Preface to androcles and the lion by george bernard shaw (excerpt) the passionately religious are a people apart; and if they were not hopelessly outnumbered by the worldly, they would turn the world upside down, as st. paul was reproached, quite justly, for wanting to do. few people can number among their personal acquaintances a single atheist unless a religious turn in ourselves has led us to seek the little societies to which these rare birds belong, we pass our lives among people who, whatever creeds they may repeat, and in whatever temples they may avouch their respectability and wear their sunday clothes, have robust consciences, and hunger and thirst, not for righteousness, but for rich feeding and comfort and social position and attractive mates and ease and pleasure and respect and consideration: in short, for love and money. to these people one morality is as good as another provided they are used to it and can put up with its restrictions without unhappiness; and in the maintenance of this morality they will fight and punish and coerce without scruple. . and as they know, very sensibly, that a little religion is good for children and serves morality, keeping the poor in good humor or in awe by promising rewards in heaven or threatening torments in hell, they encourage the religious people up to a certain point: if [a preacher]only tells the ladies of florence that they ought to tear off their jewels and finery and sacrifice them to god, they offer him a cardinal's hat, and praise him as a saint; but if he induces them to actually do it, they burn him as a public nuisance. which phrase best describes the tone of this passage? a. passionately condemnatory b. sardonic and scornful c. restrained but critical d. comically exaggerated