“People not only do not know the holy scriptures, they do not even know that there are any holy scriptures,” quotes the historian of religion Rodney Stark of a 14th century English bishop. And there are hundreds and hundreds of such testimonies of empty churches and a complete lack of interest in religion. The European Middle Ages were certainly no more religious than the twentieth century.
Where did this illusion of a Christian Middle Ages come from? Probably from the same source as the fantasy of the prevalent multi-generational family. In recent generations, we see the Catholic Church in a minority position (in all Western countries) and wonder what society would look like if this Catholic Church were all-powerful and monopolistic. But if it were all-powerful and monopolistic, it would be a very different organisation, behaving differently and influencing the environment in a very different way.
That’s why education is so important. To base conservatism on something that is real and not just fantasy.