Belloc warned that disbelief would hollow Europe out from within: “A civilization can survive the loss of wealth, of power, even of learning; but it cannot survive the loss of its own explanation. Modern Europe still moves by the momentum of a Christian past, but it no longer understands why it moves at all. Its laws, its respect for the person, its conception of justice and duty were not discovered by reason alone, nor produced by chance. They were the result of a definite creed, long held and deeply believed. When that creed is denied, the habits it created linger for a generation or two, but they no longer renew themselves. What was once tradition becomes routine; what was conviction becomes custom; and custom, once questioned, collapses. That is the precise condition of Europe today.” — Hilaire Belloc