"But is it not the fact that religion emanates from the nature, from the moral state of the individual? Is it not therefore true that unless the nature be completely exercised, the moral state harmonized, the religion cannot be healthy?"

This quote by Harriet Martineau recommends that faith is a reflection of an individual's ethical state. She indicates that in order for religious beliefs to be healthy, the individual need to first exercise their nature and balance their ethical state. This recommends that religion is not something that can be forced upon somebody, however rather something that is developed from within. It is a person's moral state that determines the health of their faith. Therefore, in order for religion to be healthy, the specific should initially deal with their own ethical state.