-had-getting-to/)

[Lewis Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hamilton/)

> [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/)

[Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/)

> [I listen to heavy metal thanks to my son. When I argue with him on the kind of music he is listening to, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeenat-aman/i-listen-to-heavy-metal-thanks-to-my-son-when-i-argue-with-him-on-the/)

[Zeenat Aman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeenat-aman/)

> [I've said it before, good people are forced to do bad things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-cloud/i-ve-said-it-before-good-people-are-forced-to-do-bad-things/)

[Angus Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-cloud/)

> [“If any woman opens her legs for you, don't feel so lucky to be fed with nonsense, she has been a bitch for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/if-any-woman-opens-her-legs-for-you-don-t-feel-so-lucky-to-be-fed/)

[Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/)

> [One thing I always tell players is that there are three bad things: Nothing good happens after midnight, nothing good happens when you're around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-saban/one-thing-i-always-tell-players-is-that-there-are-three-bad-things/)

[Nick Saban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-saban/)

> [Everybody has bad days, but how you respond to it is a testament to whether you are a winner or a loser.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-gordon/everybody-has-bad-days-but-how-you-respond-to-it-is-a-testament-to/)

[Aaron Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-gordon/)

> [Obviously I'm very grateful 'Bad Guy' is doing so well - it's shocking and surprising and gratifying - but I do think it's important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/finneas/obviously-i-m-very-grateful-bad-guy-is-doing-so-well-it-s-shocking/)

[Finneas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/finneas/)

> [I felt pretty good growing up. I didnt feel a lot of prejudice or racism. But I do remember, if there was going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-henry-hwang/i-felt-pretty-good-growing-up-i-didnt-feel-a-lot-of-prejudice-or/)

[David Henry Hwang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-henry-hwang/)

> [If you read 'Lord of the Rings' and dismiss it as a lie because it has orcs and elves, you're missing the whole point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-tennapel/if-you-read-lord-of-the-rings-and-dismiss-it-as-a-lie-because-it-has/)

[Doug TenNapel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-tennapel/)

> [My conscience is really active. So I feel bad about spending excess amount of money on things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd/my-conscience-is-really-active-so-i-feel-bad-about-spending-excess/)

[Syd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd/)

[Browse all 7,973 Bad quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I think religious individualism doesn't fulfill impulses toward community and solidarity and it doesn't necessarily work for people when things go really bad.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ross Douthat"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/i-think-religious-individualism-doesn-t-fulfill-impulses-toward/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bad"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/i-think-religious-individualism-doesn-t-fulfill-impulses-toward/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc2/ross-douthat-2949_bad_i-think-religious-individualism-doesn-t_2075335.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc2/ross-douthat-2949_bad_i-think-religious-individualism-doesn-t_2075335.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc2/ross-douthat-2949_bad_i-think-religious-individualism-doesn-t_2075335.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I think religious individualism doesn't fulfill impulses toward community and solidarity and it doesn't…” — Ross Douthat",
                "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": "Ross Douthat",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I think religious individualism doesn't fulfill...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/i-think-religious-individualism-doesn-t-fulfill-impulses-toward/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/i-think-religious-individualism-doesn-t-fulfill-impulses-toward/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
