A few weeks ago, there was a story making the rounds about a researcher who claimed that religious values made a society worse, not better.

Here’s an example of one of the articles: "Does Religion Promote Social Dysfunction?"

In today’s WSJ, Theodore Dalrymple takes on the "study."

Which brings up the question of what should be compared with what. After all, comparisons within countries, both static and across time, control for far more cultural factors than comparisons between them.