Skip to content
quotesby

A man who is convinced of the truth of his religion is indeed never tolerant. At the least, he is to feel pity for the adherent of another religion but usually it does not stop there. The faithful adherent of a religion will try first of all to convince those that believe in another religion and usually he goes on to hatred if he is not successful. However, hatred then leads to persecution when the might of the majority is behind it. In the case of a Christian clergyman, the tragic-comical is found in this: that the Christian religion demands love from the faithful, even love for the enemy. This demand, because it is indeed superhuman, he is unable to fulfill. Thus intolerance and hatred ring through the oily words of the clergyman. The love, which on the Christian side is the basis for the conciliatory attempt towards Judaism is the same as the love of a child for a cake. That means that it contains the hope that the object of the love will be eaten up...

Albert Einstein#163

ReligionEthicsFaithToleranceHatredHypocrisyIntolerancePersecution

About this quote

What does it mean?
Einstein argues that religious conviction often leads to intolerance, where attempts to convert others can escalate to hatred and persecution, contradicting the religion's own demands for love.
In plain terms
People who are sure their religion is right often cannot accept others, and this stubbornness can turn into hate and persecution.
What can you take from it?
Religious certainty can override compassion and lead to harm against those with different beliefs.

Where it applies

  • interfaith debates
  • religious persecution
  • clerical rhetoric

Putting it to work

  • critical analysis of religious texts
  • promoting secular dialogue
  • identifying cognitive dissonance

Questions to consider

  • Can conviction ever exist without intolerance?
  • How do power dynamics influence religious behavior?

Another view

The quote generalizes all faithful adherents and may overlook instances of genuine religious tolerance or peaceful coexistence.

More from Albert Einstein

  1. The bigotry of the nonbeliever is for me nearly as funny as the bigotry of the believer.

    Permalink to quote #162
  2. If I would follow your advice and Jesus could perceive it, he, as a Jewish teacher, surely would not approve of such behavior.

    Permalink to quote #164
  3. As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain; and as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality.

    Permalink to quote #161

Related quotes

  1. Hear the verbal protestations of all men: Nothing so certain as their religious tenets. Examine their lives: You will scarcely think that they repose the small…

    David HumeDavid Hume quote #42
  2. Our president is a Christian? So was Adolf Hitler.

    Kurt VonnegutKurt Vonnegut quote #193
  3. The tides and currents of the soul care nothing for the creeds. People who make rules for the conduct of others generally break them themselves. It is so easy …

    Robert G. IngersollRobert G. Ingersoll quote #212