Shaken, Karal reached out to lay a hand on Altra's back. "That is a terrible thing," he said quietly. "One I cannot even imagine." He was quiet for a moment, turning it over. It was almost impossible for him to envisage so many people an entire planet couldn't support them, but he could accept it. The other, though: "But I don't understand why religion would be abolished. Wouldn't that be the time when people would need their gods the most?"