| And even in
civilized countries a scholar has a more worthy conception of God and His purposes than a
peasant does. It is these different conceptions-some high, some low, some adequate, some
inadequate - that have given rise to the various religions of the world. It is the human
element in religions that divides them, and it is the divine element running like a golden
thread through all of them that binds them together. Just as men's social needs in every age and country have given rise to
the various languages of the world, so men's moral and spiritual needs have given rise to
the various religions of the world. In the course of history many languages came into
existence. Some of them have died out, but some are still living and flourishing.
Similarly, in the course-of men's quest for God, many religions came into existence. Some
of them have died out, but some are still living and flourishing.
Religions as well as languages arise to satisfy a definite
need. But they decline and pass away when the conditions that gave them birth totally
alter and when they serve no purpose in the altered conditions |
