Tendency Towards Forms of Authority

Stefan Molyneux recently pointed out a recent observation of his that most people tend to gravitate towards one of two types of supreme authority. These are the State and Religion.

This curious observation looks particularly distinct when looking at world wide national cultures. It often seems that the less religious a nation tends to be, the more socialist it tends to be, as how the communist nations were some of the most atheistic nations that have ever been, and how mostly secular Europe is much more socialist then the United States. But the United States tends to be a much more religious nation then the rest of the western world.

What I would like to discuss is actually two things. First, is this a true tendency. Do people largely tend towards following one of these two very powerful, very inhuman sources of authority. And second, I would like to ask why this might be. Why, if they do this, do people seem to need these very high and out of reach authoritarian regime to give them commands from above?

As a final note, this also reminds me of how Ayn Rand often mentions the warlords and the witch doctors who often rule, and work together to rule over the people.