Why Religion Went Obsolete Quotes

“To anticipate a key point that will emerge more fully below, this essentially means that in the view of most Americans, the most important task religion specializes in -- making people good -- is not something that requires religion. That is, religion holds no "patent" on its most important "product," it enjoys no monopoly on the leading "service" it offers. By simple logic, then, most Americans see religion as a non-essential -- an option, a supplement, a life accessory from which someone may or may not benefit.”
― Christian Smith, Why Religion Went Obsolete: The Demise of Traditional Faith in America

“Large numbers of post-boomers no longer believe that anyone needs a social institution to be a spiritual or moral person, and religion is seen not as a force for good in the world, but instead as a source of harm, discrimination, manipulation, exclusion, and control.”
― Christian Smith, Why Religion Went Obsolete: The Demise of Traditional Faith in America