Vedânta Philosophy: Three Lectures on Spiritual Unfoldment. Vol I

Every religion can be divided into two parts, one of which may be called the non‑essential and the other the essential. Doctrines, dogmas, rituals, ceremonies, and mythology of all the organized religious creeds come under the head of the non‑essential. It is not meant by this that they are useless; on the contrary, the very fact of their existence proves that they are helpful and necessary at certain stages of progress. What I mean is, that it cannot be said that they are absolutely necess...