Art begins when a man, with a purpose of communicating to other people a feeling he once experienced, calls it up again within himself and expresses it by certain external signs.
Leo TolstoyRead
Nowhere nor in anything, except in the assertion of the Church, can we find that God or Christ founded anything like what churchmen understand by the Church.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Tolstoy suggests that the institutional Church does not represent the true essence of God or Christ's teachings.
In this quote, Leo Tolstoy critiques the organized Church, arguing that there is no substantial evidence in scripture or Christ's teachings supporting the institutionalized version of the Church as understood by its leaders. He points to the idea that true spirituality and faith may exist independently of the established Church's doctrines and practices, emphasizing a more personal relationship with God and a departure from institutional forms of religion.
Themes
ChurchFaithSpiritualityInstitutionReligionCritique
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on the role of organized religion in modern society.
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