[andyfox]

Though I suspect I was, alas, one of the three people David referred to in an earlier post in this thead, I'm going to chime in anyway. It has to be more than just upbringing and surroundings. Astrology claims that the positions of the stars in the sky have an effect on our lives. Religion claims to be authoritative about our deaths, the afterlife. And dying, I would think, must be the scariest thing people think about. Thus they are more likely to hold irrational thoughts about religion for psychological reasons.

Yes, great edifices that have been constructed in obeisance to the almighty sky god. But at one time, astrological training was very important in the training of astronomers, mathematicians, and even doctors. Since the scientific revolution, astrology has yielded its authority much more so than has religion.