god on our side?

Societies may be worse off "when they have God on their side," according to a recent study (Times Online story here.) According to the study (quoting from the Times) "belief in and worship of God are not only unnecessary for a healthy society but may actually contribute to social problems. The study counters the view...that religion is necessary to provide the moral and ethical foundations of a healthy society."

For the record, I think that God/god/Godde/Spirit/the Pulse of Life is in fact on our side, and that the acknowledgement of same is crucial for a healthy society. What gets in the way, what creates higher rates of homicide, STD infections, teen pregnancy and abortion, is our certainty that godde/etc is on our side. With a little more humility, a little less certainty that we are somehow "chosen", those rates will go down.