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The natural sciences are relatively concrete fields of study, and the social sciences are considered abstract relative to these. But religion is even more abstract than the social sciences. So religion is very abstract. And therefore problems with religion are very difficult to identify.
But even though the operation of religion is so abstract, the problems of a religion must manifest themselves in concrete ways, because that is what makes a problem a problem.
So in identifying problems of a religion for the purpose of reforming it, you must first think concretely. That is, you must think in terms of the senses. What primal need is your religion failing to satisfy for you, whether it is food, shelter, or sex. And then try to fix the problem in the most obvious, direct, and concrete way, and when you fail, think about what it is that stopped you succeeding, and recognize that thing as also being a problem in itself. Eventually you will come up with a list of problems, which you cannot resolve them all by confronting them directly, so you must search for the solution on a more abstract level.
For confronting abstract problems, it is easier to gain the support of a larger number of people, because abstract problems tend to manifest themselves in very general ways, and end up harming a large number of people.
So once you identify the abstract problems with your religion, gaining a broad following become much easier, because by confronting the abstract problems you will be benefiting a diverse range of people who are not necessarily exactly like you.
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