America’s Shift Away From Religion

 To the Editor:

Re “Americans Are Losing Their Religious Faith,” by Nicholas Kristof (column, Aug. 24):

Mr. Kristof writes that Americans’ loss of faith results from religious scandals and the bad behavior of “charlatans” such as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. The trend is a problem, he argues, because religion is central to our country’s social capital. While I generally share his diagnosis, I would add two points.

First, Americans are also becoming less religious because there is zero evidence to support any of the central claims religious institutions make about God and the supernatural.

And second, what worries me is not that people are less religious, but that they transfer their blind faith in religion and religious leaders to charismatic politicians like Donald Trump.