In this chapter we shall explore relatively recent views on religion that are not concerned with presenting arguments for or against the existence of God as such, but rather consider the reasons as to why we have religious beliefs in the first place. The American philosopher Daniel Dennett sets out the agenda by stating, “I decided some time ago that diminishing returns had set in on the arguments for God's existence, and I doubt that any breakthroughs are in the offing, from either side” (Breaking the Spell). If, indeed, we can expect no more ‘breakthroughs’ in this respect, then where should we look for more enlightening debates in philosophy of religion? Drawing from a variety of disciplines, including philosophy, psychology, history, anthropology, archaeology and biology, the question of what is religion and how it evolved has become a key debate in modern discourse. The foundation for this discourse is that religion is a natural phenomenon: a phenomenon that is transmitted as part of our culture through the medium of language and symbolism, much like, for example, music. Because it leaves aside the ‘supernatural’ suppositions of religion, the views presented tend to be from atheists. Atheism has a very long recorded history, going back to at least the ancient Greeks, but this chapter is more concerned with what might be called the ‘new’ atheism.