Changes

98:6.1 Prior to the coming of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystery_cults mystery cults] and [[Christianity]], [[personal]] [[religion]] hardly [[developed]] as an [[independent]] [[institution]] in the civilized lands of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Africa North Africa] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Europe Europe]; it was more of a [[family]], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_state city-state], [[political]], and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_cult imperial] affair. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellene Hellenic Greeks] never evolved a centralized [[worship]] [[system]]; the [[ritual]] was local; they had no [[priesthood]] and no "[[Scripture|sacred book]]." Much as the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Romans Romans], their [[religious]] [[institutions]] lacked a powerful driving [[agency]] for the [[preservation]] of higher [[moral]] and [[spiritual]] [[values]]. While it is true that the [[institutionalization]] of [[religion]] has usually detracted from its [[spiritual]] [[quality]], it is also a [[fact]] that no [[religion]] has thus far succeeded in [[surviving]] without the aid of [[institutional]] [[organization]] of some [[degree]], greater or lesser.

98:6.1 Prior to the coming of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystery_cults mystery cults] and [[Christianity]], [[personal]] [[religion]] hardly [[developed]] as an [[independent]] [[institution]] in the civilized lands of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Africa North Africa] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Europe Europe]; it was more of a [[family]], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_state city-state], [[political]], and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_cult imperial] affair. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellene Hellenic Greeks] never evolved a centralized [[worship]] [[system]]; the [[ritual]] was local; they had no [[priesthood]] and no "[[Scripture|sacred book]]." Much as the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Romans Romans], their [[religious]] [[institutions]] lacked a powerful driving [[agency]] for the [[preservation]] of higher [[moral]] and [[spiritual]] [[values]]. While it is true that the [[institutionalization]] of [[religion]] has usually detracted from its [[spiritual]] [[quality]], it is also a [[fact]] that no [[religion]] has thus far succeeded in [[surviving]] without the aid of [[institutional]] [[organization]] of some [[degree]], greater or lesser.

98:6.2 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occident Occidental] [[religion]] thus languished until the days of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrrhonism Skeptics], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynics Cynics], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epicureans Epicureans], and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoics Stoics], but most important of all, until the times of the great [[contest]] between [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mithraism Mithraism] and [Paul, the Apostle|Paul]'s new [[religion]] of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauline_Christianity Christianity].

98:6.2 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occident Occidental] [[religion]] thus languished until the days of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrrhonism Skeptics], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynics Cynics], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epicureans Epicureans], and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoics Stoics], but most important of all, until the times of the great [[contest]] between [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mithraism Mithraism] and [[Paul, the Apostle|Paul]]'s new [[religion]] of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauline_Christianity Christianity].

98:6.3 During the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/300_AD third century after Christ], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mithraism Mithraic] and [[Christian]] churches were very similar both in [[appearance]] and in the [[character]] of their [[ritual]]. A [[majority]] of such places of [[worship]] were underground, and both contained [[altars]] whose backgrounds variously depicted the [[sufferings]] of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savior savior] who had brought [[salvation]] to a [[sin]]-[[cursed]] [[human]] [[race]].

98:6.3 During the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/300_AD third century after Christ], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mithraism Mithraic] and [[Christian]] churches were very similar both in [[appearance]] and in the [[character]] of their [[ritual]]. A [[majority]] of such places of [[worship]] were underground, and both contained [[altars]] whose backgrounds variously depicted the [[sufferings]] of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savior savior] who had brought [[salvation]] to a [[sin]]-[[cursed]] [[human]] [[race]].