Growing up without religion is not synonymous with intellectual freedom. In many societies (including, of course, Germany) those who are not raised within a religious tradition do not necessarily gain access to a structured framework for ethical thinking, understanding the world, or building a sense of belonging. Instead, atheists, agnostics, and non believers (especially the young) face a paradox: they have left the church, but have not found anyone to take its place as a pedagogical guide.
The Void After Faith
For centuries, religions were not only sources of belief but also of teaching: moral, communal, symbolic. In many families, the church (or its spiritual equivalent) taught children how to behave, how to think about death or love, what good and evil meant.
Today, across much of Europe, the decline of religious institutions has left an empty space that neither public schools nor modern families seem to have been able to fill. In Germany, more than 40% of the population is not affiliated with any religious denomination, according to the Federal Statistical Office “Statistisches Bundesamt”. In Berlin, that number rises to 61%. Yet pedagogical alternatives for non religious youth remain weak.
The subject of ethics “Ethik” exists as an alternative to religion in several regions, but its implementation varies widely depending on the federal state “Bundesland”, and in many cases lacks a solid curriculum, continuity, or teachers trained in secular thought. At the same time, subjects like philosophy have lost ground to more “useful” or performance oriented disciplines.
Free Thought, But Alone
Atheists and humanists rightly celebrate the value of critical thinking, autonomy, and freedom of conscience. But there’s an uncomfortable truth: free thought also requires education, transmission, and practice. Doubt, rationality, and ethics are not inherited genetically, nor do they magically appear once religion is abandoned.
Most children and adolescents in non religious households do not receive a systematic education in philosophy, secular morality, or the history of thought. Many learn on their own, through trial and error, or from scattered content on social media and digital platforms.
The JIM Study 2023, published by the Medienpädagogischer Forschungsverbund Südwest, shows that 96% of German teenagers use YouTube regularly, and 63% use TikTok. These platforms not only dominate their free time but have become sources of information on social issues, identity, relationships, or emotions. Yet what they consume there is often fragmented, emotional, and in many cases, superficial or contradictory.
TikTok as a Moral Guide?
In the absence of philosophical communities or secular pedagogical structures, many young people turn to influencers, YouTubers, or algorithms for guidance. Some discover rigorous educational channels, but most consume content designed to capture attention, not to foster critical thinking. Light spirituality, emotional coaching, and Instagram quotes take the place of Sunday sermons.
This phenomenon isn’t limited to teenagers. Many non religious adults also seek guidance from fragmented sources, from podcasts to wellness gurus. Without basic philosophical training or tools to distinguish reason from manipulation, even atheists can fall into modern dogmas disguised as freedom.
According to a study from the University of Leipzig titled “Towards a Society of Stable Nones: Lifelong Non Denominationalism as the Prevailing Pattern in East Germany”, published in the journal Religions (MDPI, 2021), most young Germans unaffiliated with any religion exhibit high levels of skepticism toward institutions, but also lack alternative models for building a structured worldview.
In other words, secularization is advancing faster than philosophical or ethical education.
The Price of Not Belonging
Another consequence of abandoning religion is the loss of community. Many people leave religion for justified reasons: dogmatism, hypocrisy, discrimination. But in the process, they also lose shared rituals, support networks, and structures of belonging.
In Germany, organizations such as the Giordano Bruno Stiftung, Humanistische Union, and the Humanistische Verband Deutschlands promote secular and humanist values. However, their visibility is limited, and their reach confined to certain urban or academic circles. According to the Freedom of Thought Report 2023 by Humanists International, Germany has fewer than 10 active secular associations at the national level compared to over 40 in the United States or an institutionalized network in countries like Norway and the Netherlands.
In practice, many atheists live their non-belief privately and in isolation. They lack spaces to discuss ideas, celebrate important milestones, or form communities. The result: a generation without faith, but also without symbolic structures to help make sense of life.
Toward a Secular Pedagogy
The solution is not to return to religion or romanticize its legacy. What we need is a pedagogy of free thought: a way of educating without dogmas, but with guidance; without impositions, but with responsibility.
This involves:
- Revaluing the teaching of ethics, philosophy, and critical thinking from an early age.
- Building secular communities that not only debate, but also support, educate, and celebrate.
- Creating secular symbolic rituals for key moments in life: births, commitments, farewells.
- Teaching not only how to question, but how to build rational and compassionate convictions.
- Being an atheist does not guarantee being free. Freedom requires education, community, and meaning.
If we want a society where free thought is more than just a slogan, we must dare to ask: Who educates the atheists? Because the answer to that question will determine not only the future of secularism, but also of democratic coexistence.
