"It would be far better to be of no church than to be bitter of any"

William Penn, as a thinker influenced by ideals of religious toleration and personal spirituality, challenges individuals to reflect on the true purpose of religious association. His assertion calls into question the value of nominal religious affiliation when it breeds bitterness, resentment, or intolerance. To merely belong to a religious group without embodying its spirit of love, compassion, and understanding risks doing more harm than good, both to oneself and to the broader community.

Bitterness can manifest as judgment, exclusion, or a rigid defense of dogma that alienates others and stifles spiritual growth. When religious participation becomes an opportunity for division rather than unity, it loses its potency as a force for personal and social transformation. Penn suggests that the absence of religious community is preferable to one that cultivates negativity or antagonism; spiritual emptiness is less damaging than the adoption of faith as a weapon to belittle, shame, or exclude.

He elevates the primacy of the inner spirit over external conformity, implying that the heart’s disposition weighs heavier than badges of membership. True faith transcends the boundaries of institution, existing not for self-justification or pride, but for the nurture of moral character and communal goodness. If belonging to a church, or any religious body, corrodes one's inner peace or breeds animosity towards others, then its purpose is fundamentally undermined.

Penn’s view affirms freedom of conscience and the importance of authenticity. A detached yet kind and humane person stands higher in moral value than one whose religious zeal produces anger or cruelty. His words still resonate in debates on religious tolerance, urging that the test of faith lies in its fruits, compassion, humility, and open-heartedness, rather than dogged adherence to sectarian lines that yield bitterness and strife. The call is for a faith that heals and unites, not a banner wielded for division.