From Alan Watts' "Wisdom of Insecurity"

"The common error of ordinary religious practice is to mistake the symbol for the reality, to look at the finger pointing the way and then suck it for comfort rather than follow it. Religious ideas are like words - of little use, and often misleading, unless you know the concrete realities to which they refer. The word 'water' is a useful means of communication amongst those who know water. The same is true of the word and the idea called 'God.'