Religion can be a wonderful force in civic life. In a charitable organization, it can motivate people to give of themselves far beyond the call of duty. But when society, as Bush put it, "sees a need to help people," it should not look first to religious groups to provide the answer, especially when the problem is a social and not a spiritual one. The social compact should not be sub-contracted out.
Stephen E. Sachs '02, a Crimson editor, is a history concentrator in Quincy House.
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