Abolition of slavery Quote by Steven Pinker
““The scriptures present a God who delights in genocide, rape, slavery, and the execution of nonconformists, and for millennia those writings were used to rationalize the massacre of infidels, the ownership of women, the beating of children, dominion over animals, and the persecution of heretics and homosexuals. Humanitarian reforms such as the elimination of cruel punishment, the dissemination of empathy-inducing novels, and the abolition of slavery were met with fierce opposition in their time by ecclesiastical authorities and their apologists. The elevation of parochial values to the realm of the sacred is a license to dismiss other people’s interests, and an imperative to reject the possibility of compromise.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker, 2011
The quote argues that religious texts have historically justified extreme cruelty and oppression, and that religious authority often resists humane reforms.
In simple terms: Religion has been used to justify violence and oppression.
Key Takeaway
Question religious authority and promote empathy.
Themes
religion
ethics
human rights
history
power
Mood
critical
reflective
concerned
Type
analytical
ethical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- policy debates
- education curricula
- interfaith dialogues
- human rights advocacy
Key Concepts
moral relativism
authoritarianism
social reform
Questions to Reflect On
- How can societies balance respect for belief with critique of harmful doctrines?
- What role does empathy play in reducing religiously justified violence?
A Different Perspective
Religious communities may view criticism as an attack on faith, causing backlash.
![“I have argued elsewhere (Fighting Words: The Origins of Religious Violence [2005]) that we need to treat ethics in biblical texts just as we treat ethics in any other works of ancient literature. It is a vacuous exercise to pick and choose which atrocities were really ordained by any gods and…” quote by Hector Avalos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ebe/hector-avalos-91785_ancient-literature_i-have-argued-elsewhere-fighting-words-t_2573037.jpg)
