It were better to have no opinion of God at all, than such an opinion, as is unworthy of him. For the one is unbelief, the other is contumely; and certainly superstition is the reproach of the Deity.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- It is better to have no belief about God than to hold a belief that disrespects Him; superstition is a reproach to the divine.
- In plain terms
- Having no belief is preferable to holding a disrespectful one.
- What can you take from it?
- Avoid beliefs that demean the divine.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What makes a belief 'unworthy' of God?
- Can respectful superstition exist?
Another view
It assumes a single correct view of the divine, which may not be universal.
More from Francis Bacon
A little philosophy inclineth man's mind to atheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth men's minds about to religion.
Permalink to quote #96 Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education; in the elder, a part of experience. He that traveleth into a country before he hath some entrance into the…
Permalink to quote #98 I had rather believe all the fables in the legends and the Talmud and the Alcoran, than that this universal frame is without a mind.
Permalink to quote #95
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