"That's no law. That's an admonition not to overdo your labor. He didn't want us laboring seven days per week. If He were running things under the present set-up, He'd be tickled pink to see people taking it easy five days per week, believe me." "Sacrilege!" "Is it? Am I being sacrilegious to believe that He has a sense of humor and a load more common sense than you and me?" "To speak familiarly--" "If I've offended Him, let Him strike me where I stand," smiled Keg. "He is far too busy to hear the voice of an agnostic." "Then He is far too busy to have heard that I mentioned Him in familiar terms. What is your point, reverend? What do you want?" "A return to religion." "Good. Start it." "People will not come to church. They are too busy satiating themselves with the worldly goods and luxuries." * * * * * "Your particularly private sect, like a lot of others," said Keg Johnson harshly, "has been catering to the wishful-thinking of the have-nots. That used to be all right, I suppose. You gave them hope that in the next life they could live in peace, quiet, and also luxury, believe it or not. You call down the troubles of hell upon the shoulders of the ambitious, and squall that it is impossible for a rich man to get ahead in heaven. Nuts, reverend. You've been getting your flock from people who have no chance to have the pleasure of fine homes and good friends. You've been promising them streets of gold, pearly gates, and the sound of angelic music. Fine. Now we have a condition where people can have those--worldly goods--luxuries right here on earth and without waiting for death to take them there. If you want to start a return to church movement, reverend, you might start it by making your particular outfit one of the first to eschew all this palaver about streets of gold. Start being a spiritual organization, try to uplift the poor in spirit instead of telling them that they will be blessed because of it. Don't ever hope to keep your position by telling people that material made with a duplicator is a product of Hell, Devil, & Co., because they won't believe it in the first place and there won't be anything manufactured by any other means in the second place." "And yet you have all of Mars under your thumb," scolded the Reverend Thomas Doylen. "Of what value is it to gain the whole world and lose your soul?" "My soul isn't in bad shape," responded Keg cheerfully. "I think I may have done as much toward lifting civilization out of the mire as you have." "Sacril--" "Careful, reverend. It is you that I am criticizing now, not God. Just remember this, people are not going to fall for a bit of salving talk when they want nothing. You promise them anything you like in the way of fancy embroidery, but they'll have it at home now instead of getting it in heaven. Give 'em something to hope for in the way of greater intelligence, or finer personality, or better friends, and they'll eat it up.