I totally agree with r-e-volution's opinion here. I mean it really seems something antireligious. See, I'm far from being an antireligious person, specially because I know how much religion have been useful for controlling our 'animal' side. I guess if it doesn't exist religion we all would live in such a worse way than we are living now... Nevertheless, I think many people really tend to be often manipulated by other pretentiously 'blessed' ones.
Anyway, I think Martin is suggesting that we will never be good enough to any religion for deserving all the love from 'Heaven' since we are supposed to be not entirely 'holy' in our human essence ("All the clerks and the tailors / The sharks and the sailors / All good at their trades / But they'll always be failures"), so we are constantly needing to 'stole' love (meaning: understanding and compassion) for supporting our 'inferiority'. Therefore we would be slaves from religion on this perspective. And even the most faithful disciples are ready to fall into a temptation sooner or later ("...And feast on your holiness / As long as they're able"), so they also are 'love thieves' like the rest of us...
I totally agree with r-e-volution's opinion here. I mean it really seems something antireligious. See, I'm far from being an antireligious person, specially because I know how much religion have been useful for controlling our 'animal' side. I guess if it doesn't exist religion we all would live in such a worse way than we are living now... Nevertheless, I think many people really tend to be often manipulated by other pretentiously 'blessed' ones.
Anyway, I think Martin is suggesting that we will never be good enough to any religion for deserving all the love from 'Heaven' since we are supposed to be not entirely 'holy' in our human essence ("All the clerks and the tailors / The sharks and the sailors / All good at their trades / But they'll always be failures"), so we are constantly needing to 'stole' love (meaning: understanding and compassion) for supporting our 'inferiority'. Therefore we would be slaves from religion on this perspective. And even the most faithful disciples are ready to fall into a temptation sooner or later ("...And feast on your holiness / As long as they're able"), so they also are 'love thieves' like the rest of us...