++ [ originally posted by Zlatan ] ++
TBH, while thatwas true in the past, fact is that the trend is reversing itself. A lot less people believe in God than in the past, which goes hand in hand with the developement of technology, medicine and society itself, which IMO proves that the more people belive in themselves and and stop feeling helpless the less they'll believe in God. Also, AFAIK, studies have shown that almost 75% of atheists are educated people, which just goes to show that society today is in a position to help itself, and requires less and less help from God.
I too believe that people in the past (100, 500, 1.000 years ago) needed to believe in God as they were in much less of a position to "stand up" to the world around them and were a lot more helpless then they are today, and I believe that, with further progress in technology and society humans will lose their need for God.