If there was a secular dream, it was that as religion retreated, American politics would become more rational and reasonable. Citizens would spend their time improving people’s lives instead of fighting about whose religion was better. That didn’t happen. Instead, polarization intensified. Part of the reason is that secularization has not been equally distributed, mapping instead onto preexisting divisions around education and geography, as well as party affiliation.
A distinct group of American “secularists” who are openly distrustful of any public religion — more than 10 percent of the population and growing — is a dominant force within the Democratic Party.
