Do you think that religious faith would be a lot stronger in what are now wealthy nations if science and technology had not been able to drastically reduce human suffering? In other words, people in wealthy nations—frequently though not universally—do not consciously “feel” so dependent on, or vulnerable to, forces outside themselves. The only insurmountable problem is death—which is always in the future and is a single event that can be pushed out of one’s mind without too much difficulty. Poor people are much more subject to suffering on a day-to-day basis and more aware of their dependence on and vulnerability to forces outside themselves. So they’re more likely to turn to religion.

Of course, that’s not say that suffering, dependence, and vulnerability are logical reasons for religious belief.