Anti-religious people don't get to define the meaning of 'religiousity', 'faith', 'God', etc for religious people (who are united not by shared beliefs but by shared questions). This seems to irritate them but they're going to have to get used to it.

Daniel heslop, Bournemouth, UK

The earliest versions of the myth the Christians claim exclusive rights to are, for fairly obvious reasons, Bronze Age ones. They are firmly based on superstition.

Superstition is a human coping mechanism, as several of these posts clearly demonstrate.

Aiken, Glasgow, Scotland

David Flavell - It's tiresome having to repeat it, but even Stalin was not stupid enough to conmit his crimes in order to spread a lack of belief in a god?
He did so to gain personal power. And to gain worshippers for his own rival pseudo-religious belief-system (Stalinism). Worship is dangerous.

alan, germany,

" . . . . .those who turn to God are really only looking for a stable and secure attachment figure as part of their coping behaviour"

Hey Michael Binyon I'm not sure about your thoughts behind this statement but I can't think of a better reason for turning to God!

Mr Mayers is factually wrong

David, Burnley, England

You've got to love the hipocrisy of the dawkins disciples who disparage the faith of others whilst exalting their own. it seems fundamentalists are fundamentalists which ever side of the fence they're on

Andy, Glasgow,

"If the human race and God are so important, why are we such a tiny speck in the Milky Way, let alone the Universe?"

So that Adam and Eve's progeny could multiply for a very long time indeed.

Greg Lorriman, Leatherhead, UK

Beyond a modest level of material well-being, increased wealth does not mean happiness - happiness is internal, based on an equanimous response to changing circumstances. External stresses might bring this realisation to the fore. "The Kingdom of Heaven is within," not dependent on any god.

Faustino, Brisbane, Australia

Would this be the same Stalin who sent thousands of Christians to their death in the Gulags? Surely atheism was the largest cause of bloodshed on the planet in the twentieth century?

David Flavell, Hexham, England

If the human race and God are so important, why are we such a tiny speck in the Milky Way, let alone the Universe?

Paul , northwich,

Yes, certainly is amazing to see people clinging to Dawkins the minute there's a downturn.
Anyone genuinely interested in academia would not have to look far to find that Christianity is neither from the bronze age, nor irrational. It stops bloodshed and was the crucible for Western science.

Simon, Dorking, Surrey.,

'Clever' man's corrupt world without God - debt-ridden, oil-depleted, water-depleted (believe it!), food-depleted, mineral-depleted, murderous.

Man does not need religion (man trying to find God on his own
terms) he needs the Person who died for his guilt - Jesus Christ.

N.B.

Les, Ramsgate, UK

"Only when the world becomes a truly secular society will we progress a human can"
Religious myths need thoughtful reading but they are ciphers containing the deepest truths of our condition. On the other hand, belief in cumulative human moral "progress", is merely an adolescent daydream!

Daniel heslop, Bournemouth, UK

If religious belief fluctuates up and down with the economy, it means that "faith" - the revelation, the flash of light, the sudden feeling of peace and contentment that people claim to be proof of the Holy Spirit - does not exist. Otherwise it would stay constant. It means it's all in our heads.

Sam B, Bristol,

Predictable fear from those who still wish to believe in Bronze age superstition.

Only when the world becomes a truly secular society will we progress a human can.

M.Cotton, Canterbury,

Good piece. Perhaps there are two views of why people turn to God when times are hard. The first is that they'll cling to anything. But the other is that they tend to wrongly cling to, say, work or social life, as if these will provide deep contentment. Losing them can help us re-prioritise

Alex, London,

It is a common error by the religious minded that they alone have "spiritual values". The natural world is a grander place than the supernatural,just look at the Hubble telescope pictures. All great art , music, literature and advances in science are entirely man made, as is faith in mythical gods.

iain rae, tunbridge wells, t.w.

The real reason that "religious leaders stick together when railing against materialism", is because they all know that they haven't got a leg to stand on evidentially, but all the superstious together form a reasonably sized voting block., and are able to demand concessions for the "faith community

James Long, Reading,

Once again, the old "people turn to religion in a crisis so it must be good" argument.

How many people turned to alcohol and drugs after these events? Does that mean they're vital for humanity too?

Camilla, Burnley,

Economic crisis is no excuse for superstition. Imagine our scepticism if someone said to us,"I have an imaginary friend & he's omnipotent." We'd nervously slide towards thge nearest exit...

eric, paris,

People in times of stress put their thumbs in their mouth and reach for their security blanket. " from such catastrophes comes an upwelling of altruism, a will to harness human goodness to public policy'." like the banding together of American churches to steal civil rights from gays.

David , London, UK

Organized religion has, & still is the largest cause of bloodshed on the planet. Whether it be Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, etc. all boil down to "your God is not as good as my God". Spirituality, on the other hand, may be the only choice left if we want to save our planet & us.

Dave Mayers, Kamloops, Canada