We can nearly cure AIDS but when it comes to religion we're still puzzled.

Recently, a study into the religious composition of the American population has been released. Predictably, 78.4% of the people claim that it's still 'In G-d We Trust', the Christian one in particular. The statistics also indicated that you have just under a 1-in-50 chance of bumping into a Jew. And 0.1% more chance of sharing a lift with a Buddhist at 0.7% of the population than sharing with a Muslim at 0.6%, the jury is still out on the odds of going to the same floor, however. But what I find alarming, is that there is less than a 3-in-50 chance of meeting an atheist. In one of the most developed and educated nations in the world, less than 6 in every 100 people have worked out that religion is more trouble than it is worth.

What I find scary, is that the overwhelming majority of a global superpower think a man who provided a rather large, but otherwise somewhat lacking in variety, buffet of fish sandwiches and wine, is going to come back from the dead and save us all from a horned man underground. Even if a higher power did exist, I doubt his rep on earth would be quite so plain. Jesus' modern day equivalent would probably be an accountant from Slough called Alan. If you want to blame global warming on someone, start with Jesus. He has inspired the biggest waste of paper in the form of Jehovah's Witness leaflets known to man- that's what has done it, not those delightfully comfortable 4x4s.

So why is religion still fairly popular? Well, I think it's rather like a multivitamin. It tends to nourish the supposedly 'spiritual' aspects of our humanity that are vital for a healthy, balanced individual. But like multivitamins, its far cheaper and better to already have it in your diet without the need to 'pill pop'. I think that religion, especially when drummed into us from birth, is a familiar and easy substitute for things such as intellectual stimulation or cerebral creativity. It's far easier to chew over the supposedly deep and holy meanings of fables and prayers than actually take a challenging and introspective look at your own thoughts and emotions. I know I'd rather discuss how I actually feel about things rather than what some 'supreme being' has decided I should already be thinking. Most people would give a one finger salute to interfering busy bodies who try to tell you what to do, why should G-d be any different? Because he can damn you eternally for disagreeing? Its a reason I guess but as it isn't true I shouldn't get too worried.

I think it is about time that society begins to realise that their are productive alternatives to the fairy stories and magic spells that religions promise. It gets very tiring to constantly hear of people racked with guilt or acting against their entirely natural instincts because of what someone graffitied onto a rock once upon a time. Some might say without religion society is doomed, but as most religions hijack general humanitarian principles and claim them as their own anyway, that is highly unlikely. Like jumping into the deep end as a child, its terrifying before the plunge, but after you can have a lot more fun.

Religion may have helped when humans did not understand all that much, maybe we did need our hand holding by G-d back then. But now we must stand on our own two feet and start looking after our secular modernity and scientific infants. Its time we took the plunge and left future generations a trust fund of knowledge and progress not confusing bedtime stories.