Does civilization need religion? : $b A study in the social resources and limitations of religion in modern life

The work opens with a stark portrait of faith in a world reshaped by industry, science and urban life. It shows how the comforts of modernity have left many people indifferent or hostile to traditional religious vows, while older forms cling on in rural pockets and middle‑class circles. The author sketches the tug‑of‑war between the growing secular tide and the lingering sense that civilization still needs a moral compass, suggesting that the current “sickness of faith” may be a reversible condition rather than an inevitable decline.

From this starting point the text maps the social resources religion can still offer: a framework for personal identity, a rallying point for collective purpose, and a channel for ethical deliberation in an increasingly impersonal society. By weighing the constraints that modern life imposes on belief against the possibility of renewal, the author invites listeners to consider whether religion remains an essential ingredient for humanity’s moral and psychological health.