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In the Varieties, James explicitly excludes from his study both theology and religious institutions, choosing to limit his study to direct an immediate religious experiences, which he regarded as the more interesting object of study. Churches, theologies, and important as vehicles for passing on insights gained by religious experience but, in James's view, they live second-hand off the original experience of the founder. He took a pragmatist approach to philosophy of religion, arguing that "God is real since he produces real effects".(ref)