On one point regarding our country’s current condition, Republicans and Democrats seem to agree:  three-quarters in both parties say “religion is losing influence in American life”. According to a new survey from the Pew Research Center, Republicans consider this a bad thing, by a ratio of 9 to 1, while half of Democrats say they’re okay with the trend; 22% say religion’s decline makes no difference, while 25% insist that it’s a positive development.

But if organized faith continues to lose influence, what force should take its place? “Climatism”, a new faith derided by Josef Joffe in Commentary magazine, promises earthly annihilation instead of heavenly salvation. For 100 years, Marxist true-believers created “Heavens on Earth” that became living hells for hundreds of millions, and unbridled secular materialism has recently spurred surging rates of deaths of despair.

The spectacular failure of potential substitutes for organized faith have only served to emphasize its irreplaceability.