---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It does not matter to the killers if…"
description: "\"It does not matter to the killers if their victims are Christian or Muslim, Hindu or Humanist what matters is that they show that they can kill where t..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d58/rowan-williams-8580_christian_it-does-not-matter-to-the-killers-if-the_649476.jpg"
---

#  It does not matter to the killers if their victims are…

![“It does not matter to the killers if their victims are Christian or Muslim, Hindu or Humanist what matters is that they show that they can kill where they please.” quote by Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d58/rowan-williams-8580_christian_it-does-not-matter-to-the-killers-if-the_649476.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d58/rowan-williams-8580_christian_it-does-not-matter-to-the-killers-if-the_649476.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d58/rowan-williams-8580_christian_it-does-not-matter-to-the-killers-if-the_649476.jpg)

> “It does not matter to the killers if their victims are Christian or Muslim, Hindu or Humanist what matters is that they show that they can kill where they please.”

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

## About This Quote

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

Violence is indifferent to victims' beliefs; the act of killing is the focus of the perpetrators.

**In simple terms:** Killers care only about the act, not the victim's faith.

Key Takeaway

Recognize that hate is about power, not religion.

Themes

religion violence power indifference

Mood

somber critical

Type

political philosophical

When to use this quote

- conflict zones
- political rhetoric
- interfaith dialogue
- media reporting

Key Concepts

extremism dehumanization moral relativism

Questions to Reflect On

- How does power manifest in violent acts?
- Can empathy reduce such indifference?

A Different Perspective

The quote may oversimplify complex sociopolitical motives behind violence.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) [Hinduism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hinduism/) [Humanist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanist/) [Killers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killers/) [Victim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/victim/) [Victims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/victims/)

## Related quotes

> [Most well-known serial killers have victims numbering in the dozens, have sent taunting letters to the police or have done bizarre things to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-brown/most-well-known-serial-killers-have-victims-numbering-in-the-dozens/)

[Pat Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-brown/)

> [“What’s the difference?” Scroggins asked. “Kane?” Thorne put her on the spot. “In spree killing, the identity of the victims is secondary and oftentimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-travis/what-s-the-difference-scroggins-asked-kane-thorne-put-her-on-the-spot/)

[Todd Travis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-travis/)

> [I believe in art that is connected to real human feeling, that extends itself beyond the limits of the art world to embrace all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-chicago/i-believe-in-art-that-is-connected-to-real-human-feeling-that-extends/)

[Judy Chicago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-chicago/)

> [Central to being a humanist, which I am, is the core understanding that doubt and criticism are essential attributes in the quest for knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-lewis/central-to-being-a-humanist-which-i-am-is-the-core-understanding-that/)

[Clive Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-lewis/)

> [Only the free and personal man is a good citizen (realist), and even with the lack of particular (scholarly, artistic, etc)culture, a tasteful judge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-stirner/only-the-free-and-personal-man-is-a-good-citizen-realist-and-even/)

[Max Stirner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-stirner/)

> [“More I try to straighten my life, more I'm overcome with the paradox I am. Once the sea attains its vastness, it is impossible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/more-i-try-to-straighten-my-life-more-i-m-overcome-with-the-paradox-i/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [People find it difficult to call Lars' movies feminist. But they're humanist movies because they show a woman going through life and being in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-martin/people-find-it-difficult-to-call-lars-movies-feminist-but-they-re/)

[Stacy Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-martin/)

> [In the humanist ideal, the mainstream is where interesting debate, the generating of new ideas and creativity take place. In rational society this mainstream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/in-the-humanist-ideal-the-mainstream-is-where-interesting-debate-the/)

[John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/)

> [“Don't assume you understand Naskar, unless you've left your seat to the elderly on a bus, joined the religious festivities of a neighbor from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/don-t-assume-you-understand-naskar-unless-you-ve-left-your-seat-to/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [If a humanist or an atheist or an agnostic says, "We'll bake you a pie," we can go right into the kitchen and bake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madalyn-murray-o-hair/if-a-humanist-or-an-atheist-or-an-agnostic-says-we-ll-bake-you-a-pie/)

[Madalyn Murray O'Hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madalyn-murray-o-hair/)

> [As a citizen, hopefully I'm humanist. As an artist, I'm free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/as-a-citizen-hopefully-i-m-humanist-as-an-artist-i-m-free/)

[Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/)

> [“The same Sermon on the Mount that influenced Tolstoy to write “The Kingdom of God is Within You”, inspired me to a great extent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/the-same-sermon-on-the-mount-that-influenced-tolstoy-to-write-the/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [The only difference between a Religious Humanist and a Secular Humanist is what they do on Sunday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-edwords/the-only-difference-between-a-religious-humanist-and-a-secular/)

Fred Edwords

> [“Pilgrim of the heart, oneness in our vein - love is the revolution, Human is the name.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/pilgrim-of-the-heart-oneness-in-our-vein-love-is-the-revolution-human/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [I'm a humanist at heart: at the end of the day, we are all human beings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chet-faker/i-m-a-humanist-at-heart-at-the-end-of-the-day-we-are-all-human-beings/)

[Chet Faker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chet-faker/)

## More by Rowan Williams

> [A flourishing, morally credible media is a vital component in the maintenance of genuinely public talk, argument about common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/a-flourishing-morally-credible-media-is-a-vital-component-in-the/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [Religion has always been a matter of community building; a matter of building precisely those relations of compassion, fellow feeling and - I dare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/religion-has-always-been-a-matter-of-community-building-a-matter-of/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [“By affirming that all 'meaning,' every assertion about the significance of life and reality, must be judged by reference to a brief succession of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/by-affirming-that-all-meaning-every-assertion-about-the-significance/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [I have, by God’s grace, learned as a member of the Christian community what is the nature of God’s mercy, which does not leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/i-have-by-god-s-grace-learned-as-a-member-of-the-christian-community/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [We can at least see that the question is asked, and asked on the basis of a clear recognition that there is no way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/we-can-at-least-see-that-the-question-is-asked-and-asked-on-the-basis/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [In sharp contrast to the idea that this stage of life is enviable, we hear high levels of anxiety about getting old, anxieties about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/in-sharp-contrast-to-the-idea-that-this-stage-of-life-is-enviable-we/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [Loneliness has little to do with what we do or where we do it, whether we're married or unmarried, optimists or pessimists, heterosexual or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/loneliness-has-little-to-do-with-what-we-do-or-where-we-do-it-whether/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [At the end of the Middle Ages, nobody would ever have expected the monasteries to vanish from the scene within a generation - yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/at-the-end-of-the-middle-ages-nobody-would-ever-have-expected-the/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [We discover too late that we have turned a blind eye to the extinction of a species that is essential to the balance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/we-discover-too-late-that-we-have-turned-a-blind-eye-to-the/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [Serving democracy and nourishing the common good is, for the media, something that requires not only attacking corrupt secrecies in a society, but also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/serving-democracy-and-nourishing-the-common-good-is-for-the-media/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [I do feel that federation, loose parallel processes, are less than we've got, less than we could have and, in the very long run,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/i-do-feel-that-federation-loose-parallel-processes-are-less-than-we/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [Quite a lot of our contemporary culture is actually shot through with a resentment of limits and the passage of time, anger at what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/quite-a-lot-of-our-contemporary-culture-is-actually-shot-through-with/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [Whether something is old-fashioned or not doesn't resolve the question of whether it's true or not. I can see the temptation of simply thinking,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/whether-something-is-old-fashioned-or-not-doesn-t-resolve-the/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [“Two hermits lived together for many years without a quarrel. One said to the other, “Let’s have a quarrel with each other, as other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/two-hermits-lived-together-for-many-years-without-a-quarrel-one-said/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [“Christians will be found in the neighbourhood of Jesus – but Jesus is found in the neighbourhood of human confusion and suffering, defencelessly alongside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/christians-will-be-found-in-the-neighbourhood-of-jesus-but-jesus-is/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

[Explore all 79 Rowan Williams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

## More Christian quotes

> [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/)

[Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/)

> [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/)

[Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/)

> [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Why do Christians sing when they are together? The reason is, quite simply, because in singing together it is possible for them to speak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/why-do-christians-sing-when-they-are-together-the-reason-is-quite/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [I'm very used to working with first time actors - you can just look back at 'E.T.' with Drew Barrymore, and Christian Bale from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-m-very-used-to-working-with-first-time-actors-you-can-just-look/)

[Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/)

> [“A question for Christians who accept evolution: When did we gain a "soul"? Did Homo habilis have a soul? Homo ergaster? Did God only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-g-mcafee/a-question-for-christians-who-accept-evolution-when-did-we-gain-a/)

[David G. McAfee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-g-mcafee/)

> [Always have the fear of God in your heart, and remember that God is always with you, everywhere, whether you are walking or sitting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennadius-of-constantinople/always-have-the-fear-of-god-in-your-heart-and-remember-that-god-is/)

[Gennadius of Constantinople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennadius-of-constantinople/)

> [For many, the call to be a Christian can seem demanding, even overwhelming. But we need not be afraid or feel inadequate. The Savior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-hales/for-many-the-call-to-be-a-christian-can-seem-demanding-even/)

[Robert D. Hales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-hales/)

> [A real Christian in an odd number anyway. He feels supreme love for One whom he has never seen, talks familiarly every day to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-real-christian-in-an-odd-number-anyway-he-feels-supreme-love-for/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When the Lord Jesus Christ became my surety . . . He went to Calvary's cross, and all my guilt was charged against Him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-allen-ironside/when-the-lord-jesus-christ-became-my-surety-he-went-to-calvary-s/)

[Henry Allen Ironside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-allen-ironside/)

> [The world's history is a divine poem, of which the history of every nation is a canto, and every man a word. Its strains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/the-world-s-history-is-a-divine-poem-of-which-the-history-of-every/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [Poor David Hume is dying fast, but with more real cheerfulness and good humor and with more real resignation to the necessary course of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-smith/poor-david-hume-is-dying-fast-but-with-more-real-cheerfulness-and/)

[Adam Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-smith/)

> [“Is there any holy beings like human beings?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/is-there-any-holy-beings-like-human-beings/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/)

[Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/)

> [We need to discover all over again that worship is natural to the Christian, as it was to the godly Israelites who wrote the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-packer/we-need-to-discover-all-over-again-that-worship-is-natural-to-the/)

[J. I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/)

[Browse all 14,306 Christian quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It does not matter to the killers if their victims are Christian or Muslim, Hindu or Humanist what matters is that they show that they can kill where they please.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Rowan Williams"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/it-does-not-matter-to-the-killers-if-their-victims-are-christian-or/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Christian"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/it-does-not-matter-to-the-killers-if-their-victims-are-christian-or/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d58/rowan-williams-8580_christian_it-does-not-matter-to-the-killers-if-the_649476.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d58/rowan-williams-8580_christian_it-does-not-matter-to-the-killers-if-the_649476.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d58/rowan-williams-8580_christian_it-does-not-matter-to-the-killers-if-the_649476.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It does not matter to the killers if their victims are Christian or Muslim, Hindu or Humanist what matters…” — Rowan Williams",
                "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": "Rowan Williams",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It does not matter to the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/it-does-not-matter-to-the-killers-if-their-victims-are-christian-or/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/it-does-not-matter-to-the-killers-if-their-victims-are-christian-or/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
