I think enormous harm is done by religion - not just in the name of religion, but actually by religion. ... Many people do simply awful things out of sincere religious belief, not using religion as a cover the way that Saddam Hussein may have done, but really because they believe that this is what God wants them to do, going all the way back to Abraham being willing to sacrifice Isaac because God told him to do that. Putting God ahead of humanity is a terrible thing.
Interpretation
The quote critiques the harm caused by religious beliefs that prioritize divine instructions over human values.
Steven Weinberg's quote suggests that religion can lead individuals to commit harmful acts under the belief that they are fulfilling divine will. He draws upon historical examples, like Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Isaac, to illustrate the dangerous implications of placing religious obedience above ethical considerations of humanity and compassion.
In practice
In a debate about the impact of religion on society, this quote can be used to illustrate how sincere beliefs can lead to negative consequences.
It was one time when people thought the value of the fine structure constant was important. Now of course it's still important, of course, as a practical matter,but we now know that the value it has is a function, that in any fundamental theory you derive the fine structure constant as a function of all sorts of mass ratios and so on and it's not really that fundamental.
Americans swept away the instruments of English hereditary inequality - entails and titles of nobility - even before we had a constitution.
It's very difficult to convince other countries that they shouldn't pursue nuclear weapons programs if we ourselves are actively developing a component of a strategic defense system.
[Science] is corrosive of religious belief, and it's a good thing too.
With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.
I'm offended by the kind of smarmy religiosity that's all around us, perhaps more in America than in Europe, and not really that harmful because it's not really that intense or even that serious, but just... you know after a while you get tired of hearing clergymen giving the invocation at various public celebrations and you feel, haven't we outgrown all this? Do we have to listen to this?
Truth doesn't always heal a wounded soul.
The destructive character lives from the feeling, not that life is worth living, but that suicide is not worth the trouble.
If, after I depart this vale, you ever remember me and have thought to please my ghost, forgive some sinner and wink your eye at some homely girl.
The true man wants two things: danger and play. For that reason he wants woman, as the most dangerous plaything.
We crave support in vanity, as we do in religion, and never forgive contradictions in that sphere.
The Kingdom is to be in the midst of your enemies. And he who will not suffer this does not want to be of the Kingdom of Christ; he wants to be among friends, to sit among roses and lilies, not with the bad people but the devout people. O you blasphemers and betrayers of Christ! If Christ had done what you are doing, who would ever have been spared?
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