---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They (religions) dread the advance of…"
description: "\"“They (religions) dread the advance of science as witches do the approach of daylight and scowl on the fatal harbinger announcing the subversions of th..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/498/thomas-jefferson-43_freethinking_they-religions-dread-the-advance-of-scie_485356.jpg"
---

#  They (religions) dread the advance of science as witches…

![“They (religions) dread the advance of science as witches do the approach of daylight and scowl on the fatal harbinger announcing the subversions of the duperies on which they live.” quote by Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/498/thomas-jefferson-43_freethinking_they-religions-dread-the-advance-of-scie_485356.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/498/thomas-jefferson-43_freethinking_they-religions-dread-the-advance-of-scie_485356.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/498/thomas-jefferson-43_freethinking_they-religions-dread-the-advance-of-scie_485356.jpg)

> ““They (religions) dread the advance of science as witches do the approach of daylight and scowl on the fatal harbinger announcing the subversions of the duperies on which they live.””

[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.

Religion fears scientific progress as it threatens its authority, similar to darkness fearing sunrise.

**In simple terms:** Religion resists science.

Key Takeaway

Question assumptions about faith and reason.

Themes

faith science authority

Mood

critical inquisitive

Type

political philosophical

When to use this quote

- public policy debates
- education reform
- personal belief systems

Key Concepts

enlightenment skepticism social change

Questions to Reflect On

- How can faith and science coexist?
- What role should religion play in modern society?

A Different Perspective

Science alone cannot resolve all moral dilemmas.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Daylight Scowl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daylight-scowl-2531214/) [Freethinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freethinking/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religions Dread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religions-dread-4164629/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Science Witches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-witches-2531215/) [Witches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/witches/) [Witches Approach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/witches-approach-2531216/)

## Related quotes

> [ \[All religious sects\] dread the advance of science as witches do the approach of daylight; and scowl on the fatal harbinger announcing the subversion… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/all-religious-sects-dread-the-advance-of-science-as-witches-do-the/)

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

> [Preachers dread the advance of science as witches do the approach of daylight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/preachers-dread-the-advance-of-science-as-witches-do-the-approach-of/)

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

> [“To be able to think freely isn't a crime, it's a gift. A real privilege; one not enjoyed by a vast majority of people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mamur-mustapha/to-be-able-to-think-freely-isn-t-a-crime-it-s-a-gift-a-real-privilege/)

[Mamur Mustapha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mamur-mustapha/)

> [“To understand why I jumped from the Mormon wagon train requires an understanding of what Mormons are and how they think. While Mormons have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-benson/to-understand-why-i-jumped-from-the-mormon-wagon-train-requires-an/)

[Steve Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-benson/)

> [“Spirituality is about being awake. It’s the attempt to transcend the mundane, sleepwalking experience of life we all fall into, to tap into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-mcgowan/spirituality-is-about-being-awake-it-s-the-attempt-to-transcend-the/)

[Dale McGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-mcgowan/)

> [By freethinking I mean the use of the understanding in endeavoring to find out the meaning of any proposition whatsoever, in considering the nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-collins/by-freethinking-i-mean-the-use-of-the-understanding-in-endeavoring-to/)

[Anthony Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-collins/)

> [“Thinking must never submit itself, neither to a dogma, nor to a party, nor to a passion, nor to an interest, nor to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/thinking-must-never-submit-itself-neither-to-a-dogma-nor-to-a-party/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Scepticism is the chastity of the intellect, and it is shameful to surrender it too soon or to the first comer: there is nobility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/scepticism-is-the-chastity-of-the-intellect-and-it-is-shameful-to/)

[George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/)

> [The freethinking of one age is the common sense of the next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/the-freethinking-of-one-age-is-the-common-sense-of-the-next/)

[Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/)

> [“Contention murders creativity and stupidity is in enmity with freethinking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-t-mcgrath/contention-murders-creativity-and-stupidity-is-in-enmity-with/)

[Joel T. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-t-mcgrath/)

> [ “I do not think anyone can read the letters which passed between Clarke and \[Anthony\] Collins without admitting that Collins, who writes with wonderful… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-henry-huxley/i-do-not-think-anyone-can-read-the-letters-which-passed-between/)

[Thomas Henry Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-henry-huxley/)

> [“If you just did what you wanted to do, and didn't care what anyone thought, you'd be Autistic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seamus-mcduff/if-you-just-did-what-you-wanted-to-do-and-didn-t-care-what-anyone/)

[Seamus McDuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seamus-mcduff/)

> [“freethinking as we’d like to think we are. The world of absolute truth is fact-based. The world of the culturescape is opinion-based and agreement-based.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vishen-lakhiani/freethinking-as-we-d-like-to-think-we-are-the-world-of-absolute-truth/)

[Vishen Lakhiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vishen-lakhiani/)

> [ “There exists indeed an opposition to it \[ building of UVA, Jefferson's secular college \] by the friends of William and Mary, which is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/there-exists-indeed-an-opposition-to-it-building-of-uva-jefferson-s/)

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

> [“Love can give you such happiness, then can break the very heart it filled, leaving a hole that can never be fixed or protected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mcleod/love-can-give-you-such-happiness-then-can-break-the-very-heart-it/)

[Kevin McLeod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mcleod/)

## 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 Freethinking quotes

> [“freethinking as we’d like to think we are. The world of absolute truth is fact-based. The world of the culturescape is opinion-based and agreement-based.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vishen-lakhiani/freethinking-as-we-d-like-to-think-we-are-the-world-of-absolute-truth/)

[Vishen Lakhiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vishen-lakhiani/)

> [“If you just did what you wanted to do, and didn't care what anyone thought, you'd be Autistic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seamus-mcduff/if-you-just-did-what-you-wanted-to-do-and-didn-t-care-what-anyone/)

[Seamus McDuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seamus-mcduff/)

> [ “I do not think anyone can read the letters which passed between Clarke and \[Anthony\] Collins without admitting that Collins, who writes with wonderful… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-henry-huxley/i-do-not-think-anyone-can-read-the-letters-which-passed-between/)

[Thomas Henry Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-henry-huxley/)

> [“Contention murders creativity and stupidity is in enmity with freethinking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-t-mcgrath/contention-murders-creativity-and-stupidity-is-in-enmity-with/)

[Joel T. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-t-mcgrath/)

> [The freethinking of one age is the common sense of the next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/the-freethinking-of-one-age-is-the-common-sense-of-the-next/)

[Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/)

> [“Thinking must never submit itself, neither to a dogma, nor to a party, nor to a passion, nor to an interest, nor to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/thinking-must-never-submit-itself-neither-to-a-dogma-nor-to-a-party/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [By freethinking I mean the use of the understanding in endeavoring to find out the meaning of any proposition whatsoever, in considering the nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-collins/by-freethinking-i-mean-the-use-of-the-understanding-in-endeavoring-to/)

[Anthony Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-collins/)

> [“Spirituality is about being awake. It’s the attempt to transcend the mundane, sleepwalking experience of life we all fall into, to tap into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-mcgowan/spirituality-is-about-being-awake-it-s-the-attempt-to-transcend-the/)

[Dale McGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-mcgowan/)

> [“To understand why I jumped from the Mormon wagon train requires an understanding of what Mormons are and how they think. While Mormons have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-benson/to-understand-why-i-jumped-from-the-mormon-wagon-train-requires-an/)

[Steve Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-benson/)

> [“To be able to think freely isn't a crime, it's a gift. A real privilege; one not enjoyed by a vast majority of people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mamur-mustapha/to-be-able-to-think-freely-isn-t-a-crime-it-s-a-gift-a-real-privilege/)

[Mamur Mustapha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mamur-mustapha/)

> [“Scepticism is the chastity of the intellect, and it is shameful to surrender it too soon or to the first comer: there is nobility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/scepticism-is-the-chastity-of-the-intellect-and-it-is-shameful-to/)

[George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/)

[Browse all 12 Freethinking quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freethinking/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“They (religions) dread the advance of science as witches do the approach of daylight and scowl on the fatal harbinger announcing the subversions of the duperies on which they live.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Thomas Jefferson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/they-religions-dread-the-advance-of-science-as-witches-do-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Freethinking"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/they-religions-dread-the-advance-of-science-as-witches-do-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/498/thomas-jefferson-43_freethinking_they-religions-dread-the-advance-of-scie_485356.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/498/thomas-jefferson-43_freethinking_they-religions-dread-the-advance-of-scie_485356.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/498/thomas-jefferson-43_freethinking_they-religions-dread-the-advance-of-scie_485356.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“They (religions) dread the advance of science as witches do the approach of daylight and scowl on the fatal…” — 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": "“They (religions) dread the advance of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/they-religions-dread-the-advance-of-science-as-witches-do-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/they-religions-dread-the-advance-of-science-as-witches-do-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
