Secularism, religions, and the GDP

"...Until relatively recently, most social theorists, from Marx to Freud to Weber, believed that as societies became more modern, religion would lose its capacity to inspire. Industrialization would substitute the rational pursuit of self-interest for blind submission to authority. Science would undermine belief in miracles. Democracy would encourage the separation of church and state. Gender equality would undermine patriarchy, and with it, clerical authority. However one defined modernity, it always seemed likely to involve societies focused on this world rather than on some other."

Read the whole article in the Atlantic by Alan Wolfe, featuring also a useful graph comparing per capita GDP and religiosity (Kuwait and US being notable exceptions to the general trend). Thanks to Philip Ryan for heads up.