As far as I can tell from my atheist viewpoint, much of the appeal of religion stems from its ability to offer a physical and spiritual world that provides sanctuary from the grind of everyday life. Churches are beautiful buildings with an atmosphere no living room or office can hope to match. Religious leaders guide with a moral clarity no elected politician can muster. When Christianity acquires a form that becomes harder to distinguish from secular structures, it begins to compete with them, and it doesn’t always win.

Thirty-five years after the Berlin Wall fell, few places are as secular as the former East Germany. A resident asks why.