--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is bad religion to deify doctrines and…" description: "\"“It is bad religion to deify doctrines and creeds… Doctrines, let's not forget, supported slavery and apartheid… Moreover, doctrines can divide while c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/william-sloane-coffin-4839_religion_it-is-bad-religion-to-deify-doctrines-an_648374.png" --- # It is bad religion to deify doctrines and creeds…… ![“It is bad religion to deify doctrines and creeds… Doctrines, let's not forget, supported slavery and apartheid… Moreover, doctrines can divide while compassion can only unite.” quote by William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/william-sloane-coffin-4839_religion_it-is-bad-religion-to-deify-doctrines-an_648374.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/william-sloane-coffin-4839_religion_it-is-bad-religion-to-deify-doctrines-an_648374.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/william-sloane-coffin-4839_religion_it-is-bad-religion-to-deify-doctrines-an_648374.png) > ““It is bad religion to deify doctrines and creeds… Doctrines, let's not forget, supported slavery and apartheid… Moreover, doctrines can divide while compassion can only unite.”” [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Dogmatic doctrines can cause division, while compassion unites people across differences. **In simple terms:** Dogma divides, compassion unites. Key Takeaway Prioritize compassion over rigid belief. Themes religion dogma compassion Mood hopeful serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - interfaith dialogue - community service - political activism - education reform Key Concepts ethical philosophy social justice Questions to Reflect On - How can compassion replace doctrine? - What steps foster unity beyond belief? A Different Perspective Changing deep‑seated beliefs is difficult. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Deify Doctrines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deify-doctrines-5190446/) [Divide Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divide-compassion-5190447/) [Doctrines Divide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctrines-divide-5190445/) [Doctrines Let](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctrines-let-5190449/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religion Deify](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion-deify-5190448/) ## Related quotes > [When doctrines divide and "isms" turn human against human, without speech, without silence, let us demonstrate. Let these demonstrations manifest everywhere. Not what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-doctrines-divide-and-isms-turn-human-against-human-without/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [But I already saw no great difference between the psyche and spirituality. To amass knowledge without becoming wise is not my idea of progress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/but-i-already-saw-no-great-difference-between-the-psyche-and/) [M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/) > [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [The United States cannot and should not discriminate on the basis of religion. 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Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [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/) > [Christianity was never meant to be defined by its disciplines, but by its passions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/christianity-was-never-meant-to-be-defined-by-its-disciplines-but-by/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) ## More by William Sloane Coffin > [“Joy is the most important Christian emotion. Duty calls only when gratitude fails to prompt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/joy-is-the-most-important-christian-emotion-duty-calls-only-when/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [Every nation makes decisions based on self-interest and defends them on the basis of morality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/every-nation-makes-decisions-based-on-self-interest-and-defends-them/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [It is one thing to say with the prophet Amos, "Let justice roll down like mighty waters," and quite another to work out the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/it-is-one-thing-to-say-with-the-prophet-amos-let-justice-roll-down/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [“A friend...risks her friendship for the sake of her friend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/a-friend-risks-her-friendship-for-the-sake-of-her-friend/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [“We are not slaves but children of our Father, free to do good, free to sin. 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For while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/it-is-terribly-important-to-realize-that-the-leap-of-faith-is-not-so/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [We must be governed by the force of law, not by the law of force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/we-must-be-governed-by-the-force-of-law-not-by-the-law-of-force/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [Only reverence can restrain violence - reverence for human life and the environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/only-reverence-can-restrain-violence-reverence-for-human-life-and-the/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [“But what I am beginning to suspect is that most guilty people reject the possibility of forgiveness not because it is too good to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/but-what-i-am-beginning-to-suspect-is-that-most-guilty-people-reject/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [Of God's love we can say two things: it is poured out universally for everyone from the Pope to the loneliest wino on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/of-god-s-love-we-can-say-two-things-it-is-poured-out-universally-for/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [“And if God is a suffering God, if this whole universe is borne on a heart infinite in compassion, then the more we suffer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/and-if-god-is-a-suffering-god-if-this-whole-universe-is-borne-on-a/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [“...love does have a reward. Just as the proper benefits of education are the opportunities of continuing education, so the rewards of loving are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/love-does-have-a-reward-just-as-the-proper-benefits-of-education-are/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) [Explore all 106 William Sloane Coffin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) ## More Religion quotes > [Christianity was never meant to be defined by its disciplines, but by its passions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/christianity-was-never-meant-to-be-defined-by-its-disciplines-but-by/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [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/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [The love religion is all that is written here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/the-love-religion-is-all-that-is-written-here/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [“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/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Personal Style comes from within. It's when the woman, her individuality and spirit come through. She uses clothes to express who she is and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-karan/personal-style-comes-from-within-it-s-when-the-woman-her/) [Donna Karan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-karan/) > [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/) > [No religion has mandated killing others as a requirement for its sustenance or promotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-religion-has-mandated-killing-others-as-a-requirement-for-its/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The goal of spiritual practice is full recovery, and the only thing you need to recover from is a fractured sense of self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-goal-of-spiritual-practice-is-full-recovery-and-the-only-thing/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Deepen your existing spiritual commitment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-buettner/deepen-your-existing-spiritual-commitment/) [Dan Buettner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-buettner/) > [The United States cannot and should not discriminate on the basis of religion. 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One feels everywhere the spirit of the past, and its stirring recollections come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bayard-taylor/above-coblentz-almost-every-mountain-has-a-ruin-and-a-legend-one/) [Bayard Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bayard-taylor/) [Browse all 58,737 Religion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It is bad religion to deify doctrines and creeds… Doctrines, let's not forget, supported slavery and apartheid… Moreover, doctrines can divide while compassion can only unite.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Sloane Coffin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/it-is-bad-religion-to-deify-doctrines-and-creeds-doctrines-let-s-not/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Religion" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/it-is-bad-religion-to-deify-doctrines-and-creeds-doctrines-let-s-not/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/william-sloane-coffin-4839_religion_it-is-bad-religion-to-deify-doctrines-an_648374.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/william-sloane-coffin-4839_religion_it-is-bad-religion-to-deify-doctrines-an_648374.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/william-sloane-coffin-4839_religion_it-is-bad-religion-to-deify-doctrines-an_648374.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is bad religion to deify doctrines and creeds… Doctrines, let's not forget, supported slavery and…” — William Sloane Coffin", "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": "William Sloane Coffin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It is bad religion to deify...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/it-is-bad-religion-to-deify-doctrines-and-creeds-doctrines-let-s-not/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/it-is-bad-religion-to-deify-doctrines-and-creeds-doctrines-let-s-not/#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 } } ] } ```