This is definately an article that's swirling around. There are several  other studies out there that many haven't heard about, either.  

 This study called the "Cross-National Correlations of Quantifiable Societal Health with Popular Religiosity and Secularism in the Prosperous Democracies" shows that countries with the least religion usually fair better than those with rampant religion, like the US. 

This study done by Paul Heaton at the University of Chicago titled "Does Religion Really Reduce Crime" actually shows the opposite of what people of faith claim.  

In the first study points out, quite clearly, that "There is evidence that within the U.S. strong disparities in religious belief versus acceptance of evolution are correlated with similarly varying rates of societal dysfunction, the strongly theistic, anti-evolution south and mid-west having markedly worse homicide, mortality, STD, youth pregnancy, marital and related problems than the northeast where societal conditions, secularization, and acceptance of evolution approach European norms." 

 In the second study he was able to replicate findings of a previous study and in the conclusions writes: "I find no statistically significant relationship between religious adherence and property crime or violent crime. There is some evidence that religion may encourage crime in areas with greater population or few religious adherents."