I think what you mean is, religion can play a 'functionalist' role in society, by erecting moral boundaries, e.g., "Thou shalt not do mean stuff". Sociologists refer to that as 'functionalism', which is where a feature of a given culture provides a useful role. But many things, other than religion, can perform a useful purpose. For example, once upon a time in America, every small town had a brothel, or two. And when a farm boy turned 13, his pappy took him to a 'sportin parlor', to learn about the birds n bees. This prepared him for his wedding night, years later. Unfortunately, a town cannot remain half-Methodist, and half-sinfulness n damnation. And as the towns grew, the brothels got closed down.