To me this sounds like the typical leftist refrain that Communism will work . . .
next time.
Much like Communism, Atheism is theoretically great. I think that is why both are so popular among academics. Academically/Theoretically both make perfect sense. Obviously the reality hasn't been such a great experience.
In the 19th Century Freud warned that due to atheism, the 20th would see some terrible things. Well Communists killed hundreds of millions. The somewhat less militantly atheistic Nazis couldn't match that but they did their best.
On a more micro level for literally thousands of years religion helped to minimize one-parent families. Now we have less religion and more one-parent families.
You have a very skewed "knowledge" of things.
Atheism is a take on one and only one claim. It doesn't have a dogma, it's not a world view. It's simply not being convinced that a god exists. Just because a few influential people took that and ran with it, bastardizing it along the way, doesn't mean it's wrong or evil or bad. Those individuals were/are wrong or evil or bad.
It's like Nietzsche's super man....he was describing a renaissance man, not an aryan race tasked with exterminating Jews. Hilter took the ball and ran with it, doing things unthinkable by Nietzsche. He couldn't have fathomed what an individual would do by bastardizing his idea.
It's nonsensical to DO anything in the name of atheism. There's no there there. It'd be like going out and invading Canada because you lack a belief in fairies. It's the most absurd idea possible.
Communism wants to put atheism under its umbrella because religion is a great big fat lie. It says, "dont worry, if justice isn't served in this life, the bad people holding you down will suffer FOREVER after they die." As if "this life" and "forever" mean a god damned thing, lol. Communism simply (and sure, poorly) suggested that if everyone has an equal share, there's no need for such silly lies.
OMG, OAM is a Marxist!!! Well, no. I'm certain he held many tenants I'd disagree with, but we're living out a big one he's probably right about: when the few have so much and the masses have so little, the shit is going to hit the fan. To me, that's not a radical idea. It's pretty predictable, imo.
Anyway, you can say Hitler pushed athiest views (again, a nonsensical term) and I can say there's tons of evidence he was a christian. But at least I'm honest and decent enough to know that he didn't do what he did in the name of christianity. I know he might have killed a son if god told him to or he'd enslave those around him since the bible literally tells you to, etc......but doing what he did is not something a ho-hum christian would suggest.
You say atheism is theoretically great. It's functionally great, too, when you're part of the 99.999999% of atheists who are nice, normal people. I've had multiple people now tell me I'm the best christian they know, as a compliment. I'm a good person because it's the right thing to be. I simply don't need the threat of hell or promise of heaven. And living forever, even in a paradise, sounds awful.
Religion was invented (yes, invented) by the meek to trick the powerful into fearing the reprisal of their unethical actions. The meek couldn't fight off the bandits and warlords, so they tricked them. They duped them into thinking natural processes (rain, lightning, floods, disease, droughts, earthquakes, infant mortality, etc) were controlled by the gods and that bad things happened because of their bad actions. For simple people, that connection made sense, and it put a literal fear of god in them. And the rest is history. Except despite now knowing infinitely more about the world we live in, much of humanity still cling to that silly lie that while shrewd, was simply conjured by people just trying to live their lives without being erased by bigger, meaner, more savage people.
****I'm not using meek and powerful as negative and positive descriptors, respectively....meek as in unable to fight off attackers and attackers being bigger and more powerful and thus - good at attackingI know for a fact that this post will receive all the eye-rolls, but it's reeeeeally unremarkable in my eyes and plain as day. If you can't see it, that's cool. You do you. But atheism doesn't change you, it just frees you up. If you're a good person believing in a god, you'd be a good person if you don't. If you're a corrupt shithead child-molesting thief as a believer, you'll be the same as an atheist.
(shrug)