In a pre-modern science era, religion really makes sense for these people.

I couldn’t imagine losing a child. Let alone more than one. And then having absolutely no understanding of why? I consider myself and atheist and a cynic, but in the shoes of a pre-industrial revolution parent…I may not be able to accept “god has a reason”, but I could absolutely accept “they are in heaven”.

Nowadays it’s inexcusable. Childhood mortality is incredibly low, especially from non-accidental causes like disease. MCs are less frequent due to improved societal factors (diet, stress, exercise, prenatal care, etc), and we can identify the causes a shockingly high percentage of the time.