How the Elite Changed Its Mind on Christianity

Of course, there are still vestiges of 2000s theocracy-inflected religious conservatism on the right—just look at the handful of states that passed laws or mandates forcing classrooms to display the Ten Commandments or stock Bibles—but they're undeniably more of a fringe element than they used to be. In fact, many in the intellectual class are mourning the recent decline in religious observance, and even self-described atheists are extolling the social value of religious community. "[I] always liked the aesthetic elements of Catholicism," one young convert told Free Press writer Madeleine Kearns, adding that she "loved the architecture and the stained glass" of many Catholic churches, "and how much detail and symbolism was there."

Author: Emma Camp

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