--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Moderates in every faith are obliged to…" description: "\"“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. No d..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5e/sam-harris-457_faith_moderates-in-every-faith-are-obliged-to_265770.jpg" --- # Moderates in every faith are obliged to loosely interpret… ![“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. No doubt an obscure truth of economics is at work here: societies appear to become considerably less productive whenever large numbers of people stop…” quote by Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5e/sam-harris-457_faith_moderates-in-every-faith-are-obliged-to_265770.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5e/sam-harris-457_faith_moderates-in-every-faith-are-obliged-to_265770.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5e/sam-harris-457_faith_moderates-in-every-faith-are-obliged-to_265770.jpg) > ““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. No doubt an obscure truth of economics is at work here: societies appear to become considerably less productive whenever large numbers of people stop making widgets and begin killing their customers and creditors for heresy. The first thing to observe about the moderate's retreat from scriptural literalism is that it draws its inspiration not from scripture but from cultural developments that have rendered many of God's utterances difficult to accept as written.”” [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. Moderates reinterpret or ignore doctrines to fit modern life, but this can reduce productivity when belief shifts to conflict. **In simple terms:** Changing beliefs for modernity can harm society. Key Takeaway Balance tradition with modern values responsibly. Themes religion modernity productivity Mood critical reflective Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - policy - education - community leadership - interfaith dialogue Key Concepts cultural adaptation economic impact Questions to Reflect On - How can societies stay productive while evolving beliefs? - What role should tradition play in modern life? A Different Perspective Over‑reinterpretation may dilute core values. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Literalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literalism/) [Modern world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-world/) ## Related quotes > [“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/) > [“The doors leading out of scriptural literalism do not open from the inside. The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-doors-leading-out-of-scriptural-literalism-do-not-open-from-the-2/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“The doors leading out of scriptural literalism do not open from the inside. The moderation we see among nonfundamentalists is not some sign that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-doors-leading-out-of-scriptural-literalism-do-not-open-from-the/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [Entrenched scriptural literalism is, in my opinion, completely out of touch with reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/entrenched-scriptural-literalism-is-in-my-opinion-completely-out-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The battleground has been moderates of all faith traditions in all the countries of the world against the radicals of all faith traditions in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/feisal-abdul-rauf/the-battleground-has-been-moderates-of-all-faith-traditions-in-all/) [Feisal Abdul Rauf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/feisal-abdul-rauf/) > [In reality, there are no biblical literalists, only selective literalists. By abolishing slavery and ordaining women, millions of Protestants have gone far beyond biblical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/in-reality-there-are-no-biblical-literalists-only-selective/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [On the first page of the Bible there is an instance of how literalism is but an invitation to transcend the image to which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sittler/on-the-first-page-of-the-bible-there-is-an-instance-of-how-literalism/) [Joseph Sittler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sittler/) > [My spiritual evolution I would describe as journey from literalism to figuratism. 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Taking literally ancient parables from thousands of years ago…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/of-course-when-you-shut-off-your-brain-from-rational-analysis-any/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [“If there were such a thing as terminal literalism, you'd have died in childhood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/if-there-were-such-a-thing-as-terminal-literalism-you-d-have-died-in/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [All science is intelligent inference; excessive literalism is delusion, not a humble bowing to evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/all-science-is-intelligent-inference-excessive-literalism-is-delusion/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [But to read all Scripture narratives as if they were eye-witness reports in a modern newspaper, and to ignore the poetic and imaginative form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-packer/but-to-read-all-scripture-narratives-as-if-they-were-eye-witness/) [J. I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/) > [When you translate the Bible with excessive literalism, you demythologize it. The possibility of a convincing reference to the individual's own spiritual experience is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/when-you-translate-the-bible-with-excessive-literalism-you/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [“Only 8000 different words appear in the Hebrew Bible, compared to the 20,000 or more that the average adult needs to know in most languages.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lane-greene/only-8000-different-words-appear-in-the-hebrew-bible-compared-to-the/) [Robert Lane Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lane-greene/) > [I feel that the only thing that really matters in art and life is to go against the tidal wave of literalism and literal-mindedness-to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-salle/i-feel-that-the-only-thing-that-really-matters-in-art-and-life-is-to/) [David Salle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-salle/) ## 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. Whatever wisdom can be found in their pages is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/as-manuals-for-contemplative-understanding-the-bible-and-the-koran/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [About 120 million of us place the big bang 2,500 years after the Babylonians and Sumerians learned to brew beer. 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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 Faith quotes > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Eternal Trinity... mystery deep as the sea, You could give me no greater gift than the gift of Yourself. For You are a fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/eternal-trinity-mystery-deep-as-the-sea-you-could-give-me-no-greater/) [St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/) > [Keep the faith, and keep going strong!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doreen-virtue/keep-the-faith-and-keep-going-strong/) [Doreen Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doreen-virtue/) > [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [Faith gives you a certain structure and meaning to your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riffat-hassan/faith-gives-you-a-certain-structure-and-meaning-to-your-life/) Riffat Hassan > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [“No man is prejudiced in favour of a thing, knowing it to be wrong. He is attached to it on the belief of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/no-man-is-prejudiced-in-favour-of-a-thing-knowing-it-to-be-wrong-he/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. 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/) > [Holiness sincerity, and faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/holiness-sincerity-and-faith/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [“The only limitations for your life are the limiting beliefs in your mind. —Matt Morris”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-morris-1/the-only-limitations-for-your-life-are-the-limiting-beliefs-in-your/) Matt Morris (1 > [“Just because your faith is shaken doesn’t mean the faith is shaken. 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