Abortion Quote by Sam Harris
“Indeed, religion allows people to imagine that their concerns are moral when they are highly immoral - that is, when pressing these concerns inflicts unnecessary and appalling suffering on innocent human beings. This explains why Christians like yourself expend more "moral" energy opposing abortion than fighting genocide. It explains why you are more concerned about human embryos than about the lifesaving promise of stem-cell research. And it explains why you can preach against condom use in sub-Saharan Africa while millions die from AIDS there each year. (25)”
About This Quote
Religion can mask immoral actions as moral, leading to misplaced moral energy on issues like abortion over genocide.
In simple terms: Religion may justify harmful actions as moral.
Key Takeaway
Critically assess moral claims regardless of source.
Themes
ethics
religion
hypocrisy
Mood
critical
skeptical
Type
philosophical
controversial
When to use this quote
- abortion debates
- genocide prevention
- public health
Key Concepts
moral psychology
social policy
Questions to Reflect On
- Why do people prioritize certain moral issues?
- How can we align moral energy with actual harm reduction?
![“Moderates in every faith are obliged to loosely interpret (or simply ignore) much of their canons in the interests of living in the modern world. [...] The first thing to observe about the moderate’s retreat from scriptural literalism is that it draws its inspiration not from scripture but from…” quote by Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b44/sam-harris-457_bible_moderates-in-every-faith-are-obliged-to_6967.jpg)
