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Many of the Gods worshipped in ancient cultures--Western or Eastern--are simply states of being. They are not to be regarded as living personages but as symbols of that higher state of being. For the masses, their picture and form may represent a useful object of worship, since it is difficult to form abstract conceptions of such states. For us who study philosophy, they represent conditions superior to our present one and to whose attainment we should aspire.

-- Notebooks Category 17: The Religious Urge > Chapter 1 : Origin, Purpose of Religions > # 257