“WHEN a man has gone so far as to regard religion as a mere matter of opinion, and consequently as a matter of choice, he is not likely to choose a difficult one, when an easy one will suit his purpose quite as well. Naturally, men are averse to having their intellect bound down to definite doctrines, and to having their will burthened by difficult obligations. There are few, if any, who will think of embracing a creed which imposes many restraints, while they feel, or at least try to feel, they can go to heaven equally safely by one that imposes hardly any restraint at all. Why should I be asked to waste time in considering the claims of a Church which makes marriage a contract which can never, under any circumstances, be dissolved; which binds her members to confession, to receive the Eucharist at least once a year, to assist at a certain form of worship every Sunday, to fast at stated times, to abstain on certain days from fleshmeat, to obey spiritual pastors; while I am free to remain in, or to join, a Church which imposes no obligations of the kind? As long as men are satisfied that all religions are equal in the sight of God, there is little hope of their seeking after any that differs from the easy one to which they have been accustomed.”
— Rev. John MacLaughlin, Is One Religion as Good as Another?
