--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is taboo in our society to criticize a…" description: "\"It is taboo in our society to criticize a persons religious faith... these taboos are offensive, deeply unreasonable, but worse than that, they are get..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c35/sam-harris-457_atheism_it-is-taboo-in-our-society-to-criticize_3219312.jpg" --- # It is taboo in our society to criticize a persons… ![“It is taboo in our society to criticize a persons religious faith... these taboos are offensive, deeply unreasonable, but worse than that, they are getting people killed. This is really my concern. My concern is that our religions, the diversity of our religious doctrines, is going to get us…” quote by Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c35/sam-harris-457_atheism_it-is-taboo-in-our-society-to-criticize_3219312.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c35/sam-harris-457_atheism_it-is-taboo-in-our-society-to-criticize_3219312.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c35/sam-harris-457_atheism_it-is-taboo-in-our-society-to-criticize_3219312.jpg) > “It is taboo in our society to criticize a persons religious faith... these taboos are offensive, deeply unreasonable, but worse than that, they are getting people killed. This is really my concern. My concern is that our religions, the diversity of our religious doctrines, is going to get us killed. I'm worried that our religious discourse- our religious beliefs are ultimately incompatible with civilization.” [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Religious intolerance can lead to violence; questioning faith is taboo but necessary for societal safety. **In simple terms:** Criticizing religion can be dangerous yet essential. Key Takeaway Question harmful doctrines openly. Themes religion violence free speech Mood thoughtful urgent Type philosophical political When to use this quote - public debate - policy making - interfaith dialogue Key Concepts ethics social cohesion Questions to Reflect On - How can societies balance critique and respect? - What safeguards prevent violence from belief? A Different Perspective Freedom of speech may clash with respect for belief. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Atheist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheist/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Discourse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discourse/) [Diversity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diversity/) [Doctrine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctrine/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Our society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-society/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) [Religious belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-belief/) [Religious beliefs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-beliefs/) [Religious faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-faith/) [Taboo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taboo/) ## Related quotes > [There can be no religious discourse which is in conflict with its environment and with the world and therefore, we Muslims need to modify…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdel-fattah-el-sisi/there-can-be-no-religious-discourse-which-is-in-conflict-with-its/) [Abdel Fattah el-Sisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdel-fattah-el-sisi/) > [“It is not of my concern what other religions or beliefs there are in the world as long as they are helping others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wyeijn/it-is-not-of-my-concern-what-other-religions-or-beliefs-there-are-in/) Wyeijn > [You are worried that the religious Right might succeed in forcing their values onto us? I am worried they might fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-lapin/you-are-worried-that-the-religious-right-might-succeed-in-forcing/) [Daniel Lapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-lapin/) > [“Saying that a certain religious discourse is based on this or that "metaphor'' dispenses the anthropologist from a detailed description of the intellectual processes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/saying-that-a-certain-religious-discourse-is-based-on-this-or-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I suggest that the representation of women deserves a much higher consideration in our religious discourse. When words are presented as if they come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-lynn-pearson/i-suggest-that-the-representation-of-women-deserves-a-much-higher/) [Carol Lynn Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-lynn-pearson/) > [“There are a whole lot of religious people in America, including the majority of Democrats. 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No one ever needs to identify himself as a "non-astrologer" or a "non-alchemist."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/in-fact-atheism-is-a-term-that-should-not-even-exist-no-one-ever/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [On the subject of religious belief, we relax standards of reasonableness and evidence that we rely on in every other area of our lives.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/on-the-subject-of-religious-belief-we-relax-standards-of/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“Your frequent claim that we must understand religious belief as a “social construct,” produced by “societal causes,” dependent upon “social and cultural institutions,” admitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/your-frequent-claim-that-we-must-understand-religious-belief-as-a/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The USA is so enormous, and so numerous are its schools, colleges and religious seminaries, many devoted to special religious beliefs ranging from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-medawar/the-usa-is-so-enormous-and-so-numerous-are-its-schools-colleges-and/) [Peter Medawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-medawar/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) ## More by Sam Harris > [“Moderates in every faith are obliged to loosely interpret (or simply ignore) much of their canons in the interests of living in the modern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/moderates-in-every-faith-are-obliged-to-loosely-interpret-or-simply/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [There is no question but that nominally religious scientists like Francis Collins and Kenneth R. Miller are doing lasting harm to our discourse by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/there-is-no-question-but-that-nominally-religious-scientists-like/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [We have Christians against Muslims against Jews, and no matter how liberal your theology, merely identifying yourself as a Christian or a Jew lends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/we-have-christians-against-muslims-against-jews-and-no-matter-how/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“Your principal concern appears to be that the Creator of the universe will take offense at something people do while naked. This prudery of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/your-principal-concern-appears-to-be-that-the-creator-of-the-universe/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“As manuals for contemplative understanding, the Bible and the Koran are worse than useless. 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The second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-second-commandment-is-thou-shall-not-construct-any-graven-images/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“But the reality of consciousness appears irreducible. Only consciousness can know itself—and directly, through first-person experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/but-the-reality-of-consciousness-appears-irreducible-only/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“Whether or not one likes Huntington's formulation, one thing is clear: the evil that has finally reached our shores is not merely the evil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/whether-or-not-one-likes-huntington-s-formulation-one-thing-is-clear/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The problem is that religion tends to give people bad reasons to be good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-problem-is-that-religion-tends-to-give-people-bad-reasons-to-be/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [Muslim moderates, wherever they are, must be given every tool necessary to win a war of ideas with their co-religionists. 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And yet, it is obvious that an utter revolution in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/what-could-possibly-cause-billions-of-human-beings-to-reconsider/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) [Explore all 543 Sam Harris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) ## More Atheism quotes > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. 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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/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [God speaks through me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/god-speaks-through-me/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/a-knowledge-of-the-existence-of-something-we-cannot-penetrate-of-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [You cannot ... transmute some incoherent mixture of words into sense merely by introducing the three-letter word "God" to be its grammatical subject.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-flew/you-cannot-transmute-some-incoherent-mixture-of-words-into-sense/) [Antony Flew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-flew/) > [Many humanists have argued that happiness involves a combination of hedonism and creative moral development; that an exuberant life fuses excellence and enjoyment, meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kurtz/many-humanists-have-argued-that-happiness-involves-a-combination-of/) [Paul Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kurtz/) > [If, with all the time at my disposal, with all the wealth of the resources of this vast universe, to do with as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/if-with-all-the-time-at-my-disposal-with-all-the-wealth-of-the/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [Do you think that was kind? 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