Authority Quote by William Ralph Inge
“The strongest wish of a vast number of earnest men and women to-day is for a basis of religious belief which shall rest, not upon tradition or external authority or historical evidence, but upon the ascertainable facts of human experience. The craving for immediacy, which we have seen to be characteristic of all mysticism, now takes the form of a desire to establish the validity of the God-consciousness as a normal part of the healthy inner life.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The Basis of Religious Belief, 1915
Advocates grounding faith in observable human experience rather than tradition or authority.
In simple terms: Faith should be based on human experience, not tradition.
Seek evidence in everyday life.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- personal reflection
- academic discourse
- interfaith dialogue
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How can personal experience inform universal belief?
- What limits exist when dismissing tradition?
May overlook deeper metaphysical aspects.