In the highest sense, religion is an intensely individual issue. But there is a national question also. We must hold together, and we cannot hold together only on the strength of police regulations. An internal regulator of conduct is absolutely necessary. Will men be good and wise without the aid of religion? As modern life has multiplied desires without the corrective of a sense of spiritual values, knowledge of modern science does not reduce either greed or lust. Indeed, it has nothing to do with these criminal disturbances of the mind. On the contrary, it finds fresh tools for greater indulgence in all forms of greed, lust, and anger. It is true that a sense of shame by itself often prevents overt misconduct. But it does not go to the root of the mischief; it does not stop undesirable mental activities. The only thing that can prevent or restrain these evils is the religious sense.
Q. According to the author, religion is essentially a.