Sam Harris at the Global Atheist Convention

[Justtristo]

I think this conclusion depends on a simplistic and poorly evidenced theory of the nature of religion.

Well Sam Harris is a neurospsychologist and there have been studies done to test the hypothesis that that the fear of death motivates religious commitment, and that it may be alleviated by assurances about an afterlife. I have referenced a couple of peer reviewed articles about these studies.

Kahoe, R. D., & Dunn, R. F. (1976). "The fear of death and religious attitudes and behavior". Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 14 (4): 379–382

Wink, P. (2006). "Who is afraid of death? Religiousness, spirituality, and death anxiety in late adulthood". Journal of Religion, Spirituality, & Aging 18 (2): 93–110