describe the religious criticism made by arnold

Matthew Arnold (1822-1888) was a British writer and poet
who addressed the social issues of his time. For more information on his biography,
follow the link below. Arnold wrote several books critical of religion, including St.
Paul and Protestantism in 1870, Literature and Dogma in 1873, God and the Bible in 1875,
and Last Essays on Church and Religion in 1877.

Arnold
thought religion was important, but his interest was more pragmatic than spiritual. He
thought religion could be useful to society by teaching people virtues which would make
them good citizens. Arnold was conservative in his values and he thought highly of
religious rituals and traditions. However, he was critical of the superstitious elements
in religion and the unwillingness of religion to change and accept scientific findings.
He felt the religious leaders who clung to the old orthodox teachings were blocking
truth and making religion unappealing to educated people of his day. He was skeptical
about religious dogmas and about the Bible as a source of religious truth. In light of
new scientific findings, he preferred a more symbolic or poetic interpretation of Bible
passages.

However, Arnold also did not agree with the new
ideas of scientific positivism, which believed only those things which can be observed
or proven scientifically can be believed. So Arnold had to carve out a new position that
used science to help people find religion credible.