---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Religion is a more or less organized way…"
description: "\"Religion is a more or less organized way of remembering that every ministry points to a higher reality.\" — Lawrence Kushner"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ca/lawrence-kushner-14033_higher_religion-is-a-more-or-less-organized-way_672254.jpg"
---

#  Religion is a more or less organized way of remembering…

![“Religion is a more or less organized way of remembering that every ministry points to a higher reality.” quote by Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ca/lawrence-kushner-14033_higher_religion-is-a-more-or-less-organized-way_672254.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ca/lawrence-kushner-14033_higher_religion-is-a-more-or-less-organized-way_672254.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ca/lawrence-kushner-14033_higher_religion-is-a-more-or-less-organized-way_672254.jpg)

> “Religion is a more or less organized way of remembering that every ministry points to a higher reality.”

[Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Religion organizes memory of higher truths, pointing beyond individual ministries to a larger reality.

**In simple terms:** Religion reminds us of a greater reality beyond rituals.

Key Takeaway

Seek the deeper meaning behind religious practices.

Themes

spirituality memory higher reality religious practice

Mood

thoughtful inquisitive

Type

theological motivational

When to use this quote

- worship services
- personal meditation
- interfaith meetings
- educational seminars

Key Concepts

Theology comparative religion

Questions to Reflect On

- What higher reality does your practice point to?
- How can organized religion stay open to new insights?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on hierarchy can obscure personal experience.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Higher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/higher/) [Higher Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/higher-reality-1408050/) [Ministry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ministry/) [Ministry Points](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ministry-points-5335048/) [Organized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organized/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religion Organized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion-organized-640236/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Remembering Ministry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remembering-ministry-5335047/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/)

## Related quotes

> [You find as you look around the world that every single bit of progress in humane feeling, every improvement in the criminal law, every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/you-find-as-you-look-around-the-world-that-every-single-bit-of/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [I think there's been a big problem between religion, or organized religion, and spirituality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-davies/i-think-there-s-been-a-big-problem-between-religion-or-organized/)

[Dave Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-davies/)

> [I usually lump organized religion, organized labor, and organized crime together. The Mafia gets points for having the best restaurants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-beard/i-usually-lump-organized-religion-organized-labor-and-organized-crime/)

[Dave Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-beard/)

> [“why shouldn't I dream myself into happiness? What higher reality is there than dream?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettina-brentano/why-shouldn-t-i-dream-myself-into-happiness-what-higher-reality-is/)

[Bettina Brentano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettina-brentano/)

> [“Reality is consciousness; therefore, it makes a blissful awareness. It exists in everything we do and everywhere we travel. Mind, matter, and space are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-s-spence-sr/reality-is-consciousness-therefore-it-makes-a-blissful-awareness-it/)

[Joseph S. Spence Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-s-spence-sr/)

> [Zen is all-inclusive. It never denies, it never says no to anything; it accepts everything and transforms it into a higher reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/zen-is-all-inclusive-it-never-denies-it-never-says-no-to-anything-it/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [“Once you choose to raise your own awareness, you will have done the most you can to defeat the dark side of human nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/once-you-choose-to-raise-your-own-awareness-you-will-have-done-the/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [Everything that you see here, in other words, is a reflection of a higher reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everything-that-you-see-here-in-other-words-is-a-reflection-of-a/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [No authority is higher than reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-nivio-zarlenga/no-authority-is-higher-than-reality/)

[Peter Nivio Zarlenga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-nivio-zarlenga/)

> [The highest problem of any art is to cause by appearance the illusion of a higher reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/the-highest-problem-of-any-art-is-to-cause-by-appearance-the-illusion/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [People for whom art is religion can say, "What I love about art is that it points to a higher reality." Well, fine, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-woodring/people-for-whom-art-is-religion-can-say-what-i-love-about-art-is-that/)

[Jim Woodring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-woodring/)

> [Formal religion was organized for slaves: it offered them consolation which earth did not provide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/formal-religion-was-organized-for-slaves-it-offered-them-consolation/)

[Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/)

> [I have a lot of frustration with religion, organized religion, because it's man-made, because it's man-regulated. And it has nothing to do with my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-farmiga/i-have-a-lot-of-frustration-with-religion-organized-religion-because/)

[Vera Farmiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-farmiga/)

> [Religion is organized to satisfy and guide the soul -- politics does the same thing for the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-cary/religion-is-organized-to-satisfy-and-guide-the-soul-politics-does-the/)

[Joyce Cary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-cary/)

> [“That is the idea -- that we should all be wicked if we did not hold to the Christian religion. It seems to me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/that-is-the-idea-that-we-should-all-be-wicked-if-we-did-not-hold-to/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

## More by Lawrence Kushner

> [God puts you where God needs you. You are where you are supposed to be. The job you are doing may not be any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/god-puts-you-where-god-needs-you-you-are-where-you-are-supposed-to-be/)

[Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/)

> [“We seek a metaphor for holy words that will return them to us once again as an ayfz hayim, a tree of life (Prov.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/we-seek-a-metaphor-for-holy-words-that-will-return-them-to-us-once/)

[Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/)

> [“Recall our own recent, immediate experiences. Since dreams are often initiated by something that happened only recently, we must ask about yesterday's residue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/recall-our-own-recent-immediate-experiences-since-dreams-are-often/)

[Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/)

> [“Genesis’ saying that we are made in the likeness of God does not mean that God looks a little like us, with a face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/genesis-saying-that-we-are-made-in-the-likeness-of-god-does-not-mean/)

[Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/)

> [“The one who pays attention to the dreams, draws on them, and lives them out is blessed, even as the one who dreams is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/the-one-who-pays-attention-to-the-dreams-draws-on-them-and-lives-them/)

[Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/)

> [“But everyone dreams anyway. And we-from Joseph to Daniel to Freud-have had dreams, read them, interpreted them, hidden from them, and even, on occasion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/but-everyone-dreams-anyway-and-we-from-joseph-to-daniel-to-freud-have/)

[Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/)

> [“We participate in a perpetual organic conversation with our universe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/we-participate-in-a-perpetual-organic-conversation-with-our-universe/)

[Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/)

> [“Assume full responsibility for the dream. For "through the dream the man makes the matter his own; it is in his will, and he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/assume-full-responsibility-for-the-dream-for-through-the-dream-the/)

[Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/)

> [“allowing the river of light-the deepest currents of consciousness-to rise to the surface and, without anxiety, animate our lives. We are thus blessed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/allowing-the-river-of-light-the-deepest-currents-of-consciousness-to/)

[Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/)

> [ “As any good teacher of dreams will tell you, you are all the people in your dream. Fritz Perls taught, "\[All\] the different parts,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/as-any-good-teacher-of-dreams-will-tell-you-you-are-all-the-people-in/)

[Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/)

> [“Is it not at least occasionally the case that we set out on a clear and simple mission and return with something undreamed of?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/is-it-not-at-least-occasionally-the-case-that-we-set-out-on-a-clear/)

[Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/)

> [“Isolate and identify the primary elements of the dream text before us. What are the dream's components? One of the most common errors made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/isolate-and-identify-the-primary-elements-of-the-dream-text-before-us/)

[Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/)

> [“What first occurs to us on remembering the dream/reading the text may be the most important thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/what-first-occurs-to-us-on-remembering-the-dream-reading-the-text-may/)

[Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/)

> [“The story is not about someone else. It is not even about you. It is you. The one who "lives" in the dream is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/the-story-is-not-about-someone-else-it-is-not-even-about-you-it-is/)

[Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/)

> [The first mystery is simply that there is a mystery, a mystery that can never be explained or understood, only encountered from time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/the-first-mystery-is-simply-that-there-is-a-mystery-a-mystery-that/)

[Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/)

[Explore all 48 Lawrence Kushner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/)

## More Higher quotes

> [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [I train my muscles, and I do a lot of stretching, and try to kick higher. But for me, practicing kung-fu is a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chow/i-train-my-muscles-and-i-do-a-lot-of-stretching-and-try-to-kick/)

[Stephen Chow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chow/)

> [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [Plainly, the environment must be a living one, directed by a higher intelligence, arranged by an adult who is prepared for his mission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/plainly-the-environment-must-be-a-living-one-directed-by-a-higher/)

[Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/)

> [No creature can attain a higher grade of nature without ceasing to exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ananda-coomaraswamy/no-creature-can-attain-a-higher-grade-of-nature-without-ceasing-to/)

[Ananda Coomaraswamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ananda-coomaraswamy/)

> [At times of recession, running a budget deficit is highly desirable. Once the economy begins to recover, you have to balance the budget. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/at-times-of-recession-running-a-budget-deficit-is-highly-desirable/)

[George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/)

> [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

> [Although I don't have anything against people from other countries, the higher the influx into England the more the British identity disappears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/although-i-don-t-have-anything-against-people-from-other-countries/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The higher animals get their teeth without pain or inconvenience. Man gets his through months and months of cruel torture; he will never get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-higher-animals-get-their-teeth-without-pain-or-inconvenience-man/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [The rights essential to happiness. . . . We claim them from a higher source - from the King of kings and Lord of all the earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dickinson/the-rights-essential-to-happiness-we-claim-them-from-a-higher-source/)

[John Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dickinson/)

> [I know there is a higher being and I respect that force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhay-deol/i-know-there-is-a-higher-being-and-i-respect-that-force/)

[Abhay Deol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhay-deol/)

> [You know, nothing is more important than education, because nowhere are our stakes higher; our future depends on the quality of education of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-schwarzenegger/you-know-nothing-is-more-important-than-education-because-nowhere-are/)

[Arnold Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-schwarzenegger/)

> [To become aware of the subtlety of nature you need to be alert. The moment you become alert you become still... thinking subsides. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/to-become-aware-of-the-subtlety-of-nature-you-need-to-be-alert-the/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [My phone rings, they call me up and say, 'Chael, your testosterone level is too high.' I say, 'Well, how high was it?' They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/my-phone-rings-they-call-me-up-and-say-chael-your-testosterone-level/)

[Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/)

[Browse all 4,545 Higher quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/higher/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Religion is a more or less organized way of remembering that every ministry points to a higher reality.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Lawrence Kushner"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/religion-is-a-more-or-less-organized-way-of-remembering-that-every/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Higher"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/religion-is-a-more-or-less-organized-way-of-remembering-that-every/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ca/lawrence-kushner-14033_higher_religion-is-a-more-or-less-organized-way_672254.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ca/lawrence-kushner-14033_higher_religion-is-a-more-or-less-organized-way_672254.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ca/lawrence-kushner-14033_higher_religion-is-a-more-or-less-organized-way_672254.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Religion is a more or less organized way of remembering that every ministry points to a higher reality.” — Lawrence Kushner",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Lawrence Kushner",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Religion is a more or less...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/religion-is-a-more-or-less-organized-way-of-remembering-that-every/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/religion-is-a-more-or-less-organized-way-of-remembering-that-every/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
