The poet Shelly referred to the way that moths are drawn irresistably to the light of a star as a powerful symbol of our own yearning for something beyond the limitations of this life. For some reason we don’t understand, moths have an inbuilt tendency to be drawn to light. But artificial lights actually vapourise them. Professor Alister McGrath, of Oxford University, sees in this a parallel with our own situation. ‘Suppose that the deep sense of yearning for something that really satisfies us is actually a longing for God,’ he says. ‘Might our quest for significance end up being completely frustrated in that everything we hoped would bring meaning seems to disappoint us? Might not the truth rather be that, as a moth is drawn to light, so we are made for God and our true joy will only be found in God?