--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: God is universal,\" spluttered the priest…" description: "\"God is universal,\" spluttered the priest. The imam nodded strong approval. \"There is only one God.\" \"And with their one god Muslims are always causing ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f18/yann-martel-395_approval_god-is-universal-spluttered-the-priest-t_2419064.jpg" --- # God is universal," spluttered the priest. The imam nodded… ![“God is universal," spluttered the priest. The imam nodded strong approval. "There is only one God." "And with their one god Muslims are always causing troubles and provoking riots. The proof of how bad Islam is, is how uncivilized Muslims are,: pronounced the pandit. "Says the slave-driver of the…” quote by Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f18/yann-martel-395_approval_god-is-universal-spluttered-the-priest-t_2419064.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f18/yann-martel-395_approval_god-is-universal-spluttered-the-priest-t_2419064.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f18/yann-martel-395_approval_god-is-universal-spluttered-the-priest-t_2419064.jpg) > “God is universal," spluttered the priest. The imam nodded strong approval. "There is only one God." "And with their one god Muslims are always causing troubles and provoking riots. The proof of how bad Islam is, is how uncivilized Muslims are,: pronounced the pandit. "Says the slave-driver of the cast system," huffed the imam. "Hindus enslave people and worship dressed-up dolls." "They are golden calf lovers. They kneel before the cows," the priest chimed in. "While Christians kneel before a white man! They are flunkies of a foreign god. They are nightmare of all nonwhite people.” [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage satirizes interfaith prejudice, highlighting how each religion’s followers can vilify others while claiming superiority. **In simple terms:** It mocks religious bigotry and mutual contempt. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge religious stereotypes. Themes religion prejudice conflict cultural criticism Mood critical thought‑provoking Type satirical philosophical When to use this quote - political commentary - media criticism - public discourse Key Concepts interfaith dialogue social satire Questions to Reflect On - How can we foster genuine interfaith respect? - What role does satire play in exposing bias? A Different Perspective Satire may oversimplify complex beliefs, risking offense. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Approval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approval/) [Causing trouble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causing-trouble/) [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) [Dolls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dolls/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Hindus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hindus/) [Islam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islam/) [Lovers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lovers/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Nightmare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nightmare/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Priests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/priests/) [Riot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/riot/) [Slave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slave/) [Worship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worship/) ## Related quotes > [Muhammad has always been standing higher than the Christianity. He does not consider god as a human being and never makes himself equal to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/muhammad-has-always-been-standing-higher-than-the-christianity-he/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [There is one God. The Jews and the Christians have no monopoly on God. I'm speaking about the same God the Hindus talk about,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/there-is-one-god-the-jews-and-the-christians-have-no-monopoly-on-god/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Hindus, in their capacity for love, are indeed hairless Christians, just as Muslims, in the way they see God in everything, are bearded Hindus,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/hindus-in-their-capacity-for-love-are-indeed-hairless-christians-just/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“When I corrected her, I told her that in fact she was not so wrong; that Hindus, in their capacity for love, are indeed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/when-i-corrected-her-i-told-her-that-in-fact-she-was-not-so-wrong/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [The god whom science recognizes must be a God of universal laws exclusively, a God who does a wholesale, not a retail business. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/the-god-whom-science-recognizes-must-be-a-god-of-universal-laws/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Without doubt, God is the universal moving force, but each being is moved according to the nature that God has given it. God directs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-de-maistre/without-doubt-god-is-the-universal-moving-force-but-each-being-is-2/) [Joseph de Maistre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-de-maistre/) > [Frustrated? Yes. Why? Because it is impossible for me to be God — or the universal woman-and-man — or anything much. I am what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/frustrated-yes-why-because-it-is-impossible-for-me-to-be-god-or-the/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [“The love of God is so universal that His perfect plan bestows many gifts on all of His children, even those who disobey His…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallin-h-oaks/the-love-of-god-is-so-universal-that-his-perfect-plan-bestows-many/) [Dallin H. Oaks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallin-h-oaks/) > [A belief in God's universal love to all his creatures, and that he will finally restore all of them that are miserable to happiness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-rush/a-belief-in-god-s-universal-love-to-all-his-creatures-and-that-he/) [Benjamin Rush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-rush/) > [He thought about science, about faith, about man. he thought about how every culture, in every country, in every time, had always shared one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/he-thought-about-science-about-faith-about-man-he-thought-about-how/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [“The origin of superstition above given affords us a clear reason for the fact, that it comes to all men naturally, though some refer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-origin-of-superstition-above-given-affords-us-a-clear-reason-for/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [God is universal; confined to no spot, defined by no dogma, appropriated by no sect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-baker-eddy/god-is-universal-confined-to-no-spot-defined-by-no-dogma-appropriated/) [Mary Baker Eddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-baker-eddy/) > [The universe itself is God and the universal outpouring of its soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrysippus/the-universe-itself-is-god-and-the-universal-outpouring-of-its-soul/) [Chrysippus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrysippus/) > [Without doubt God is the universal moving force, but each being is moved according to the nature that God has given it. He directs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-de-maistre/without-doubt-god-is-the-universal-moving-force-but-each-being-is/) [Joseph de Maistre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-de-maistre/) > [But, as I understand it, your God is a universal God; He is God on all suns and all planets. Surely, then, He must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wyndham/but-as-i-understand-it-your-god-is-a-universal-god-he-is-god-on-all/) [John Wyndham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wyndham/) ## More by Yann Martel > [“It’s a big ocean crossed by busy ships. I went slowly, observing much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/it-s-a-big-ocean-crossed-by-busy-ships-i-went-slowly-observing-much/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“The word isn't just the way it is. It is how we understand it, no? And in understanding something, we bring something to it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/the-word-isn-t-just-the-way-it-is-it-is-how-we-understand-it-no-and/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“Remember that your days on this earth are counted and you might as well make the best of those you have left.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/remember-that-your-days-on-this-earth-are-counted-and-you-might-as/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“I must say a word about fear. It's is life's only true opponent. Only fear can defeat life. It is a clever, treacherous adversary,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/i-must-say-a-word-about-fear-it-s-is-life-s-only-true-opponent-only/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [I was not wounded in any part of my body, but I had never experienced such intense pain, such a ripping of the nerves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/i-was-not-wounded-in-any-part-of-my-body-but-i-had-never-experienced/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [High calls low and low calls high. I tell you, if you were in such dire straits as I was, you too would elevate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/high-calls-low-and-low-calls-high-i-tell-you-if-you-were-in-such-dire/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“Or rather, since Christians are so fond of capital letters, a Story.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/or-rather-since-christians-are-so-fond-of-capital-letters-a-story/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“Progress is unstoppable. It is a drumbeat to which we must all march. Technology helps and good ideas spread - these are two laws…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/progress-is-unstoppable-it-is-a-drumbeat-to-which-we-must-all-march/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“There are always those who take it upon themselves to defend God, as if Ultimate Reality, as if the sustaining frame of existence were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/there-are-always-those-who-take-it-upon-themselves-to-defend-god-as/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“I never had problems with my fellow scientists. Scientists are a friendly, atheistic, hard-working, beer-drinking lot whose minds are preoccupied with sex, chess and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/i-never-had-problems-with-my-fellow-scientists-scientists-are-a/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“For evil in the open is but evil from within that has been let out. The main battlefield for good is not the open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/for-evil-in-the-open-is-but-evil-from-within-that-has-been-let-out/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [Books are something social - a writer speaking to a reader - so I think making the reading of a book the center of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/books-are-something-social-a-writer-speaking-to-a-reader-so-i-think/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [Nothing beats reason for keeping tigers away. But be excessively reasonable and you risk throwing out the universe with the bathwater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/nothing-beats-reason-for-keeping-tigers-away-but-be-excessively/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“Uvek ima onih koji uzmu za pravo da brane Boga, kao da je Poslednja stvarnost, kao da je temeljni ram postojanja nešto slabašno i…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/uvek-ima-onih-koji-uzmu-za-pravo-da-brane-boga-kao-da-je-poslednja/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“The reason death sticks so closely to life isn't biological necessity- its envy. Life is so beautiful that death has fallen in love with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/the-reason-death-sticks-so-closely-to-life-isn-t-biological-necessity/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) [Explore all 570 Yann Martel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) ## More Approval quotes > [Anyone who's read my 'Terror in the Skies' series knows that I have not been writing with an eye toward approval from any government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/anyone-who-s-read-my-terror-in-the-skies-series-knows-that-i-have-not/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [we need not avoid our active lives, but simply bring to them a new vision and shift of gravity. for in the center we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/we-need-not-avoid-our-active-lives-but-simply-bring-to-them-a-new/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [Lean too much on the approval of people, and it becomes a bed of thorns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tehyi-hsieh/lean-too-much-on-the-approval-of-people-and-it-becomes-a-bed-of-thorns/) [Tehyi Hsieh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tehyi-hsieh/) > [But I always reassure them that as far as my contractual rights can go, I will protect them and make sure that they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-roach/but-i-always-reassure-them-that-as-far-as-my-contractual-rights-can/) [Jay Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-roach/) > [Growing up in that fashion is a breeding ground for insecurity and doubt; it also leaves you questioning motives. It took me a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-runyon/growing-up-in-that-fashion-is-a-breeding-ground-for-insecurity-and/) [Damon Runyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-runyon/) > [A year ago, my approval rating was in the 30s, my nominee for the supreme court had just withdrawn, and my vice president had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/a-year-ago-my-approval-rating-was-in-the-30s-my-nominee-for-the/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Approval is a greater motivator than disapproval, but we have to disapprove on occasion when we correct. It’s necessary. I make corrections only after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wooden/approval-is-a-greater-motivator-than-disapproval-but-we-have-to/) [John Wooden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wooden/) > [These days people are mean to people just because they don't like the way they look. No-one should be hated because of their flaws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/these-days-people-are-mean-to-people-just-because-they-don-t-like-the/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [I got this emptiness inside that got me fighting for approval because I missed out on my daddy saying, Way to Go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lecrae/i-got-this-emptiness-inside-that-got-me-fighting-for-approval-because/) [Lecrae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lecrae/) > [My dad taught me swears when I was a toddler, and I saw, at a really early age, that if I shocked people, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roseanne-barr/my-dad-taught-me-swears-when-i-was-a-toddler-and-i-saw-at-a-really/) [Roseanne Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roseanne-barr/) > [If torture is going to be administered as a last resort in the ticking-bomb case, to save enormous numbers of lives, it ought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/if-torture-is-going-to-be-administered-as-a-last-resort-in-the/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [Comedy is a very approval-oriented field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-chappelle/comedy-is-a-very-approval-oriented-field/) [Dave Chappelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-chappelle/) > [Whenever you are too worried about someone else's approval, that person loses respect for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-argov/whenever-you-are-too-worried-about-someone-else-s-approval-that/) [Sherry Argov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-argov/) > [Pleasure is Nature's test, her sign of approval.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/pleasure-is-nature-s-test-her-sign-of-approval/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Do you really mean the only reason you try to be good is to gain God's approval and reward? That's not morality, that's just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/do-you-really-mean-the-only-reason-you-try-to-be-good-is-to-gain-god/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) [Browse all 904 Approval quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approval/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "God is universal,\" spluttered the priest. The imam nodded strong approval. \"There is only one God.\" \"And with their one god Muslims are always causing troubles and provoking riots. The proof of how bad Islam is, is how uncivilized Muslims are,: pronounced the pandit. \"Says the slave-driver of the cast system,\" huffed the imam. \"Hindus enslave people and worship dressed-up dolls.\" \"They are golden calf lovers. They kneel before the cows,\" the priest chimed in. \"While Christians kneel before a white man! They are flunkies of a foreign god. 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