It has served us well, this myth of Christ.
Interpretation
The quote suggests that the story of Christ, whether true or not, has benefitted society.
Pope Leo X's quote reflects on the role of the figure of Christ as a pivotal myth in shaping cultural and moral frameworks throughout history. It implies that religious narratives, regardless of their factual basis, can provide social cohesion, ethical guidance, and a sense of purpose to many individuals and communities, making their impact undeniably profound and beneficial to civilization.
In practice
In a discussion about the impact of religion on society, one could say, 'As Pope Leo X noted, it has served us well, this myth of Christ.'
A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other. A solemn consideration, when I enter a great city by night, that every one of those darkly clustered houses encloses its own secret; that every room in every one of them encloses its own secret; that every beating heart in the hundreds of thousands of breasts there, is, in some of its imaginings, a secret to the heart nearest it!
There are slavish souls who carry their appreciation for favors done them so far that they strangle themselves with the rope of gratitude.
The moment you give up your principles, and your values, you are dead, your culture is dead, your civilization is dead. Period.
The attempt to remove evil from the world by killing a thousand evil - doers, only adds to the evil in the world.
There isn't any fear in existence itself, or any uncertainty, but living creates it.
Let no one delay the study of philosophy while young nor weary of it when old.
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