Greater enlightenment should deliver educated mortals from dependence on intermediaries in communion with Deity, as religious meanings progress in self-consciousness, transferring fear into love from parent-child relationships. [1] Mithras, a militant god originating in a rock, became an intercessor for humans among gods after slaying the sacred bull. [2] No mediators are necessary between man and the affectionate Father whose love is the eternal source of mercy. [3]
During dark centuries, religion reverted to secondhand status, overshadowed by church authority, giving rise to a spiritual menace in a galaxy of saints able to intercede with the divine on behalf of individuals. [4]