Well Said: The Church is like a tree with complex roots

Erasmus conceived of Christianity as a fundamental core of truth that had unfortunately been obscured by by a layer of abuses. Christianity could only be restored to its natural, pristine simplicity if these centuries of un-Christian accretions were scraped away. essentially, the Church of Erasmus was like a ship encrusted with barnacles. But this view was fundamentally too simplistic; like many others before and since, Erasmus presumed there was a very clear, easily discernible dividing line between the essential "core" of the Christian message and the various traditions and customs that had accumulated over the centuries. He assumed restoring the Faith was as simple as pruning an overgrown bush or scraping off a layer of paint to reveal the original wall beneath.

The truth is much more complex. Not only the Church's essential core, but the broad strands of its historical and cultural development are attributable to Divine Providence as well. For example, Erasmus assumed the primacy of the pope was a historical development due primarily to political factors. Yet centuries after Erasmus, Pope St. Pius X taught that the Roman Church became the head of all the churches, not through political considerations, but from Divine Providence. Yes, there are many human traditions in the Church, but even the human traditions develop in light of divine doctrine, such that to simply hack away all custom simultaneously attacks the divine teaching at the root of these customs. The Church is not like a ship covered in barnacles; rather, it is more like a mature tree with a complex root system. One root might look insignificant or disposable, but to what other roots is it attached? If this root dies, how does it affect the whole organism? Not all root are equally important, but every root nourishes the tree to some degree, such that to chop it off is to inevitably wound the tree. Whether Erasmus himself realized this by the end of his life is known only to God.

Philip Campbell, Heroes & Heretics of the Reformation

I've always heard the "barnacle" comparison but the tree roots concept seems much more accurate, especially considering what I've read about how chaotic Church history has been since the beginning.