Religion and a Crisis

[James Brody]

Fill the collection plate and even having a second or third collection may have synchronizing functions between a church, or political party, and its followers?

"WHILE many institutions collapsed during the Great Depression that began in 1929, one kind did rather well. During this leanest of times, the strictest, most authoritarian churches saw a surge in attendance.

"This anomaly was documented in the early 1970s, but only now is science beginning to tell us why. It turns out that human beings have a natural inclination for religious belief, especially during hard times. Our brains effortlessly conjure up an imaginary world of spirits, gods and monsters, and the more insecure we feel, the harder it is to resist the pull of this supernatural world. It seems that our minds are finely tuned to believe in gods."

More by Michael Brooks at http://www.newscientist.com/article/...html?full=true