What is the purpose, in the modern world, of the idea of God? And would we better off without religion?

My guest today is Phil Zuckerman, a sociologist, professor, and lifelong student of the nature and purpose or Religion. Currently a professor of sociology and secular studies at Pitzer College he is the founder of the first Secular Studies department in the nation; this entails the study of non-religious people, groups, thought, and cultural expressions. He has written several books, including What It Means to be Moral, Living the Secular Life, and Society Without God. You can find his work regularly in both Huffington Post and Psychology Today, where he blogs regularly under the title “The Secular Life.”