Dawkins puts forth a cool hypothesis to explain why the vast majority of humanity yearns for a deity. It is a type of misfiring of an otherwise good guidance system. I'll give an example: We often witness moths circle a flame and eventually fly into it, it seems an irrationally suicidal impulse so why would natural selection favor it? The reason why is that for millions of years, moths evolved to use the moon to navigate the planet in semi-circular patterns. Before man there was no flame except for the relatively rare occurrences where nature would produce a lightening strike, or the sun would shine down uninterrupted on a parched field, etc.. Humanity came along and produced purposeful fires nightly and then went on to create artificial light. The moth still has that navigation system honed over millions of years to use the brightest object in the sky (the moon), so when seeing a flame, or artificial light, they navigate it in circular patterns until they eventually run right into it. They're not attempting suicide, just mistaking the flame for the moon. The same type misfiring seems to be happening with humans seeking a deity. Most of us as children love the warmth, protection and guidance of our parents. Perhaps this urge doesn't die off in most people, and they seek it into adulthood (or never truly get there). A small percentage of us seem to lose it, as it doesn't seem of much use once we can do these things for ourselves. Who knows, I'm very high...
