--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Let us begin by turning the skeptic’s…" description: "\"“Let us begin by turning the skeptic’s question on its head. If you could believe in God, why wouldn’t you? There is good evidence that those who belie..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07e/t-m-luhrmann-281190_believe-in-god_let-us-begin-by-turning-the-skeptic-s-qu_3114511.jpg" --- # Let us begin by turning the skeptic’s question on its… ![“Let us begin by turning the skeptic’s question on its head. If you could believe in God, why wouldn’t you? There is good evidence that those who believe in a loving God have happier lives. Loneliness is bad for people in many different ways—it diminishes immune function, increases blood pressure…” quote by T.M. Luhrmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07e/t-m-luhrmann-281190_believe-in-god_let-us-begin-by-turning-the-skeptic-s-qu_3114511.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07e/t-m-luhrmann-281190_believe-in-god_let-us-begin-by-turning-the-skeptic-s-qu_3114511.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07e/t-m-luhrmann-281190_believe-in-god_let-us-begin-by-turning-the-skeptic-s-qu_3114511.jpg) > ““Let us begin by turning the skeptic’s question on its head. If you could believe in God, why wouldn’t you? There is good evidence that those who believe in a loving God have happier lives. Loneliness is bad for people in many different ways—it diminishes immune function, increases blood pressure, and depresses cognitive function—and we know that people who believe in God are less lonely.”” T.M. Luhrmann ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Belief in a loving God correlates with happiness and reduced loneliness, suggesting faith benefits mental health. **In simple terms:** Faith in God linked to happiness and less loneliness. Key Takeaway Consider faith’s role in well‑being. Themes Psychology Religion Well‑being Loneliness Health Mood thoughtful analytical Type Believe in god:1 Blood pressure:0 Different ways:0 Loneliness:1 Loving god:0 Believe God:1 People Believe:0 God Lonely:0 God Happier:0 Loneliness Bad:1 When to use this quote - Therapy - Community building - Personal reflection Key Concepts Social support Cognitive health Spirituality Questions to Reflect On - How does belief influence health? - What other factors affect loneliness? A Different Perspective Correlation does not equal causation; cultural context matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe in god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-in-god/) [Loneliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loneliness/) [Loving god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loving-god/) ## Related quotes > [People who don't believe in God are no happier than people who do, and those who do believe are no nicer than those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/people-who-don-t-believe-in-god-are-no-happier-than-people-who-do-and/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [She stays in the same spot, anchored by the profound, desperate loneliness of a bad relationship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/she-stays-in-the-same-spot-anchored-by-the-profound-desperate/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [People who believe in God are happier than those who don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cooper-clarke/people-who-believe-in-god-are-happier-than-those-who-don-t/) [John Cooper Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cooper-clarke/) > [“The more we know of God, the happier we are… . When we became a little acquainted with God … our true happiness ……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-muller/the-more-we-know-of-god-the-happier-we-are-when-we-became-a-little/) [George Muller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-muller/) > [“there is no prayer half as genuine as that which comes up from the depths of the soul as the result of deep trials…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-haddon-spurgeon/there-is-no-prayer-half-as-genuine-as-that-which-comes-up-from-the/) [Charles Haddon Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-haddon-spurgeon/) > [I am never lonely or discouraged or tired. When you live in constant communion with God, you cannot be lonely. When you perceive the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peace-pilgrim/i-am-never-lonely-or-discouraged-or-tired-when-you-live-in-constant/) [Peace Pilgrim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peace-pilgrim/) > [God is a lonely place without steak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/god-is-a-lonely-place-without-steak/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [To the artist He is the one altogether lovely, and to the educator He is the master teacher. To the philosopher He is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gerstner/to-the-artist-he-is-the-one-altogether-lovely-and-to-the-educator-he/) [John Gerstner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gerstner/) > [Hey, Hank, I notice all the women around your place lately ... good looking stuff; you're doing all right." "Sam," I say, "that's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/hey-hank-i-notice-all-the-women-around-your-place-lately-good-looking/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [If all the fools in this world should die, lordly God how lonely I should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-all-the-fools-in-this-world-should-die-lordly-god-how-lonely-i/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [There are men and women so lonely they believe God, too, is lonely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/there-are-men-and-women-so-lonely-they-believe-god-too-is-lonely/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [When you're tired, draw strength from God. When you're speechless, talk to God. When you're lonely, there is God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/when-you-re-tired-draw-strength-from-god-when-you-re-speechless-talk/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [The way to deeper knowledge of God is through the lonely valleys of soul poverty and abnegation of all things. The blessed ones who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/the-way-to-deeper-knowledge-of-god-is-through-the-lonely-valleys-of/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If you want to get a child to love you, then you should just go hide in the closet for three or for hours.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-o-neill/if-you-want-to-get-a-child-to-love-you-then-you-should-just-go-hide/) [Heather O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-o-neill/) > [ They \[scientists of centuries past\] call on God only from the lonely and precarious edge of incomprehension. Where they feel certain about their explanations,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/they-scientists-of-centuries-past-call-on-god-only-from-the-lonely/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) ## More Believe in god quotes > [“The events of the world can have no separate life from the world. And yet the world itself can have no temporal view of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-events-of-the-world-can-have-no-separate-life-from-the-world-and/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“She herself vacillated when it came to belief. She did not particularly believe in God. Or, rather, she didn't believe in a particular God.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/she-herself-vacillated-when-it-came-to-belief-she-did-not/) [Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/) > [I believe in God, because he is the only thing that kept me going. He's my best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-hahn/i-believe-in-god-because-he-is-the-only-thing-that-kept-me-going-he-s/) [Jessica Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-hahn/) > [When I was in my teens I had a series of intensely religious experiences. They deepened my sense of God as the creator of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-linzey/when-i-was-in-my-teens-i-had-a-series-of-intensely-religious/) [Andrew Linzey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-linzey/) > [He who believes in God is not careful for the morrow, but labors joyfully and with a great heart. "For He giveth His beloved,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/he-who-believes-in-god-is-not-careful-for-the-morrow-but-labors/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [In life, we don't know why things happen. I believe God is not responsible for the bad things that happen to you. Sometimes I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buck-brannaman/in-life-we-don-t-know-why-things-happen-i-believe-god-is-not/) [Buck Brannaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buck-brannaman/) > [I don't believe in angels and I have trouble with the whole God thing. I don't want to say I don't believe in God,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-connolly/i-don-t-believe-in-angels-and-i-have-trouble-with-the-whole-god-thing/) [Billy Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-connolly/) > [“if I asked people whether they believed in life, they’d never understand what I meant. It’s a bad question. It can mean so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-asked-people-whether-they-believed-in-life-they-d-never/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If you believe in GOD you should never fear death. If human fears death then hill be easily enslaved.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadair-desmar/if-you-believe-in-god-you-should-never-fear-death-if-human-fears/) [Nadair Desmar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadair-desmar/) > [I have never come to know God, to see God, to believe in God through doing science. He's not the conclusion of some sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-coyne/i-have-never-come-to-know-god-to-see-god-to-believe-in-god-through/) [George Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-coyne/) > [“Most witches don’t believe in gods. They know that the gods exist, of course. They even deal with them occasionally. But they don’t believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/most-witches-don-t-believe-in-gods-they-know-that-the-gods-exist-of/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [I believe God has called His people to be a light in darkness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherri-shepherd/i-believe-god-has-called-his-people-to-be-a-light-in-darkness/) [Sherri Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherri-shepherd/) > [“She stood and tried hard not to believe in God. It seemed mean and petty to have more belief in God when things were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galsworthy/she-stood-and-tried-hard-not-to-believe-in-god-it-seemed-mean-and/) [John Galsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galsworthy/) > [People often ask me if I believe in God, and I kinda have to, because I'm still here. I had not planned on living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-walsh/people-often-ask-me-if-i-believe-in-god-and-i-kinda-have-to-because-i/) [Joe Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-walsh/) > [“Because of A Prayer for Owen Meany, many of my readers assume I am “religious.” I go to church only occasionally—like a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/because-of-a-prayer-for-owen-meany-many-of-my-readers-assume-i-am/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) [Browse all 1,413 Believe in god quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-in-god/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Let us begin by turning the skeptic’s question on its head. If you could believe in God, why wouldn’t you? There is good evidence that those who believe in a loving God have happier lives. Loneliness is bad for people in many different ways—it diminishes immune function, increases blood pressure, and depresses cognitive function—and we know that people who believe in God are less lonely.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "T.M. Luhrmann" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-m-luhrmann/let-us-begin-by-turning-the-skeptic-s-question-on-its-head-if-you/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe in god" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-m-luhrmann/let-us-begin-by-turning-the-skeptic-s-question-on-its-head-if-you/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07e/t-m-luhrmann-281190_believe-in-god_let-us-begin-by-turning-the-skeptic-s-qu_3114511.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07e/t-m-luhrmann-281190_believe-in-god_let-us-begin-by-turning-the-skeptic-s-qu_3114511.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07e/t-m-luhrmann-281190_believe-in-god_let-us-begin-by-turning-the-skeptic-s-qu_3114511.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Let us begin by turning the skeptic’s question on its head. If you could believe in God, why wouldn’t you?…” — T.M. Luhrmann", "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": "T.M. Luhrmann", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-m-luhrmann/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Let us begin by turning the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-m-luhrmann/let-us-begin-by-turning-the-skeptic-s-question-on-its-head-if-you/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-m-luhrmann/let-us-begin-by-turning-the-skeptic-s-question-on-its-head-if-you/#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 } } ] } ```