I don't think parent is suggesting we should replace the state with religious institutions. He refers to those past institutions as "bloated, inefficient and co

I don't think parent is suggesting we should replace the state with religious institutions. He refers to those past institutions as "bloated, inefficient and corrupted". His point, I believe, is that governments are largely selfish institutions and this is important to understand the decline in public trust. If the main interest of the government is self preservation - by any means necessary - their actions do not necessarily reflect public interest. Governments only have to care about the public enough to prevent revolts and, in the case of democracies, to secure a reelection. Thanks to modern advertising, they don't even have to do that much - they often get away with just pretending. It is natural that, over time, trust in government will erode.