The beauty of religious mania is that it has the power to explain everything. Once God {or Satan} is accepted as the first cause of everything which happens in the mortal world, nothing is left to chance... logic can be happily tossed out the window.

The beauty of religious mania is that it has the power to explain everything. Once God {or Satan} is accepted as the first cause of everything which happens in the mortal world, nothing is left to chance... logic can be happily tossed out the window.

📖 Stephen King

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This quote from Stephen King's The Stand captures a profound and provocative idea about how religious fervor can shape human understanding of the world. The phrase "religious mania" immediately signals an intensity, perhaps an excessive zeal, in belief that attributes all phenomena—good or evil—to divine or diabolic intervention. This worldview offers an all-encompassing explanation, which might appear comforting to many; life’s unpredictable and often chaotic nature finds an organizing principle, a first cause that accounts for everything within the mortal realm.

However, the price for this explanatory power, as the quote suggests, is the abandonment of logic and rational inquiry. When events are predetermined by celestial forces, chance and human agency become irrelevant concepts. The quote presents a critical reflection on how such a mindset may discourage questioning, skepticism, or even scientific investigation, since everything is already "explained" by supernatural causation. This can hinder intellectual growth, moral complexity, and the acceptance of uncertainty inherent in human life.

In a broader sense, the quote challenges us to consider the tension between faith and reason. Religious belief can provide meaning and community, but when it tips into fanaticism or zealotry—characterized here as "mania"—it risks fostering dogmatism. It suggests that unquestioned adherence to divine explanations may shut down curiosity, leading to intellectual stagnation. This tension remains relevant in contemporary discourse around religion, science, and philosophy, reminding us of the critical balance required to maintain both wonder and inquiry.

Ultimately, King's words invite a sober contemplation on the seductive simplicity of absolute explanations and the complex costs they may carry on our capacity for critical thinking and embracing uncertainty.

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June 12, 2025

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