Without the police, imperfect as they are, we'd be in a world of s--t.
I'm not saying you are starting up stuff about certain religious institutions again, but I would just like to make a point on that. There are a lot of very vociferous people in the country today who are sneering at the supposed "hypocrisy" of certain large churches. These churches are not perfect; far from it. But I wonder if it has ever occurred to some of these people what things would be like if thousands of people, especially young men, weren't being taught day in and day out to not harm others, but instead to turn the other cheek. Some of these young men have literally no other training in how to act, other than what they hear when their grandmothers drag them to Sunday school. If they had never, ever heard of the lifestyle in which a person at least tries not to hurt others, there would be absolutely nothing to keep them from, say, tearing limb-from-limb every person on the street whom they found to be a little bit different.
This literal belief in hell, and in not hurting others, held by some otherwise clueless and aggressive young men, has protected many a loudmouthed, annoying liberal from being attacked by such young men, of that I am sure.
Religious institutions are mechanisms of social order, and they are needed.
Excuse me, but I think you would have to hunt the archieves quite awhile to find any post by freedox about religion. I think an apology is in order to her for the "again" word. Just a suggestion...devil.