--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Religion is ... the most pernicious…" description: "\"Religion is ... the most pernicious single influence in human society, without one redeeming feature.\" — Theodore Schroeder" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2c/theodore-schroeder-79333_atheism_religion-is-the-most-pernicious-single-i_900079.png" --- # Religion is ... the most pernicious single influence in… ![“Religion is ... the most pernicious single influence in human society, without one redeeming feature.” quote by Theodore Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2c/theodore-schroeder-79333_atheism_religion-is-the-most-pernicious-single-i_900079.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2c/theodore-schroeder-79333_atheism_religion-is-the-most-pernicious-single-i_900079.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2c/theodore-schroeder-79333_atheism_religion-is-the-most-pernicious-single-i_900079.png) > “Religion is ... the most pernicious single influence in human society, without one redeeming feature.” Theodore Schroeder ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He argues that religion, lacking redeeming qualities, has been a harmful, pervasive force throughout history. **In simple terms:** Religion is seen as a harmful influence without positive aspects. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about institutions. Themes religion society influence critique Mood critical thoughtful Type philosophical controversial When to use this quote - political discourse - education curricula - media analysis - community debates Key Concepts philosophy sociology ethics Questions to Reflect On - Can any belief system provide societal benefits? - How do we balance critique with respect for personal faith? A Different Perspective The statement overlooks positive social functions of religion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Human society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-society/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Positive atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive-atheism/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [I believe we are more a product of our homes than of any other single influence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-devos/i-believe-we-are-more-a-product-of-our-homes-than-of-any-other-single/) [Richard M. DeVos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-devos/) > [But, historians, and even common sense, may inform us, that, however specious these ideas of perfect equality may seem, they are really, at bottom,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/but-historians-and-even-common-sense-may-inform-us-that-however/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [“to forgive is the first step toward redeeming the sin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-meade/to-forgive-is-the-first-step-toward-redeeming-the-sin/) [Glenn Meade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-meade/) > [There is not one redeeming feature in our superstition of Christianity. It has made one half the world fools, and the other half hypocrites.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/there-is-not-one-redeeming-feature-in-our-superstition-of/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [ I have recently been examining all the known superstitions of the world and do not find in our particular superstition \[Christianity\] one redeeming feature. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-have-recently-been-examining-all-the-known-superstitions-of-the/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Human beings are good, they have shadow, every single one of us has redeeming qualities and every single one of us has qualities that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-bomer/human-beings-are-good-they-have-shadow-every-single-one-of-us-has/) [Matt Bomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-bomer/) > [I haven't seen much socially redeeming about religion. I'm an atheist. I don't here want to get into the Hitchens- or Dawkins-style attack on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/i-haven-t-seen-much-socially-redeeming-about-religion-i-m-an-atheist/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [I definitely think the formula to making my character seem sweet is to let him act like a jerk, give him a redeeming moment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-jefferies/i-definitely-think-the-formula-to-making-my-character-seem-sweet-is/) [Jim Jefferies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-jefferies/) > [We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/we-have-been-preserved-these-many-years-in-peace-and-prosperity-we/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [You've never gone too far that God can't redeem you, restore you, forgive you, and give you a second chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/you-ve-never-gone-too-far-that-god-can-t-redeem-you-restore-you/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [I am inclined to agree with the Head Master of Eton that pæderastic passions among schoolboys 'do no harm'; further, I think them the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/i-am-inclined-to-agree-with-the-head-master-of-eton-that-p-derastic/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [The Spirit is Love expressed towards man as redeeming love, and the Spirit is truth, and the Spirit is the Holy Spirit. Redemption is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-allen/the-spirit-is-love-expressed-towards-man-as-redeeming-love-and-the/) [Roland Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-allen/) > [Then shoulder to shoulder! Let us engirdle the little circle of the earth with the chains that bind us to each other. To one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-mickiewicz/then-shoulder-to-shoulder-let-us-engirdle-the-little-circle-of-the/) [Adam Mickiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-mickiewicz/) > [“I think that everything he did, feeding the poor, giving money to friends in need, it was all a way of redeeming himself. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-think-that-everything-he-did-feeding-the-poor-giving-money-to/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [The socially redeeming aspect of golf lies in the vast number of lawyers and bankers and managers who play it, and when you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/the-socially-redeeming-aspect-of-golf-lies-in-the-vast-number-of/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) ## More by Theodore Schroeder > [Obscenity is not a quality inherent in a book or picture, but is solely and exclusively a contribution of the reading mind, and hence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-schroeder/obscenity-is-not-a-quality-inherent-in-a-book-or-picture-but-is/) Theodore Schroeder > [The freethinker has the same right to discredit the beliefs of Christians that the Orthodox Christians enjoy in destroying reverence, respect, and confidence in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-schroeder/the-freethinker-has-the-same-right-to-discredit-the-beliefs-of/) Theodore Schroeder Explore all 3 Theodore Schroeder quotes ## 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. 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/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [No philosophy, no religion, has ever brought so glad a message to the world as this good news of Atheism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-besant/no-philosophy-no-religion-has-ever-brought-so-glad-a-message-to-the/) [Annie Besant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-besant/) > [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/) > [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? Do you think it was godlike? What would you think of a physician, if a woman came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-h-gardener/do-you-think-that-was-kind-do-you-think-it-was-godlike-what-would-you/) [Helen H. Gardener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-h-gardener/) > [Science can destroy religion by ignoring it as well as by disproving its tenets. No one ever demonstrated, so far as I am aware,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/science-can-destroy-religion-by-ignoring-it-as-well-as-by-disproving/) [Arthur C. 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