Yahweh vs. Mammon in the world series of love. If you’re wondering how they measured religiosity, let me quote:

Religiosity is measured using a three-item index ranging from 0-3, with “3” representing the most religious position. Respondents were given a “1” if they believe faith in God is necessary for morality; a “1” if they say religion is very important in their lives; and a “1” if they pray at least once a day.

A few of the lefty bloggers have been kicking this around, wondering which is the cause and which the effect. Hitchens et al. would doubtless say that religion causes, or at least contributes to, poverty; I think it’s the opposite. An interesting subsidiary question is which of those positions represents the more forceful atheist argument.

Exit question: If Hitch is right, how do we explain the very conspicuous outlier here?