I'm far, FAR more religious than almost anyone on HN (in my experience) but I don't entirely buy this. I think religion can give purpose. It can imbue someone

I'm far, FAR more religious than almost anyone on HN (in my experience) but I don't entirely buy this. I think religion can give purpose. It can imbue someone who doesn't have a purpose with a strength of conviction. So in that sense I think the quote is correct. But I don't think someone who has a purpose they truly believe in is worse for not having religion in a motivational sense. So what I think religion has done for the United States is to give the masses (people who are fine with a 9-to-5 day) more motivation to work diligently even when they aren't chasing their dream. But the thing about countries like China and India is this: What Americans consider mundane work is the dream of many people in these countries. I've met people from India who dreamed of a job in a call center since they were a little kid. Meaning those people are just as motivated if not more so than their American counterparts who worked hard because they thought God commanded them to.