All...religions show the same disparity between belief and practice, and each is safe till it tries to exclude the rest. Test each sect by its best or its worst as you will, by its high-water mark of virtue or its low-water mark of vice. But falsehood begins when you measure the ebb of any other religion against the flood-tide of your own. There is a noble and a base side to every history.

Summary

This quote suggests that all religions share a common contradiction between the beliefs they espouse and the actions of their followers. It further argues that each religion is acceptable as long as it does not seek to exclude others. The quote advises evaluating different sects based on their highest and lowest manifestations of virtue or vice but warns against comparing the shortcomings of other religions to the perceived greatness of one's own. It asserts that every religious history has both noble and base aspects, emphasizing the need to recognize the complexities and dualities within all religious traditions.

Topics