| And, just as, after
a poet has sung his songs and established a language, the grammarian comes and deduces
rules of correct usage, so after prophets have revealed the nature and the purposes of
God, churches and priests come into existence to organize religion. The spiritual
experiences of great prophets form the soul of a religion, while the ordinances of priests
form its body. The soul cannot function without the body. Therefore organization in religion, which results in the formulation of
doctrines, the institution of ceremonies and the establishment of priesthood are
essential. The function of institutional religion is faithful to the inspired religion of
the original founders, it serves a very useful purpose, but when it departs from the
spirit of their teachings and assumes an independent importance, it becomes more a
hindrance than help. |
