I think we moving more towards a two-caste system.
You'll have the poor, uneducated, and religious. And you'll have the well-off, educated, and non-religious.
I say this because, all of the atheist people I have met were educated and well-off. My experiences with the lower class show they are much more religious.
And religion can provide (false) hope where there is none, particularly in impoverished regions.
"Gee my life sucks now, and it'll never get any better. But let me tell you, once I die, it'll be smooth sailing from then on!"
"So can I kill myself now and go to that nicer place sooner?"
"No, because God places an inexplicably high value on suffering."
".......Up yours, God."
It also provides numerous rationalizations for bad conditions.
- No food? Famines are the norm? Hey guess what, God loves fasting!
- Diseases kill large numbers of people on a regular basis? Good, they're in Heaven now!
- Natural disasters, presumably under God's control? (Seriously, how the hell can you blame an earthquake on humanity's alleged fall from grace?) Well, I guess God just wanted those people in Heaven as well, so stop complaining about every tsunami that wipes out hundreds of thousands of people. If anything, ask for more.
- War kills lots of people? That's not God's fault in any way whatsoever, even if the wars are being fought in his name, with both sides using the same scripture to justify their actions.
- No money? Jesus would approve, so stop complaining.
- Sick and can't afford a doctor? God will look out for you...unless you contract a fatal illness. Just try not to think too hard about that little paradox, or any of the others here.
Oh well....
and I'm still trying to figure out if Malak is really a hardcore Bible Thumper, or just an epic troll.