The superficial notion that human conflict would vanish if society simply abandoned faith and embraced a materialistic, atheistic framework is a common theme in modern secular discourse. The argument often presumes that religion and sectarian designations are the primary drivers of human division, implying that moving away from these structures would naturally foster universal brotherhood.
While it is crucial to address the absurdity of human prejudice based on race and sectarian designations, the underlying implication that religious belief is the root cause of division, and that a secularized or atheistic worldview would naturally bring peace, is deeply flawed.
To truly understand this dynamic, we must analyze the problem through a rigorous philosophical, historical, and spiritual lens. By examining the true nature of consciousness, the historical outcomes of state enforced atheism, and the psychological roots of tribalism, it becomes clear that discarding faith does not cure human division. Rather, conflict arises precisely from a lack of genuine spiritual realization, a vacuum that atheism and materialism only serve to widen.
The Illusion of a Conflict Free Secularism
The premise that a world scrubbed of religious faith would inherently be peaceful completely overlooks the stark historical realities of the modern era. The twentieth century served as a massive, tragic laboratory for state enforced atheism and purely secular ideologies. Regimes explicitly founded on materialistic principles, which actively sought to erase religious belief from society, did not usher in an era of peace and universal cooperation. Instead, they produced some of the most totalitarian, oppressive, and destructive chapters in human history.
When a society systematically removes the concept of a supreme, transcendent authority, it does not eliminate the human impulse toward worship and absolute devotion. Instead, that impulse is redirected toward the state, a political party, or a charismatic leader. In these secular systems, ideological conformity becomes the new orthodoxy, and dissent is treated with a brutality that rivals or exceeds any historical sectarian conflict. The absence of a spiritual foundation allows the state to become the ultimate arbiter of truth, morality, and the value of human life.
Without an objective spiritual standard that recognizes the inherent, sacred value of every individual, morality becomes entirely relative, utilitarian, and subject to the whims of those in power. If human beings are viewed merely as highly evolved biological machines, chunks of matter arranged in a specific configuration, then their lives can easily be quantified, bartered, or sacrificed for the alleged greater good of the collective.
The horrific purges, forced labor camps, and systematic suppressions of the secular regimes of the past century stand as a permanent refutation to the idea that atheism naturally fosters human kindness or social harmony. The root cause of institutionalized cruelty is not the presence of faith, but rather the unchecked human ego, the lust for absolute control, and a total blindness to the spiritual essence of humanity.
The Materialistic Roots of Racism and Division
Superficial differences like skin color have long been a source of human prejudice. However, it must be understood that racism, nationalism, and tribalism are the logical conclusions of a purely materialistic worldview, the very worldview that atheism champions.
When consciousness is reduced to a mere byproduct of chemical reactions within the brain, and the self is identified entirely with the physical body, superficial differences become paramount. If you believe that you are nothing more than the biological vessel you inhabit, then your identity is fundamentally tied to your race, your nationality, your gender, and your genetic lineage. This bodily conception of life naturally breeds a mentality of us versus them.
In a purely material universe governed strictly by evolutionary mechanics, survival of the fittest, and the competition for scarce resources, tribalism is not a defect, it is an inevitability. If there is no higher spiritual reality, then life becomes a zero sum game where one group must secure dominance over another to ensure its own prosperity and continuity. Materialism provides no solid, logical foundation for universal human rights or equality. From a strictly biological viewpoint, human beings are not equal, they possess varying physical capacities, intellectual faculties, and genetic traits.
Therefore, if society insists on viewing human beings exclusively through a material lens, it will always find reasons to categorize, segregate, and value people unequally. Racism thrives in an environment where the physical body is seen as the absolute totality of a person’s existence. It is only when we look beyond the physical vessel that the concept of true, universal equality becomes possible. By stripping away the spiritual dimension, atheism leaves humanity trapped within the prison of bodily identification, ensuring that prejudices based on skin color and ethnicity will continue to fester under different names and secular guises.
Sectarianism Versus Genuine Spiritual Realization
To build a comprehensive understanding, we must make a vital distinction between superficial, institutional sectarianism and genuine spiritual realization. Secular critics frequently conflate the two, blaming the essence of spiritual faith for the crimes committed in the name of organized religion.
Sectarianism occurs when individuals apply the same bodily conception of life to their religious identities. Just as someone might proudly declare, I am this race, or, I am from this nation, a sectarian individual declares, I belong to this specific religious designation, viewing all others as outsiders or enemies. This is not true spiritual life, it is merely political and social tribalism dressed in religious language. When religion is used as a tool for political dominance, territorial expansion, or social control, it has been completely degraded and decoupled from its actual purpose.
Authentic spiritual knowledge, by contrast, completely dismantles the bodily conception of life. It teaches that the external body, with all its varied skin colors, features, and temporary designations, is nothing more than a passing garment. Just as a person changes their clothes but remains the same individual, the conscious self inhabits a physical form for a brief period before moving on.
Genuine spiritual texts and teachers emphasize that the true self is the non material spark of consciousness animating the body. This life force, or soul, is entirely transcendental to the material world and is not defined by race, nationality, or sectarian labels. When a person achieves this level of understanding, they no longer see a world divided by superficial markers. They recognize that the same spiritual essence resides within every living entity. Therefore, the cure for religious conflict is not the abolition of faith, but the elevation of faith into actual, realized spiritual knowledge. Abolishing faith through atheism merely leaves the underlying diseases of greed, envy, and bodily identification completely untreated.
The Perfection Of Religion according to Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Krishna’s Instructions
This distinction between superficial sectarianism and absolute reality is illuminated with ultimate clarity in the Bhagavad Gita. In the climax of this sacred text, verse eighteen sixty six, Lord Krishna speaks the profound Sloka instructing the soul to abandon all varieties of religion and simply surrender unto Him…. Krishna states in
Bhagavad As It Is Chapter 18 verse 66
sarva dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva papebhyo
moksayisyami ma sucah
Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.
When Krishna speaks of giving up all religions, the word used is Dharma. In this context, the instruction is not a declaration against religion, nor is it an endorsement of a faithless, atheistic, or secular existence. Rather, it is the very perfection of religion. Throughout life, human beings adopt various relative Dharmas or duties based entirely on their bodily identity, such as national duties, family obligations, and institutional religious labels. While these systems help maintain social order, they are temporary and bound to the external covering of the soul.
By telling humanity to abandon these relative designations, Krishna is redirecting religion onto the right path. This instruction takes the inherent human impulse for devotion and rescues it from the traps of sectarianism and tribalism. When people identify too closely with an external religious label, they fall right back into the material trap of us versus them. By instructing the soul to transcend these relative designations and connect directly with the Supreme Source, the Bhagavad Gita transforms faith from a social badge into a deep, internal realization. It reveals that the ultimate purpose of all faith is to revive pure spiritual consciousness, which naturally unites all living entities beyond bodily designations.
The Scientific and Philosophical Failures of Materialism
The push toward a thoroughly atheistic world is often justified by the claim that science and materialism provide a more rational, complete explanation of reality than any spiritual framework. However, a deeper philosophical examination reveals that a purely materialistic science faces insurmountable walls when attempting to explain the most fundamental aspects of our existence, namely, the origin of life and the nature of consciousness.
Materialistic science operates on the dogmatic assumption that everything in the universe can be explained by the interactions of dead matter and physical forces. Yet, despite centuries of intense research and massive technological advancement, scientists have never been able to produce a single spark of life from dead chemicals in a laboratory. They can assemble all the correct chemical compounds, amino acids, and proteins in a controlled environment, but they cannot breathe life into that mixture. Life does not arise from a random combination of inanimate elements. Life comes from life. The presence of a conscious, living entity is a distinct principle that cannot be reduced to mere molecular machinery.
Furthermore, materialism utterly fails to account for consciousness itself, a dilemma often referred to in modern philosophy as the hard problem of consciousness. Materialists argue that the brain creates consciousness much like the gallbladder secretes bile. However, there is a profound, unbridgeable chasm between objective physical processes, such as neurons firing and electrical signals traveling through pathways, and the subjective, first person experience of awareness. A computer can process vast amounts of data, map visual fields, and execute complex algorithms, but it does not experience the color red, it does not feel joy, and it does not possess a sense of self.
Consciousness is the primary reality through which we experience everything else. To say that consciousness is merely an accidental byproduct of dead matter is a philosophical assumption, not a verified scientific fact. By reducing human beings to biological automatons, atheistic materialism strips existence of meaning, purpose, and intrinsic value. A worldview that cannot explain why we are aware, or how life originates, is a fragile foundation upon which to build a peaceful, cohesive society.
The Self Deception of the Secular Observer
There is a common modern perspective that views human flaws with a sense of detached intellectual superiority, as if by merely recognizing human folly, one stands above it. This critical attitude often blames religion for humanity’s inability to live in harmony, yet it offers no constructive solution to these issues. It merely sneers at the symptoms while ignoring the cause.
Conflict is driven by the internal pollution of the human heart, by lust, anger, greed, illusion, madness, and envy. These psychological and spiritual defects cannot be educated away by secular schooling, nor can they be engineered out of existence by social planning or technological advancement.
Throughout history, humans have constantly invented new, non religious reasons to kill and oppress one another. We have fought devastating wars over economic systems, capitalism versus communism, over imperial expansion, over access to oil and resources, and over nationalistic pride. If religion were completely erased tomorrow, the underlying human defects of greed and the desire for dominance would immediately find new vehicles. People would divide themselves based on economic class, intellectual capacity, geographic location, or political allegiance. The problem is not the tools or the labels humans use to justify their conflicts, the problem is the corrupted consciousness of the individuals themselves.
Higher Consciousness as the Only Foundation for Peace.
If neither secularism, political reform, nor an atheistic worldview can resolve the deep divisions plaguing humanity, we must look to the only solution that addresses the root cause of the issue, the elevation of human consciousness to a transcendental level.
True peace cannot be established through superficial treaties, social engineering, or by demanding that everyone abandon their spiritual longings. It can only be achieved when individuals undergo an internal transformation, shifting their identity away from the temporary, material body and aligning it with their eternal, spiritual nature. When a person realizes that they are not their skin color, not their nationality, and not their sectarian label, they are instantly liberated from the artificial divisions that fuel hatred and conflict.
This higher consciousness allows an individual to perceive the universal brotherhood of all living entities. It provides a logical, unshakeable foundation for compassion, empathy, and respect. You do not harm another being when you recognize that their inner self is identical in spiritual quality to your own, and that everyone shares a relationship with the same supreme source.
This is the profound message that true spiritual teachers have brought to the world across millennia. They did not come to establish rigid, divisive political institutions under the banner of religion. They came to revive the sleeping spiritual consciousness of the soul. The world will not become a better place by descending into the cold, meaningless void of atheism and materialism. It will change only when we clear away the dust of bodily identification and recognize the sublime, spiritual unity that underlies all of existence.
Hare Krishna
Sincerily
Devarsiratha das
Vanaprastha
Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 1973
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ps.The core concepts, philosophical arguments, and foundational points presented in this article originate from my spiritual master Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Because English is my second language, artificial intelligence was utilized as an editorial tool to assist with linguistic expression, grammar, and structural flow, ensuring the profound spiritual concepts were articulated clearly.
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