One and all, religions have their original prophets, their sacred books, their traditions of ages gone. One and all require us to accept without question what other people long dead have said or written; to obey without question the commands of those behind us.... No matter what the belief, if it had modestly said, This is our best thought, go on, think farther! then we could have smoothly outgrown our early errors and long since have developed a religion such as would have kept pace with an advancing world. But we were made to believe and not allowed to think. We were told to obey, rather than to experiment and investigate.

Summary

This quote criticizes the tendency of religions to demand unquestioning acceptance of beliefs and practices established by past authorities, obstructing progress and the development of more relevant and up-to-date religious teachings. If religions had encouraged open-mindedness and critical thinking, allowing room for individual exploration and growth, they could have evolved alongside an advancing world. However, the emphasis on blind obedience restricted intellectual curiosity and hindered the advancement of religion. The quote suggests that religions should have encouraged people to think independently and pursue further understanding rather than passively following outdated doctrines.

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