Every religion is equal parts mysticism and tribalism. The tribalistic in religion consists of the beliefs and rituals that serve as shibboleths to identify and bind members of a community. The mystical elements show us that we are connected to others beyond our tribe, indeed to all of nature.

Historical forces can increase the salience of one aspect or another at different times. When tribalism waxes, that’s when you get the violence often associated with religion. It’s not a bug, it’s a feature. It’s not a failing of individuals, but something baked into religion from the beginning.

The technological and cultural changes of the last sixty year or so have been greater, in frequency and intensity, than anything we’ve seen in the last six hundred. In such times, it’s understandable that people, particularly those of a conservative bent, would look more to the tribal in religion. Unfortunately for them, whatever cohesiveness they succeed in wringing out of religion, the dry husk they leave behind is not attractive to anyone else. That’s why religiosity declined in Europe, and why it’s now declining even in America.