Rather Than Bringing Greater Rationality, the Decline of Religion Paves the Way for Superstition and Worse

Recent psychological research suggests that Americans unaffiliated with traditional religions are more likely to believe in UFOs, ghosts, and the like than their affiliated counterparts. This conclusion, writes David French, gives the lie to the “myth” that “if you defeat the forces of traditional Christianity . . . then you’ll make way for a more enlightened, rational, and humane nation and world. In other words, the alternative to religion is [considered to be] reason, and reason is mankind’s great liberating force.” French argues that the real alternative is something significantly worse: