Blessed are the poor? Clergy are the strongest in unfair societies

Göbekli Tepe in Turkey, where the remains of magnificent temples 6,000 years older than the Great Pyramid at Giza were found
Göbekli Tepe in Turkey, where the remains of magnificent temples 6,000 years older than the Great Pyramid at Giza were found
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If you want to find a religious society, the best place to start is not the countries that are most equal, but those that are the most unfair.

“Across the world there is a precise fit between social unfairness and the power of the priesthood,” Steve Jones, professor of genetics at University College London, has said. “In countries whose governments are fair and effective the influence of the clergy fades.

“The most devout nations have more crime, more infant deaths, more mental illness and less social mobility. Chaos and credulity go together.” Professor Jones, who will speak on science in the Bible at The Times Cheltenham Science Festival next month, said that his intention was not to engage in an atheist attack on religion, but