Intended Meaning
The passage presents a distinction between religion and authority in how they intervene in people’s lives: religion through desire, and authority through coercion.
Limits of the Reading
This passage does not offer a comprehensive definition of religion or authority, nor does it by itself establish a detailed conception of the state or the law.
For broader reading: Muhammad Shahrur, Religion and Authority and The Civil State, Religion, and Authority.
Jurisprudence is historical and civil law is separate from it · Jurisprudence is historical and civil law is separate from it