What is the Verification Principle, and how does it relate to religion?

The Verification Principle is the name for a theory coined in the early 20th century by the renowned philosopher, A.J. Ayer. Ayer and his contemporaries were known as 'Logical Positivists', as their work placed huge emphasis upon scientific empiricism and logic. Many of them were scientists or mathematicans. The theory's main outcome was that statements which were not either innately true (like'2+2=4') or empirically verifiable (like colour), were essentially meaningless. Consequently, statements like 'Jesus was the Son of God' had no real value to Logical Positivists.