In all the antique religions, mythology takes the place of dogma; that is, the sacred lore of priests and people... and these stories afford the only explanation that is offered of the precepts of religion and the prescribed rules of ritual.
More Quotes from William Robertson Smith:
This being so, it follows that mythology ought not to take the prominent place that is too often assigned to it in the scientific study of ancient faiths.William Robertson Smith
In better times the religion of the tribe or state has nothing in common with the private and foreign superstitions or magical rites that savage terror may dictate to the individual.
William Robertson Smith
The land of a god corresponds with the land of his worshipers.
William Robertson Smith
But, strictly speaking, this mythology was no essential part of ancient religion, for it had no sacred sanction and no binding force on the worshippers.
William Robertson Smith
Even the highest forms of sacrificial worship present much that is repulsive to modern ideas, and in particular it requires an effort to reconcile our imagination to the bloody ritual which is prominent in almost every religion which has a strong sense of sin.
William Robertson Smith
The dissolution of the nation destroys the national religion, and dethrones the national deity.
William Robertson Smith
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Based on Topics: People Quotes, Place Quotes, Religions & Spirituality QuotesBased on Keywords: antique, lore, precepts, prescribed, ritual
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