Religions such as Christianity are under threat from the rise of a new God - money.

An expert suggests that the social conditions which led to the rise of ‘moralising’ religions such as Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism are now changing.

The religions could be doomed due to the rising wealth of populations around the world.

Dr Nicholas Baumard argues that these religions arose at an earlier in the development of human societies - when societies had had just crossed the threshold where most people had enough to eat.

Prior to that point, religions had focused on ritual - rather than encouraging people to behave better.

Dr Nicholas Baumard argues that at that point, the religions helped to encourage people to adopt a ‘slow’ lifestyle where they would plan for the future, rather than ‘living fast’.

But that encouragement may no longer be needed, he says.

Dr Nicholas Baumard told New Scientist, ‘As more and more people become affluent and adopt a slow strategy, the need to morally condemn fast strategies decreases, and with it the benefit of holding religious beliefs that justify doing so.

'If this is true, and our environment continues to improve, then like the Greco-Roman religions before them, Christianity and other moralising religions could eventually vanish.’