The atheism in society myth that won't die

The “Secular Wave” is a Mirage

Every year the same press release lands on our feeds: “Atheism is on the rise, religion is dying.” It’s sold as triumph for the “rational elite” and used to shame the faithful. Yet the data tells a different story. A 2023 analysis by Simple to Remember found that atheism is actually in decline worldwide, with organized religion still holding the majority share of worldviews (God not so dead: Atheism in decline worldwide).

If you look at the Pew Research Center’s 2021 global religious landscape, 84 % of the world still identifies with a religious tradition. In the United States, the “nones”—those who claim no religious affiliation—hover around 30 % but a sizable portion of them still believe in some form of “spiritual” or “agnostic” worldview, not outright atheism. The myth of a secular tsunami is a narrative crafted by think‑tanks, media outlets, and corporate PR machines that want to portray religion as a market‑able obstacle to “progress.

The consequence? Policies that treat religion as a nuisance rather than a community cornerstone, while ignoring the real power structures that dictate who gets to speak for whom.

• Corporate‑funded secular think‑tanks (e.g., the Secular Coalition for America) receive donations from tech giants that benefit from deregulated labor laws.
• Mainstream media repeatedly cite “surveys” without revealing methodology, inflating the atheist count by lumping “spiritual but not religious” into the same bucket.
• Political operatives use the “secular wave” to justify cuts to public funding for faith‑based social services that actually feed low‑income families.

The result is a policy agenda that pretends to protect “freedom of belief” while stripping away the very community supports that keep workers alive.

Who Profits When Atheism Becomes a Brand?

Make atheism a marketable identity, and you hand a gold‑plated megaphone to the corporate elite. Look at the rise of “ethical atheism” merch—t‑shirts, podcasts, and think‑pieces that monetize skepticism. The same venture‑capital‑backed platforms that push “anti‑religion” content also sell gig‑economy jobs with no benefits, preaching personal responsibility while eroding collective bargaining power.

• Tech platforms (e.g., streaming services) curate “secular playlists” that push the idea that religion is outdated, while their algorithms prioritize ad revenue over truthful reporting.
• Philanthropic foundations funded by billionaires (the Gates, the Kochs, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative) champion “science‑first” education reforms that sideline religious schools, diverting public funds to charter schools that lack union protections.
• Lobbyists exploit the secular myth to push deregulation in the name of “innovation,” arguing that religious institutions are “bureaucratic obstacles” to economic growth.

All of this is sold as liberation from superstition, but it’s a covert campaign to re‑allocate wealth from communities to shareholders. When public schools are stripped of faith‑based programs, the vacuum is filled by privately‑run charter schools that extract public money while paying teachers pennies. The narrative that “atheists are the future” conveniently obscures who is really cashing in: the owners of the gig economy, the CEOs of data farms, the lobbyists who write deregulation bills.

The Ancient Atheist: Myth or Reality?

If you think atheism is a modern invention, you’ve bought into the same “progress” myth that claims humanity is marching inexorably toward a secular utopia. Yet a 2022 Cambridge study uncovered a thriving tradition of non‑theistic thought in ancient Greece and pre‑Christian Rome. Professor Tim Whitmarsh’s research shows that atheist philosophers were not marginal outliers; they were part of mainstream intellectual circles, influencing policy, education, and public debate.

• Socratic dialogues often featured critiques of the pantheon, questioning the moral authority of the gods.
• Epicurean schools promoted a materialist worldview that rejected divine intervention while attracting students from all social strata.
• Roman skeptics openly denied the existence of gods, yet were respected as public intellectuals.

The fact that ancient societies could host robust atheist currents proves that human cognition is not hard‑wired for religion. Instead, belief systems emerge from power structures, economic needs, and cultural narratives. The Cambridge research also warns us that later historical erasures—often perpetrated by religious institutions that controlled the record—have rewritten history to make atheism appear modern and marginal.

By resurrecting this forgotten past, we see that the myth of a linear secular march is a fabricated story, useful for those who want to paint religion as antiquated and irrelevant.

The Lies That Keep the Myth Alive

Misinformation is the engine of the “atheism myth.

Statistical cherry‑picking – Headlines proclaim “30 % of Americans are atheist,” ignoring that half of those respondents identify as “spiritual but not religious.” The Simple to Remember article debunks this by showing the overall decline in self‑identified atheism.
Historical erasure – Textbooks omit the ancient atheist tradition, reinforcing the idea that atheism is a post‑Enlightenment invention. The Cambridge study directly contradicts this omission.
Cultural weaponization – Political actors label religious groups as “bigotry” to justify restrictive policies, while simultaneously branding atheists as “rational elites” who allegedly understand the “science of society.

These falsehoods are not confined to any single ideological camp. Right‑wing pundits spread the “religion is the enemy of progress” trope, while left‑leaning secularists sometimes overstate atheism’s prevalence to marginalize faith‑based community organizers. Both sides weaponize the myth to silence dissent and to push agendas that benefit powerful interests—whether corporate deregulation or cultural homogenization.

The reality, backed by multiple reputable surveys and historical research, is that atheism remains a minority viewpoint and its supposed rise is a narrative constructed for political and economic gain.

Why the Myth Matters for Workers and Communities

If you think this is just an academic squabble, think again. Policies built on the assumption that religion is dying undermine the social safety nets that many low‑income families rely on. Faith‑based charities run food banks, shelters, and after‑school programs—services that are systematically underfunded by governments that favor “secular” alternatives that rarely materialize.

• Living‑wage campaigns often ignore the role of church‑run job training programs, blaming “faith‑based oppression” for economic stagnation, thereby eroding partnerships that could empower workers.
• Affordable housing initiatives are stalled when zoning boards cite “secular planning” as a justification to reject faith‑based community land trusts that have historically secured safe homes for marginalized groups.
• Public health suffers when pandemic response teams dismiss religious gathering restrictions, labeling them “religious freedom violations,” while ignoring the data that shows churches can be effective distribution points for vaccines and information.

By perpetuating the myth that atheism is the inevitable future, policymakers ignore the lived realities of millions who find support, identity, and advocacy within religious institutions. This erasure fuels a cycle where community resources are privatized, labor is further exploited, and the public sphere becomes a battleground for ideological dominance rather than collective well‑being.

The solution isn’t “more atheism” or “more secularism.” It’s recognizing that belief—religious or non‑religious—is a social resource that can be harnessed for equitable public investment. When we stop treating atheism as a political weapon, we can rebuild public services that respect diverse worldviews while delivering justice, sustainability, and dignity for all workers.

Sources

• Disbelieve it or not, ancient history suggests that atheism is as natural to humans as religion – University of Cambridge
• God not so dead: Atheism in decline worldwide – Simple to Remember
• New Atheism Is Dead. What’s the New New Atheism? – Christianity Today
• Pew Research Center – The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010‑2050
• U.S. Census Bureau – Religious Landscape Study 2020