Courting a divorced person who’s using religion to cope

The title is a good summary for this. I’m seeking advice here.

I met this wonderful guy on an online dating site last fall. We’ve been cold and hot over the months as I’ve been dealing with things in my life. Well now, we’re committed to getting to know each other and seeing where things go.

He is going through a divorce (due to a state law here, the divorce won’t be finalized until his ex-wife delivers her lover’s child) and trying to get back on his feet through counseling and religion. He married his ex-wife at 20 in a shotgun wedding and they welcomed their daughter a few months later. He, I believe, is under the impression that due to him not leading a Christian life before is why things went the way they did. This is a normal psychological response; people in crisis either cling to or push religion away. I’m sympathetic of his situation and can understand why he’s doing this.

I personally sense he’s using religion as a crutch to deal. I’ve been down a similar road. Due to my sexuality, I more or less put religion aside and focused solely on me in therapy. This cracked me open and healed me more than reading my Bible ever did/could. I feel I can get him on the same train as me, but I don’t know how to approach the topic. He, like myself, was raised in a very conservative religious home. So, a lot of this is also a learned habit thing.

He’s a big reader and I’d love to find a book about healing without it involving religion; pretty much all the books he’s read on the topic are Christian based. So, I’d welcome any suggestions on that front.

We’re 100% honest and open with each other when we talk. I’d welcome any ideas on how to bring up the topic of his possible over-dependence on religion. Since things are still new, I don’t want to jeopardize things are turning him away.

If someone doesn’t have anything nice to say, or will just come in making assumptions, please don’t comment. Thank you.