Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)
Ralph Waldo Emerson, the towering figure of his era, had a religious sense of mission. Although many accused him of subverting（搅乱） Christianity, he explained that, for him "to be a good minister, it was necessary to leave the church." The address he delivered in 1838 at his the Harvard Divinity School, made him unwelcome at Harvard for 30 years. In it, Emerson accused the church of acting "as if God were dead" and of emphasizing dogma while stifling the spirit.