We must respect the other fellow's religion, but only in the sense and to the extent that we respect his theory that his wife is beautiful and his children are smart.

Mencken argues that religious tolerance should be treated like humoring someone's affectionate but unprovable beliefs about their own family, polite and courteous rather than genuinely convinced. It's a skeptical, ironic take on the limits of respecting others' convictions.

Context reviewed 23 September 2026