Around the world, a growing share of people now say they have no religious affiliation at all. Recent research suggests that close to a quarter of the global population identify as religiously unaffiliated, placing them among the largest belief groups worldwide. As science and technology continue to transform our lives, many are asking whether traditional religions still help humanity move forward, or whether a more secular, human-centred approach might serve us better.
I write from an atheist perspective, but not from hatred or discrimination towards any specific faith. Religion has inspired extraordinary art, music and architecture, from
stunning towering churches and cathedrals
to some of the most unusual sacred buildings on Earth.
At the same time, it is worth asking whether the time has come to move beyond religion as a framework for organising society and understanding reality.
The points below focus largely on Christianity, simply because that is the tradition I grew up surrounded by. Many of the themes, however, apply just as easily to other organised religions.
10. Religious Division and Discrimination
Religion can bring people together, but it can also create powerful dividing lines. In some places, access to schools, charities or community opportunities is informally filtered through religious identity. Certain faith schools may give priority to children from particular denominations. Employers, customers or landlords may treat people differently because of what they believe, or do not believe, even when the law tries to prevent that kind of discrimination.
Whether someone is religious, spiritual but not religious, or completely non-religious, they should be treated on the basis of their actions and character, not their label. A post-religious future would not erase difference, but it could reduce the number of ways we classify and separate one another before we have even spoken.
9. The Cost of Organised Religion
Many religious organisations are sustained by voluntary donations. These gifts often support beautiful historic buildings and community work, which can be genuinely valuable. At the same time, huge sums of money go into maintaining religious institutions that could instead support secular charities, public services and evidence-based social programmes.
It is reasonable to ask whether religious buildings should be treated more like heritage sites and maintained by local communities or independent charities, rather than by congregations who may already be struggling. In a more secular society, ministers, priests and other religious professionals might focus on transferable community skills or move into roles that clearly and directly contribute to social welfare, education, healthcare or scientific progress.
8. Early Socialisation and Lack of Real Choice
In many religious traditions, children are formally welcomed into the faith through ceremonies such as baptism or naming rituals long before they can understand what is happening. As they grow up, they may be taught that one set of beliefs is uniquely true and that questioning those beliefs is wrong or dangerous.
Parents obviously have every right to share their values with their children, but there is a difference between sharing a perspective and presenting it as unquestionable fact. A more post-religious culture would encourage children and teenagers to explore multiple worldviews, including religious, agnostic and humanist approaches, and to delay irreversible commitments until they can make informed choices for themselves.
7. Redirecting Human Potential
Many people who dedicate their lives to religion do so out of kindness and a desire to help others. They volunteer, they provide comfort in difficult times and they build communities. None of that should be dismissed lightly.
The question is whether those same people might have an even greater impact if their energy was channelled into secular causes that are not tied to a specific belief system. Imagine if every hour spent promoting one particular faith was instead spent on literacy projects, climate action, medical research fundraising or mental health support. We can still value community, compassion and ritual without requiring people to commit their entire lives to doctrines that may not be true.
6. Slowing Social and Scientific Progress
Throughout history, some religious institutions have resisted new ideas that challenge traditional teachings. Whether it is opposition to evolutionary biology, reproductive rights, stem-cell research or inclusive sex education, religious doctrine has sometimes been used to slow or block progress that could improve lives.
That does not mean all religious people are anti-science. Many are not. But when powerful organisations claim a divine authority, it becomes harder for new evidence to change minds. In a more secular future, moral debates could be grounded in human rights, compassion and up-to-date research, rather than in texts written in vastly different times and cultures.
5. Belief Over Evidence
Faith often encourages people to trust beliefs that cannot be tested in the same way as scientific claims. For many, this is a source of comfort. Yet it can become a real problem when belief is treated as superior to evidence.
In some communities, people facing illness or serious life decisions are encouraged to rely primarily on prayer or religious rituals rather than on professional medical care or sound expert advice. Others may oppose equal marriage, LGBT+ rights or comprehensive sex education because they believe their religion forbids them, even when the evidence shows that inclusive policies improve real human lives.
A post-religious future would not eliminate deeply held values, but it would make it easier to say that evidence and empathy must come first in decisions that affect everyone, regardless of belief.
4. Can We Trust Ancient Scriptures?
Religious scriptures were written, edited and translated by human beings over centuries. They travelled through war, politics, cultural upheaval and countless copying processes. Even if they started as accurate records, there are many opportunities for misunderstanding, exaggeration or deliberate alteration.
Scholars of religion openly discuss these issues. Stories from one tradition often mirror older myths from another. Some passages conflict with others. Modern believers tend to interpret uncomfortable sections symbolically, which quietly admits that the texts are not always straightforward instructions. If the evidence for a religion rests heavily on writings that can never be checked against independent sources, it is fair to question why they should govern modern laws and personal freedoms.
3. Truth, Uncertainty and the Burden of Proof
No one can say with absolute certainty whether any god exists. Religious people base their lives on faith. Non-believers base their lives on the view that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence and that such evidence has not yet been provided.
A common argument from believers is that it is safer to believe in case the religion turns out to be true later. The problem is that this logic works for every religion, including mutually incompatible ones. You cannot sincerely commit to all of them at once. In practice, most people adopt the faith they were raised in, which suggests culture rather than truth is doing much of the heavy lifting.
In a post-religious future, people would be free to explore big questions about meaning and morality without feeling pressured to commit to a particular story about the supernatural. Philosophies such as humanism, which emphasise reason, empathy and human flourishing, already offer one such framework.
2. Conflict, Power and Violence
Wars and atrocities are never caused by a single factor, but religion has repeatedly been used as a rallying banner. From the Crusades and religious wars in Europe through to sectarian violence and extremist movements in the modern world, religious identity can make it easier to frame other human beings as enemies or outsiders who must be fought rather than understood.
Political leaders have often used religious language and symbolism to justify their own ambitions, whether that is territorial expansion, resource grabs or control over a population. Ordinary believers may feel they are defending their faith, when in fact they are being encouraged to sacrifice and suffer for goals they did not choose.
A more secular world would not magically end conflict, but it would remove one powerful tool that has been used to inflame it. It is harder to declare a holy war when public life is based on shared human rights rather than sacred texts.
1. Explaining the World Without the Supernatural
For most of human history, religion helped people explain what they did not yet understand. Thunder, eclipses, plagues and meteor showers were read as signs from gods. Rituals developed as ways to influence or appease those forces. In that context, religion was a natural response to a mysterious and frightening world.
Today, science gives us detailed, testable explanations for many of those same phenomena. We can track storms, understand disease, model the movement of planets and even decode aspects of our own DNA. When we do not know something, scientists openly say so and then look for evidence, rather than filling the gap with a story that cannot be tested.
Religious narratives can still have poetic or symbolic value, but they are no longer our best tools for finding out how the universe actually works. A post-religious future would recognise faith stories as part of our cultural history, while relying on critical thinking, observation and experimentation to guide our decisions in the present.
Exploring Humanist and Secular Alternatives
Leaving religion behind does not mean abandoning morality, community or a sense of wonder. Modern humanism, for example, is an approach to life that focuses on reason, compassion and human rights without appealing to the supernatural. If you are curious, you can explore accessible introductions from organisations such as
Humanists UK
and educational projects like
Understanding Humanism.
Related Reading on This Site
- Curious about how varied religious traditions can be? Have a look at
Ten Interesting Versions Of Heaven From Religions Around the World
. - For a lighter look at saints and symbolism, try
Ten Bizarre Patron Saints You Did Not Know About
.
Religion has played a huge role in shaping art, law, culture and identity. For many, it still offers comfort and community. Yet when we look carefully at religious division, the financial and social influence of religious institutions, the tension between belief and evidence, the uncertainty around ancient texts and the role of religion in conflict, it becomes easier to see why so many people are now choosing a different path.
A post-religious future does not need to be cold or empty. It can be filled with meaning, solidarity, creativity and compassion, grounded in our shared humanity rather than in supernatural claims. We can honour the past while deciding that our future should be built on transparency, critical thinking and universal human rights.
How do you feel about a post-religious future? Have you stepped away from faith, or are you questioning what you were taught as a child? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments, and let us know which arguments you agree or disagree with.
If you enjoyed this post, explore more lists on belief, history and amazing religious architecture here on
The Very Best Top 10,
and consider sharing this article with friends who are curious about secular or humanist perspectives. The more openly we talk about belief and non-belief, the easier it becomes for everyone to make up their own minds.