“The faith that stands on authority is not faith. The reliance on authority measures the decline of religion, the withdrawal of the soul. The position men have given to Jesus, now for many centuries of history, is a position of authority. It characterizes themselves.” Self RelianceReligious CriticismAnti AuthoritarianThe Oversoul Book:The Essential Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson Source: The Essential Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson