Recent psychological research suggests that Americans unaffiliated with traditional religions are more likely to believe in UFOs, ghosts, and the like than their affiliated counterparts. This conclusion, writes David French, gives the lie to the “myth” that “if you defeat the forces of traditional Christianity . . . then you’ll make way for a more enlightened, rational, and humane nation and world. In other words, the alternative to religion is [considered to be] reason, and reason is mankind’s great liberating force.” French argues that the real alternative is something significantly worse:

In the United States we’re replacing an organized, systematic theology with . . . nothing. Sure, there’s the moralistic therapeutic deism of the modern “spiritual” American, but its “God wants me to be happy” ethos isn’t quite up to the challenge of dealing with real life. So, we search and search, and in the immortal worlds of the [country-music artist] Aaron Tippin, we learn the hard way that “you gotta stand for something, or you’ll fall for anything”—and “anything” can include indigo auras or the “vibration of a thought.” . . .

It turns out that when men and women shed their faith, they don’t necessarily get more liberal, but they do get more tribal and vicious. Many members of the alt-right, for example, famously shun Evangelical Christianity. Indeed, as we learn from the battle between [members of the hard left] and their right-wing counterparts—the emerging class of godless, angry populists—when you remove from your moral code any obligation to love your enemies, politics hardly improves. The damage extends far beyond politics, of course.

If there’s one abiding consequence of the shallow theologies and simple superstitions of our time, it’s the inability to endure or make sense of adversity. It’s a phenomenon that fractures families, fosters a sense of rage and injustice, and ultimately results in millions of Americans treating problems of the soul with mountains of pharmaceuticals. Human beings are hard-wired to search for meaning and purpose. As we conduct that search, will our nation and culture continue to value and to respect the [sort of] faith that grants hope of redemption, patience through present suffering, and a means to discern between good and evil? Or will it continue to shun [tradition] in favor of a grab-bag of ghosts, UFOs, and wishful thoughts?

For some time, opponents of U.S support for Israel have been urging the White House to end the war in Gaza, or simply calling for a ceasefire. Douglas Feith and Lewis Libby consider what such a result would actually entail:

Ending the war immediately would allow Hamas to survive and retain military and governing power. Leaving it in the area containing the Sinai-Gaza smuggling routes would ensure that Hamas can rearm. This is why Hamas leaders now plead for a ceasefire. A ceasefire will provide some relief for Gazans today, but a prolonged ceasefire will preserve Hamas’s bloody oppression of Gaza and make future wars with Israel inevitable.

For most Gazans, even when there is no hot war, Hamas’s dictatorship is a nightmarish tyranny. Hamas rule features the torture and murder of regime opponents, official corruption, extremist indoctrination of children, and misery for the population in general. Hamas diverts foreign aid and other resources from proper uses; instead of improving life for the mass of the people, it uses the funds to fight against Palestinians and Israelis.

Moreover, a Hamas-affiliated website warned Gazans last month against cooperating with Israel in securing and delivering the truckloads of aid flowing into the Strip. It promised to deal with those who do with “an iron fist.” In other words, if Hamas remains in power, it will begin torturing, imprisoning, or murdering those it deems collaborators the moment the war ends. Thereafter, Hamas will begin planning its next attack on Israel:

Hamas’s goals are to overshadow the Palestinian Authority, win control of the West Bank, and establish Hamas leadership over the Palestinian revolution. Hamas’s ultimate aim is to spark a regional war to obliterate Israel and, as Hamas leaders steadfastly maintain, fulfill a Quranic vision of killing all Jews.

Hamas planned for corpses of Palestinian babies and mothers to serve as the mainspring of its October 7 war plan. Hamas calculated it could survive a war against a superior Israeli force and energize enemies of Israel around the world. The key to both aims was arranging for grievous Palestinian civilian losses. . . . That element of Hamas’s war plan is working impressively.