---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: On the dogmas of religion, as…"
description: "\"On the dogmas of religion, as distinguished from moral principles, all mankind, from the beginning of the world to this day, have been quarrelling, fig..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bd/thomas-jefferson-43_burning_on-the-dogmas-of-religion-as-distinguish_127826.jpg"
---

#  On the dogmas of religion, as distinguished from moral…

![“On the dogmas of religion, as distinguished from moral principles, all mankind, from the beginning of the world to this day, have been quarrelling, fighting, burning and torturing one another, for abstractions unintelligible to themselves and to all others, and absolutely beyond the comprehension…” quote by Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bd/thomas-jefferson-43_burning_on-the-dogmas-of-religion-as-distinguish_127826.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bd/thomas-jefferson-43_burning_on-the-dogmas-of-religion-as-distinguish_127826.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bd/thomas-jefferson-43_burning_on-the-dogmas-of-religion-as-distinguish_127826.jpg)

> “On the dogmas of religion, as distinguished from moral principles, all mankind, from the beginning of the world to this day, have been quarrelling, fighting, burning and torturing one another, for abstractions unintelligible to themselves and to all others, and absolutely beyond the comprehension of the human mind.”

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Religious dogmas cause endless conflict, unlike moral principles, because they are abstract and incomprehensible.

**In simple terms:** Dogmas spark conflict.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize clear moral values.

Themes

religion conflict abstraction

Mood

critical reflective

Type

political philosophical

When to use this quote

- political discourse
- education

Key Concepts

dogma morality human nature

Practical Applications

- promote moral reasoning over dogma

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do abstract beliefs cause strife?
- How can societies focus on shared morals?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Dogma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dogma/) [Dogmas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dogmas/) [Human mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-mind/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Mankind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mankind/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Moral principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-principles/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [“I write nothing for publication, and last of all things should it be on the subject of religion. On the dogmas of religion as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-write-nothing-for-publication-and-last-of-all-things-should-it-be/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [“On the dogmas of religion, as distinguished from moral principles, all mankind, from the beginning of the world to this day, have been quarreling,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/on-the-dogmas-of-religion-as-distinguished-from-moral-principles-all-2/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

> [The tragedy is that we cannot believe the dogmas of religion and metaphysics if we have the strict methods of truth in heart and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-tragedy-is-that-we-cannot-believe-the-dogmas-of-religion-and/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [Without religion, I believe that learning does real mischief to the morals and principles of mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-rush/without-religion-i-believe-that-learning-does-real-mischief-to-the/)

[Benjamin Rush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-rush/)

> [“It is a strange notion that the acknowledgment of a first principle is inconsistent with the admission of secondary ones. To inform a traveler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/it-is-a-strange-notion-that-the-acknowledgment-of-a-first-principle/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [Philosophy is concerned with the undermining and questioning of dogmas, whereas religion is all about accepting and supporting them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-hankinson/philosophy-is-concerned-with-the-undermining-and-questioning-of/)

Jim Hankinson

> [Every one of the numberless religions and religious sects views the Deity after its own fashion; and, fathering on the unknown its own speculations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-blavatsky/every-one-of-the-numberless-religions-and-religious-sects-views-the/)

[H. P. Blavatsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-blavatsky/)

> [If by religion we are to understand sectarian dogmas, in which no two of them agree, then your exclamation on that hypothesis is just,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/if-by-religion-we-are-to-understand-sectarian-dogmas-in-which-no-two/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [When we come to the moral principles on which the government is to be administered, we come to what is proper for all conditions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/when-we-come-to-the-moral-principles-on-which-the-government-is-to-be/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Is it less dishonest to do what is wrong because it is not expressly prohibited by written law? Let us hope our moral principles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/is-it-less-dishonest-to-do-what-is-wrong-because-it-is-not-expressly/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Truths turn into dogmas the instant that they are disputed. Thus every man who utters a doubt defines a religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/truths-turn-into-dogmas-the-instant-that-they-are-disputed-thus-every/)

[Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/)

> [To elevate abstract doctrines and dogmas over living, breathing, embodied experiences of God's love and grace, then, is going the wrong direction. It's taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/to-elevate-abstract-doctrines-and-dogmas-over-living-breathing/)

[Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/)

> [The man who has successfully solved the problem of his relations with the two worlds of data and symbols is a man who has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/the-man-who-has-successfully-solved-the-problem-of-his-relations-with/)

[Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/)

> [“Many orthodox people speak as though it were the business of sceptics to disprove received dogmas rather than of dogmatists to prove them. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/many-orthodox-people-speak-as-though-it-were-the-business-of-sceptics/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [“I still think that, in a way, I can't get past half my childhood dogmas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-still-think-that-in-a-way-i-can-t-get-past-half-my-childhood-dogmas/)

[J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/)

## More by Thomas Jefferson

> [A man has a right to use a saw, an axe, a plane, separately; may he not combine their uses on the same piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-man-has-a-right-to-use-a-saw-an-axe-a-plane-separately-may-he-not/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [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/)

> [ \[States and the Federal government are\] coordinate departments of one simple and integral whole... The one is the domestic, the other the foreign branch… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/states-and-the-federal-government-are-coordinate-departments-of-one/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [I am for freedom of religion, and against all maneuvers to bring about a legal ascendency of one sect over another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-am-for-freedom-of-religion-and-against-all-maneuvers-to-bring-about/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Single acts of tyranny may be ascribed to the accidental opinion of a day; but a series of oppressions, begun at a distinguished period…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/single-acts-of-tyranny-may-be-ascribed-to-the-accidental-opinion-of-a/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [“Perceiving the order of nature to be that individual happiness shall be inseparable from the practice of virtue, I am willing to hope it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/perceiving-the-order-of-nature-to-be-that-individual-happiness-shall/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Free government is founded in jealousy, and not in confidence; it is jealousy, and not confidence, which prescribes limited constitutions, to bind down those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/free-government-is-founded-in-jealousy-and-not-in-confidence-it-is/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Though you cannot see, when you take one step, what will be the next, yet follow truth, justice, and plain dealing, and never fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/though-you-cannot-see-when-you-take-one-step-what-will-be-the-next/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [A well informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-well-informed-citizenry-is-the-best-defense-against-tyranny/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [The two principles on which our conduct towards the Indians should be founded are justice and fear. After the injuries we have done them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-two-principles-on-which-our-conduct-towards-the-indians-should-be/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Knowledge is power...knowled ge is safety...knowle dge is happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/knowledge-is-power-knowled-ge-is-safety-knowle-dge-is-happiness/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [There is... an artificial aristocracy founded on wealth and birth, without either virtue or talents... The artificial aristocracy is a mischievous ingredient in government,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/there-is-an-artificial-aristocracy-founded-on-wealth-and-birth/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Nothing but free argument, raillery and even ridicule will preserve the purity of religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/nothing-but-free-argument-raillery-and-even-ridicule-will-preserve/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [When the people are afraid of the government, that's tyranny. But when the government is afraid of the people, that's liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/when-the-people-are-afraid-of-the-government-that-s-tyranny-but-when/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/we-hold-these-truths-to-be-self-evident-that-all-men-are-created/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

[Explore all 2,098 Thomas Jefferson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

## More Burning quotes

> [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/)

> [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [The desire to kill is like the desire to attack another with an ingot of red -hot iron: I have to pick up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-desire-to-kill-is-like-the-desire-to-attack-another-with-an-ingot/)

[Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/)

> [The entire cosmos is one vast burning bush, permeated by the fire of the divine power and glory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kallistos-ware/the-entire-cosmos-is-one-vast-burning-bush-permeated-by-the-fire-of/)

[Kallistos Ware](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kallistos-ware/)

> [Two beautiful women crashing and burning for the sake of the Women's Championship!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ross/two-beautiful-women-crashing-and-burning-for-the-sake-of-the-women-s/)

[Jim Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ross/)

> [He lowered the window, and looked out at the rising sun. There was a ridge of ploughed land, with a plough upon it where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/he-lowered-the-window-and-looked-out-at-the-rising-sun-there-was-a/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [Catholicity seized on man... and the mystics, transcending all, taught him to ascend on high with the wings of contemplation the Ladder of Jacob…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-donoso-cortes/catholicity-seized-on-man-and-the-mystics-transcending-all-taught-him/)

Juan Donoso Cortes

> [Some fighters know when to stop on their own and go on to something else, and then some fighters have nothing to go back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-hagler/some-fighters-know-when-to-stop-on-their-own-and-go-on-to-something/)

[Marvin Hagler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-hagler/)

> [Death is staring too long into the burning sun and the relief of entering a cool, dark room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/death-is-staring-too-long-into-the-burning-sun-and-the-relief-of/)

[Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/)

> [All philanthropy ... is only a savory fumigation burning at the mouth of a sewer. This incense offering makes the air more endurable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/all-philanthropy-is-only-a-savory-fumigation-burning-at-the-mouth-of/)

[Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/)

> [Time is a vindictive bandit to steal the beauty of our former selves. We are left with sagging, rippled flesh and burning gums with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael/time-is-a-vindictive-bandit-to-steal-the-beauty-of-our-former-selves/)

[Raphael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael/)

> [One writes because one has a burning desire to objectify what it is indispensable to one's happiness to express.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-moore/one-writes-because-one-has-a-burning-desire-to-objectify-what-it-is/)

[Marianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-moore/)

> [Nearly all runners do their slow runs too fast, and their fast runs too slow." Ken Mierke says. "So they're just training their bodies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcdougall/nearly-all-runners-do-their-slow-runs-too-fast-and-their-fast-runs/)

[Christopher McDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcdougall/)

> [Intense, burning desire is the motivational force that enables you to overcome any obstacle and achieve almost any goal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/intense-burning-desire-is-the-motivational-force-that-enables-you-to/)

[Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/)

> [Will closed his eyes. He could not hear Jem go, not anymore; he did not want to know the moment when he left and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/will-closed-his-eyes-he-could-not-hear-jem-go-not-anymore-he-did-not/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

Browse all 1,668 Burning quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "On the dogmas of religion, as distinguished from moral principles, all mankind, from the beginning of the world to this day, have been quarrelling, fighting, burning and torturing one another, for abstractions unintelligible to themselves and to all others, and absolutely beyond the comprehension of the human mind.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Thomas Jefferson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/on-the-dogmas-of-religion-as-distinguished-from-moral-principles-all/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Burning"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/on-the-dogmas-of-religion-as-distinguished-from-moral-principles-all/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bd/thomas-jefferson-43_burning_on-the-dogmas-of-religion-as-distinguish_127826.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bd/thomas-jefferson-43_burning_on-the-dogmas-of-religion-as-distinguish_127826.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bd/thomas-jefferson-43_burning_on-the-dogmas-of-religion-as-distinguish_127826.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“On the dogmas of religion, as distinguished from moral principles, all mankind, from the beginning of the…” — Thomas Jefferson",
                "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": "Thomas Jefferson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "On the dogmas of religion, as...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/on-the-dogmas-of-religion-as-distinguished-from-moral-principles-all/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/on-the-dogmas-of-religion-as-distinguished-from-moral-principles-all/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
