andthisexplainsthepassionateloyaltyofreligiouspersonseverywheretotheminutestdetailsoftheirsowidelydifferingcreeds。Takingcreedsandfaith-statetogether，asforming“religions。”andtreatingtheseaspurelysubjectivephenomena，withoutregardtothequestionoftheir“truth。”weareobliged，onaccountoftheirextraordinaryinfluenceuponactionandendurance，toclassthemamongstthemostimportantbiologicalfunctionsofmankind。TheirstimulantandanaestheticeffectissogreatthatProfessorLeuba，inarecentarticle，goessofarastosaythatsolongasmencanUSEtheirGod，theycareverylittlewhoheis，orevenwhetherheisatall。“Thetruthofthemattercanbeput。”saysLeuba，“inthisway：GODISNOT
KNOWN，HEISNOTUNDERSTOOD；HEISUSED——sometimesasmeat-purveyor，sometimesasmoralsupport，sometimesasfriend，sometimesasanobjectoflove。Ifheproveshimselfuseful，thereligiousconsciousnessasksfornomorethanthat。DoesGodreallyexist？Howdoesheexist？Whatishe？aresomanyirrelevantquestions。NotGod，butlife，morelife，alarger，richer，moresatisfyinglife，is，inthelastanalysis，theendofreligion。Theloveoflife，atanyandeverylevelofdevelopment，isthereligiousimpulse。”
CompareLeuba：Loc。cit。，pp。346-349。
TheContentsofReligiousConsciousness，inTheMonist，xi。
Loc。cit。，pp。abridged。See，also，thiswriter’sextraordinarilytruecriticismofthenotionthatreligionprimarilyseekstosolvetheintellectualmysteryoftheworld。ComparewhatW。BendersaysinhisWesenderReligion，Bonn，1888，pp。85，38：“NotthequestionaboutGod，andnottheinquiryintotheoriginandpurposeoftheworldisreligion，butthequestionaboutMan。Allreligiousviewsoflifeareanthropocentric。”“Religionisthatactivityofthehumanimpulsetowardsself-preservationbymeansofwhichManseekstocarryhisessentialvitalpurposesthroughagainsttheadversepressureoftheworldbyraisinghimselffreelytowardstheworld’sorderingandgoverningpowerswhenthelimitsofhisownstrengtharereached。”Thewholebookislittlemorethanadevelopmentofthesewords。