What Harms Religion

Who destroys religion3 Goethe was once asked, “What drives poetry out of the world?” He answered laconically, “Poets,” and added. “Poetry will flourish when there are inspired poets.”

So in religion, the only people who can harm and slow down and destroy religion are religious people. People who call Christ Lord and do not the things which I Ie says. People who make religion distasteful in the eves of ordinary folk. Jesus bluntly charged the religious leaders of His dav: “You are destroying religion, your out-look is not God’s hut man’s.

Your religion is outward form lacking inward spirit. You are at great pains to get minor details exact, hut you obscure the central spiritual realities like justice and love. You shut the door of eternal life to ordinary (oik. You block up the way to God the Father.

You deny the dispossessed, the outcast, any share m God’s mercy. You make religion a dull and dead thing, when it ought to be the loveliest and happiest thing in the world.

No wonder ordinary folk turn from religion. You, who ought to be commending religion, are killing it in the lives of people.”