History Main / OutgrownSuchSillySuperstitions

** When Mongolia became a communist state, its leaders purged the Buddhist monks and shuttered their monasteries.

** The UsefulNotes/CulturalRevolution was an ''extreme'' example of a communist state wiping out old ideas and customs, including churches and mosques, to ensure that generations would only worship the dear leader. It may [[GoneHorriblyRight have worked too well]]: China today is a materialistic society where the only real concern is making money, morals and empathy be damned. However, this may have less to do with lack of religion and more with a generally opressive culture: morals and empathy frequently go out of the window in such situations, whereas the average atheists simply live good, moral lives full of empathy for other people. Therefore, it clearly has nothing to do with religion or lack thereof. While there is a growing Christian scene in China, it is heavily scrutinized by the government, which either closes churches or forces them to cooperate with the party line.

** The decline of Greco-Roman polytheism and the rise of Christianity in the late Roman Empire was driven by the increasing corruption of the Roman elites, and simply put, many people found the Christian message of a loving God and equality to be comforting as Rome stumbled from one crisis to another.
** While the decline of Aztec religion is (somewhat truthfully) depicted as cultural genocide on the part of the Spanish, many Aztecs genuinely liked the Christian faith, since the Christian god didn't ask his followers for blood sacrifices. In fact, the Aztec's brutal ritual killings played a role in driving many tribes to the side of Cortez.

** In recent decades, Catholicism's once unshakeable grip on Latin America has faltered due to the corruption and scandals at the Vatican. But Catholicism has been replaced by other sects of Christianity, like Pentecostalism in Brazil, Atheism or even Islam.

** The UsefulNotes/CulturalRevolution was an ''extreme'' example of a communist state wiping out old ideas and customs, including churches and mosques, to ensure that generations would only worship the dear leader. It may [[GoneHorriblyRight have worked too well]]: China today is a materialistic society where the only real concern is making money, morals and empathy be damned. While there is a growing Christian scene in China, it is heavily scrutinized by the government, which either closes churches or forces them to cooperate with the party line.

** In recent decades, Catholicism's once unshakeable grip on Latin America has faltered due to the corruption and scandals at the Vatican. But Catholicism has been replaced by other sects of Christianity, like Pentecostalism in Brazil, and some Latinos have even converted to Islam.

** While this appears to some extent in [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration the sequel series]], due to series creator Creator/GeneRoddenberry being a proponent of the idea, [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries the Original Series]] directly [[AvertedTrope averted this trope]] at its inception, due to a strong focus on multiculturalism. In fact, Kirk's ''Enterprise'' canonically has an interfaith chapel: It appears in the wedding ceremony (which Kirk, like a 20th Century naval captain, gets to officiate) in "Balance of Terror." It is also mentioned on the list of sets in the Original Series's 1960s [[UniverseBible writer's guide]], and is shown in [[http://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/lcars/star-trek-blueprints.php the official Blueprints of the U.S.S. Enterprise]].[[note]][[http://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/lcars/blueprints/star-trek-blueprints-sheet-8.jpg See Here: the room marked CP for "chapel"]][[/note]] The wedding ceremony includes the phrase, "in accordance with our laws and many beliefs."
*** In one episode, Kirk tells Apollo (or at least a being who claims to be Apollo) the following: "Mankind has no need for gods. We find the one quite adequate."[[note]]He said that because NBC's Standards and Practices department required it, but onward.[[/note]] Kirk also reveals a more spiritual side at the end of the episode when he tells Bones, "They gave us so much... would it have hurt us to gather just a ''few'' laurel leaves?"
*** One of the many PlanetOfHats that Kirk et. al. visited was a rather Roman Empire-based one, where [[spoiler:a former Starfleet captain]] acts as the [[JustTheFirstCitizen First Citizen]]. They also met a small group of people that were a mix of LaResistance and worshipers of "the Sun". After the fact, Uhura reveals she'd monitored their radio broadcasts and discovered they were talking not of the Sun in the sky, but the [[UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}} Son of God]]. Also of note is that earlier in the episode, when asked by a local about the crew's religion, [=McCoy=] says they "represent many beliefs."
*** In "The Ultimate Computer," the fact that Federation computer expert Dr. Daystrom -- and, [[ReligiousRobot consequently, the sentient computer he has built]] -- believed in God[[note]]The machine says "Murder is contrary to the laws of man and God."[[/note]] becomes a plot point. Kirk makes the computer realize that [[spoiler: in committing murder, it has committed a terrible sin. Out of remorse, it self-destructs.]]
*** In "Day of the Dove", Kirk tells Kang, "Go to the Devil!" Kang replies, "We [Klingons] have no Devil... but we are very familiar with the habits of yours." Cue use of torture. Years later, the [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Next Generation]] then introduced a figure in Klingon religion named Fek'lhr in "The Devil's Due", who is described as their "Devil". However, he's really more akin to Cerberus from Myth/ClassicalMythology, being a warden of their Hell.
** The [[WesternAnimation/StarTrekTheAnimatedSeries Animated Series]] episode [[Recap/StarTrekTheAnimatedSeriesS1E2Yesteryear "Yesteryear"]] has Spock (disguised as a distant cousin) claim to his father Sarek that he is visiting the Vulcan city of [=ShiKahr=] to honor their family's gods.
** Although the SufficientlyAdvancedAlien claiming to be God in ''Film/StarTrekVTheFinalFrontier'' turns out to be [[GodGuise a fake,]] the characters' reactions throughout the movie make it clear that belief in God is not uncommon in Kirk's era. Even at the end and after everything they've been through, Kirk tells his friends he believes God is within us, rather than making some overtly atheistic remark.
** ''The Next Generation'' episode "Rightful Heir" deals with Kahless, the revered founder of the Klingon Empire and ancestor figure in Klingon history. There is a shrine of Klingon priests who await the return of Kahless -- and who create a [[CloneJesus clone of him]] to "stabilize" the empire (to their advantage); however, once the clone learns his real nature, he turns out to be an honest sort who tries to fulfill his position as sort-of-but-not-really Kahless honorably (think less "second coming" and more "heir to his legacy"). Generally, the different Trek series treat the Klingons' faith in Kahless in a positive light.
*** Of all the Trek series, ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' was by far the most overt about it, with Picard explicitly invoking this trope in speeches in "Encounter At Farpoint" and "Who Watches the Watchers?" Not coincidentally it was when Roddenberry fully controlled things.
*** The most {{Anvilicious}}ly atheistic ''Star Trek'' ever got was in the third season ''TNG'' episode "Who Watches the Watchers". A group of Federation scientists are using holographic technology to watch a primitive Vulcanoid culture that has apparently abandoned religion. The Federation equipment breaks down, revealing their existence and "magical powers" to the locals, one of whom declares they must be gods and tries to restart the Old Time Religions. Picard takes the leader up and explains to her that the Federation are merely {{Sufficiently Advanced Alien}}s, not gods. The episode then goes into AuthorFilibuster mode, referring to humanity's religious era as "the dark ages of superstition and ignorance and fear." Afterwards, an away team goes down to the planet to explain how irrational it is to believe in gods, saying that they never show up or tell believers what they want and that believers are left putting their faith in what other mortals tell them. This episode is particularly ironic given that the episode directly prior literally dealt with a godlike being showing up and causing interstellar destruction.
*** Then again, in "Where Silence Has Lease", Data asks Picard about death. Picard gives a philosophical answer which shows that although he's not explicitly religious, and doesn't believe in a traditional {{Heaven}}, he also rejects the idea that death is the end, believing there must be something more, even if people may not have any idea of its exact nature. The way he speaks about the cosmic order of the universe indicates he may be at least deist or pantheist.
*** In "Déjà Q", Q has been turned into a human and sarcastically contemplates becoming a missionary. [[LiteralMinded Data]] states that such a line of work would be admirable, implying that there are still humans who view religion positively.
** ''[[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Deep Space Nine]]'' is a seven-year mix of affirmations and denials of this trope. The station's commander was declared an alien Jesus in the first episode, later found alien gods to confirm it, then started having visions and became a god himself. Overall the series takes a balanced view: while several episodes (mostly dealing with recurring character [[TheFundamentalist Winn Adami]]) decry the ''abuse'' of religion as a political tool or an excuse to discriminate against others, the show as a whole doesn't condemn the practice of religion itself. Part of what makes it confusing is that the Prophets can back up everything their believers say about them; the first season finale had a dispute on whether they were technically gods or not fizzle out when everybody realized they were arguing over semantics and all agreed on the key points.

*** In the ''[=DS9=]'' episode "Penumbra," after Sisko proposes to Kasidy Yates, she mentions her mother would want them to be married by a minister.
** ''Series/StarTrekVoyager's'' Commander Chakotay is the most visibly religious human protagonist in the entire franchise (even if the religion he practices is a poorly researched mishmash of Native American and New Age ideas), and the other characters are consistently very respectful of his beliefs. Notably, his is the only real voice of spiritual consolation to Neelix after Neelix suffers a [[CrisisOfFaith crisis of faith]] in his alien religion in "Mortal Coil."
*** "Mortal Coil" is one of the most thoughtful explorations of the idea in the franchise, albeit a very dark one. After Neelix has been medically declared dead, Seven of Nine is able to revive him via [[AppliedPhlebotinum phlebotinum.]] Neelix suffers a [[CrisisOfFaith crisis of faith]] in his alien religion because he did not catch any glimpse of the afterlife. Chakotay tries to reassure him and lets him use a gizmo to go on a [[JourneyToTheCenterOfTheMind vision quest into his own psyche,]] but this only upsets him more, despite Chakotay's insistence that he may be misinterpreting what he saw. Neelix finally finds the strength to keep going after speaking with little Naomi Wildman, but still ends the episode emotionally wounded and full of more questions than answers.
*** In "Hunters," Tuvok receives a message from his family on Vulcan. His wife assures him they are praying for his safe return. At a temple.
** In "Dagger of the Mind", and in ''Film/StarTrekGenerations'', it is shown that they still celebrate Christmas and actually call it that, instead of the current contemporary habit of [[YouMeanXMas "Holiday Season"]]. They don't, however, celebrate it with our modern commercial strain. It seems to consist instead of parties among friends.
** In one episode of ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'', Phlox mentions that while on Earth, he sampled a number of Earth religions, visiting a Buddhist monastery and attending mass in St. Peter's Square. When asked about his own beliefs, Archer states that he prefers to keep an open mind. The episode "Cold Front" involves the crew playing host to a group of alien religious pilgrims, who are portrayed in a positive light. However, a later episode, "The Chosen Realm" deals with an alien race who worship the creators of the Delphic Expanse. Having examined the inside of one of the anomaly-creating spheres and discovering nothing more than extremely advanced technology, the crew of the ''Enterprise'' are understandably skeptical about this religion, but the episode is more about religious extremism than religion itself (the episode ends with the ''Enterprise'' finding the alien homeworld in ruins). However, the reveal that the two religious groups differ only in how many days it took to create the Delphic Expanse makes others see the conflict as ridiculous.
** ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'': Creator/JasonIsaacs related an experience on set in which he ad libbed a line including the phrase "for God's sake" and was told by the episode's writer that such expressions wouldn't be used in Roddenberry's vision of a science-driven future absent of religion. The showrunners later clarified that, given the shows focus on diversity, it would stand to reason that there would be some religious people among them and references to god were allowed.

** Tavian, a sympathetic character in "The Romans," is revealed at the end of the story to secretly be a Christian.
** The Doctor shows particular respect to Buddhism in "The Abominable Snowman"; he bows to the wisdom of a Buddhist priest, returns to them a sacred item, and uses Buddhist prayer to help Victoria resist the Great Intelligence. The ExpandedUniverse book ''Eye of Heaven'' has the Fourth Doctor recount the unshown adventure leading up to "The Abominable Snowman", claiming that his life had been saved by Buddhist faith healing performed on him by the priest, and using "Buddhist wisdom" to put himself into a "healing coma" that allowed him to recover from being shot through the heart.
** In "Planet of the Spiders", the eponymous villains worship the Great One as a sort of {{God Emp|eror}}ress and use their religion to exploit and brutalize the enslaved humans on their planet. By contrast, the Third Doctor engages in Buddhist philosophy again, and a fellow Time Lord (believed by many fans to be a [[Recap/DoctorWhoS9E5TheTimeMonster previously mentioned]] monk who mentored the Doctor in his youth) is living on Earth as a Buddhist priest.
** The Fourth Doctor period is the most visible user of the trope; he frequently mocked mysticism and magic of all sorts, and his tenure featured the highest proportion of "the Doctor fights religion" plots. His companion Leela was even designed to contrast her savagery and superstition against the Doctor's pacifism and scientific knowledge, with their first scene in "The Robots of Death" having the Doctor explicitly tell Leela that magic doesn't exist. Leela had already begun to question her original faith in "The Face of Evil"; in her first scene in the series, she's taunting her own high priest, shouting ''"Liar! There is no Xoannon!!"''

** Implied in "The Ark in Space", where Vira, a far future human with quite an alien mindset, immediately explains to the Doctor and his companions that the Ark leader's nickname Noah was taken from "mythology", as if expecting them not to know.
** The Fifth Doctor episode "Kinda" is, again, full of Buddhist symbolism.
** This was {{enforced|Trope}} in the first four seasons of the reboot series, which had little to no mention of magic or religion. Showrunner Creator/RussellTDavies was a staunch atheist, found it utterly implausible for the Doctor or any of his advanced alien cohorts to be religious, and declared, "[[AuthorTract That's what I believe, so that's what you're going to get]]. Tough, really. To get rid of those so-called agendas, you've got to get rid of me." (The heartbreakingly beautiful rendition of the hymn "The Old Rugged Cross" in "Gridlock" notwithstanding, apparently.)

** The Tenth Doctor more or less says in "The Satan Pit" that he doesn't believe in God or any sort of higher power, or at least he's never run across anything to convince him that such a power exists. Given that he's run into various super-powerful "god"-like beings, such as Sutekh, Fenric, and the White and Black Guardians, [[FlatEarthAtheist that's quite a statement]].

** The Twelfth Doctor is actually open to the idea of an afterlife (and mentions he always meant to take a look), but he finds the version presented in "Dark Water" to be absolutely ludicrous. [[spoiler:He's right; it's a ploy by Missy to freak out the world's rich and powerful for the purposes of creating an army of the dead. She did end up creating a virtual afterlife in the process, though]].

* ''Series/BabylonFive''
** Creator J. Michael Straczynski, an atheist himself, deliberately avoided this trope in the series (in contrast with ''Franchise/StarTrek''), with all the major species having beliefs of various kinds and strengths, and a mix of believers and non-believers. The straightest example is probably [[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien Lorien]], who says his people have lived so long they simply had no more use for such things. In "[[Recap/BabylonFiveTheLostTales01 The Lost Tales]]", mention is made of how religion has been declining since humanity went to space and made contact with other races, but it still has a considerable presence in Earth-influenced space and among the alien races. The Catholic Church is alive and well; over the course of the series, Babylon 5 becomes home to a small but thriving Dominican community who mostly concern themselves with comparative religious studies. Babylon 5 is also chosen to host an ecumenical conference at one point (involving Catholics, a Baptist church complete with gospel choir and a delegation from the Church of Elvis). [[spoiler: In a BadFuture orders of monks also preserve humans' knowledge after nuclear war wipes out civilization, much like monasteries did during the Dark Ages.]] Humanity's main distinction is just ''how many'' extant religions there are; in an event where all the ambassadors were displaying their cultures' dominant faiths, the Human exhibition was just a long line of people who all had different beliefs.

*** Delenn and Lennier are prominent members of the Minbari Religious caste, though Minbari religion makes little outright reference to gods and seems more focused on personal enlightenment. That said, they do revere a sort of messianic figure in their history named Valen, and often swear in Valen's name, [[spoiler: which is really interesting once we learn that Valen is Delenn's friend and former B5 station commander, Jeffrey Sinclair, a human sent back in time a thousand years to lead the Minbari in their time of need.]]

** The portrayals aren't always positive; the deeply religious Markab race die out in their entirety because they cling to their beliefs rather than embracing science, and a young alien boy is killed by his parents in season 1, because they believe a simple surgical procedure (to remove a pulmonary cyst that is slowly choking him to death) has turned their child into a soulless monster.
* In ''Series/RedDwarf'' the only one of the main characters who shows the slightest religious belief is the robot hard-wired to believe in [[RobotReligion Silicon Heaven]]. Though Rimmer mentions that his parents were "Seventh Day Advent Hoppists" (their Bible had a typo) and implies that their religious lunacy is responsible for his JerkAss HollywoodAtheist tendencies.

** In "[[Recap/RedDwarfSeasonIIBetterThanLife Better Than Life]]" a newscast announces that the Bible's dedication page and "work of fiction" disclaimer was discovered.
** Christianity is disproved again in the episode, "Lemons". Rimmer says his mother belonged to a religious sect that believed Jesus and Judas were identical twin brothers, with Judas pretending to be a resurrected Jesus after Jesus died. Time travel confirms this to be true.
** "Lemons" also implies that people in the future see Christianity as a bad thing due to all the wars it started. The only reason the dwarfers don't use time travel to stop it is that there would be no ''WesternAnimation/WallaceAndGromit'' Christmas specials if there was no Christianity. A time-travelling Jesus also comes to the same conclusion about Christianity starting wars after reading through a future encyclopedia.

** {{Discussed}} in regards to the Krill, as unlike most advanced civilizations, they have ''increased'' in religiosity rather than decreasing. Their religion teaches that other species are soulless abominations lacking in true intelligence and sentience, more akin to animals than people, going so far as to use captive humans as sacrifices. Later they explain that species have been observed as having two reactions to finding other life and going into space. One is becoming humble, and no longer thinking they were the center of the universe. The other is doubling down, becoming very xenophobic. Obviously the Krill did that. Ed mentions before they were more peaceful, and it's possible also had a more passive interpretation of their religion.

** However in the episode "If the Stars Should Appear" Ed says “Hi, I'm Captain Ed Mercer of the Jehovah's Witnesses.” As a joke. Even though it’s a joke it could imply that the Witnesses still exist so humanity might not have completely outgrown religion. It's likely however that he was just referencing the past for the joke.
* ''Series/BlakesSeven''. Blake has to explain to Gan what a church is as "The Federation had them all destroyed at the [[YearZero beginning of the New Calendar]]." Various fictional religions are shown however, so it's not as if humanity has outgrown the need; on the prison planet Cygnus Alpha the rulers have created a religion specifically to prevent discord among the inhabitants, and the Clonemasters are a SinglePreceptReligion created by the Terran Federation to black box cloning technology. Other than these examples however the trope is played straight, as we don't see anyone turning to religious belief to cope with their existence in a CrapsackWorld. Neither does the Federation use a state religion as a tool of power, which they'd certainly do if religious beliefs had any currency among the population.

* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'': [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] as the good ship ''Serenity'' features a Christian (Shepherd Book), and a Buddhist (Inarra) with no indication that either religion has diminished since humanity left Earth. Mal was formally Christian until [[EvilStoleMyFaith the War.]]

** In "[[Recap/SouthParkS15E14ThePoorKid The Poor Kid]]", Kenny and his siblings (and later Cartman) end up in a militantly ''agnostic'' foster family. The foster parents, the Weatherheads, take the uncertainty about the existence of God to uncertainty about ''any'' kind of thing and punish their foster children for thinking otherwise.
** This attitude is also deconstructed in "[[Recap/SouthParkS7E12AllAboutMormons All About Mormons]]". While the episode mocks the origins and the belief system of Mormonism, Stan's hostility to Mormons themselves is not shown to be much better. The Mormon kid tells him that while Mormons have nutty beliefs, they are also an organization that promotes family values and kindness and that Stan's {{Jerkass}} behavior just makes him an immature asshole.
** This is played straighter in "[[Recap/SouthParkS6E15TheBiggestDoucheInTheUniverse The Biggest Douche In The Universe]]". This is why Stan considers [[PhonyPsychic John Edward]] to be a giant douche; not just because he's a manipulative fraud, but because his phony claims hold society back.
-->'''John Edward''': Everything I tell people is positive and gives them hope! How does that make me a douche?
-->'''Stan''': Because the big questions in life are tough! "Why are we here?" "Where are we from?" "Where are we going?" But as long as people believe in asshole douchey liars like you, we're never going to find the answers to those questions. You aren't just lying, you're slowing down the progress of all mankind, you douche!

*** The most {{Anvilicious}}ly atheistic ''Star Trek'' ever got was in the third season ''TNG'' episode "Who Watches the Watchers". A group of Federation scientists are using holographic technology to watch a primitive Vulcanoid culture that has apparently abandoned religion. The Federation equipment breaks down, revealing their existence and "magical powers" to the locals, one of whom declares they must be gods and tries to restart the Old Time Religions. Picard takes the leader up and explains to her that the Federation are merely {{Sufficiently Advanced Alien}}s, not gods. The episode then goes into AuthorFilibuster mode, referring to humanity's religious era as "the dark ages of superstition and ignorance and fear." Afterwards, an away team goes down to the planet to explain how irrational it is to believe in gods, saying that they never show up or tell believers what they want and that believers are left putting their faith in what other mortals tell them.

** This attitude is also deconstructed in "[[Recap/SouthParkS7E12AllAboutMormons All About Mormons]]". While the episode mocks the origins and the belief system of Mormonism, Stan's hostility to Mormons themselves is not shown to be much better. The Mormon kid tells him that while Mormons have nutty beliefs, they are also an organization that promotes family values and kindness and that Stan's {{JerkI on't get why these entries were delass}} behavior just makes him an immature asshole.

** The UsefulNotes/CulturalRevolution was an ''extreme'' example of a communist state wiping out old ideas and customs, including churches and mosques, in the name of ensuring that generations would only worship the dear leader. It may [[GoneHorriblyRight have worked too well]]: China today is a society where the only real concern is making money, morals and empathy be damned. While there is a growing Christian scene in China, it is heavily scrutinized by the government.

** The decline of Greco-Roman polytheism and the rise of Christianity in the late Roman Empire was driven by the increasing corruption of the Roman elites, and simply put many people found the Christian message of a loving God and equality to be comforting as Rome stumbled from one crisis to another.

** The UsefulNotes/CulturalRevolution was an ''extreme'' example of a communist state wiping out old ideas and customs, including churches and mosques, in the name of ensuring that generations would only worship the dear leader. It may [[GoneHorriblyRight have worked too well]]: China today is a society where the only real concern is making money. While there is a growing Christian scene in China, it is heavily scrutinized by the government.

* The current status of this trope varies around the world. In many Western countries, the religiosity of younger generations is declining; irreligion of some kind is now the second-largest "religious" affiliation in the United States. Poorer countries, by contrast, see a decline of atheism in the future. Given that fog clouds the future, it remains to be seen whether this plays out.
** That being said, the post-Arab Spring Muslim nations have seen significant declines in religiosity for younger generations who have seen atrocities committed in the name of faith (or claimed to be so) very up close and personal. It is not simply a matter of economics.

* As a show that mocks everything and everyone, even nontheistic beliefs are [[DeconstructiveParody parodied]] [[TakeThat rather savagely]] in ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''. In the two-part episode "[[Recap/SouthParkS10E12GoGodGo Go, God, Go]]" and "[[Recap/SouthParkS10E13GoGodGoXII Go God Go XII]]" Cartman awakens in a HollywoodAtheist future where atheism has replaced religion. Religious factionalism and conflict have been replaced with various equally fanatical atheist factionalism and conflict. People shout things like "Hail science!", "science dammit", and "Science H. Logic!" instead of their religious equivalents. Ultimately, the episode is about how atheists are just as susceptible to stupidity as the followers of any religion. Especially since the whole reason the atheists split off into several factions and started fighting each other in the first place was because ''[[SillyReasonForWar they couldn't agree on what name to call themselves]]''. After the past is fixed (mainly by splitting Richard Dawkins from the awful Ms. Garrison), the Future is fixed - but they're now at war over ''resources''. The various Spiritual Leaders are also much more pleasant to talk to than the shouty secular authority figures, as well (the Sea Otter king is replaced by a soft-spoken and amiable prophet in the new timeline).

** Although we're still vague on the specifics, ''Series/TheMandalorian'' makes it clear that Mandalorianism is a religion.

** In one episode, Kirk tells Apollo (or at least a being who claims to be Apollo) the following: "Mankind has no need for gods. We find the one quite adequate."[[note]]He said that because NBC's Standards and Practices department required it, but onward.[[/note]] Kirk also reveals a more spiritual side at the end of the episode when he tells Bones, "They gave us so much... would it have hurt us to gather just a ''few'' laurel leaves?"
** One of the many PlanetOfHats that Kirk et. al. visited was a rather Roman Empire-based one, where [[spoiler:a former Starfleet captain]] acts as the [[JustTheFirstCitizen First Citizen]]. They also met a small group of people that were a mix of LaResistance and worshipers of "the Sun". After the fact, Uhura reveals she'd monitored their radio broadcasts and discovered they were talking not of the Sun in the sky, but the [[UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}} Son of God]]. Also of note is that earlier in the episode, when asked by a local about the crew's religion, [=McCoy=] says they "represent many beliefs."
** In "The Ultimate Computer," the fact that Federation computer expert Dr. Daystrom -- and, [[ReligiousRobot consequently, the sentient computer he has built]] -- believed in God[[note]]The machine says "Murder is contrary to the laws of man and God."[[/note]] becomes a plot point. Kirk makes the computer realize that [[spoiler: in committing murder, it has committed a terrible sin. Out of remorse, it self-destructs.]]
** In "Day of the Dove", Kirk tells Kang, "Go to the Devil!" Kang replies, "We [Klingons] have no Devil... but we are very familiar with the habits of yours." Cue use of torture. Years later, the [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Next Generation]] then introduced a figure in Klingon religion named Fek'lhr in "The Devil's Due", who is described as their "Devil". However, he's really more akin to Cerberus from Myth/ClassicalMythology, being a warden of their Hell.

** Of all the Trek series, ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' was by far the most overt about it, with Picard explicitly invoking this trope in speeches in "Encounter At Farpoint" and "Who Watches the Watchers?" Not coincidentally it was when Roddenberry fully controlled things.

** In "Déjà Q", Q has been turned into a human and sarcastically contemplates becoming a missionary. [[LiteralMinded Data]] states that such a line of work would be admirable, implying that there are still humans who view religion positively.

** Then there's the Klingons, whose mythology in this series says that the ancient Klingons ''killed'' their gods. The details vary: Worf says "They were more trouble than they were worth" when queried, while Lady Sirella relates a story of how the gods were killed by [[ThePowerOfLove the heartbeats of the first Klingon couple when they met]] (the tale is part of the traditional Klingon marriage rite).
** In the ''[=DS9=]'' episode "Penumbra," after Sisko proposes to Kasidy Yates, she mentions her mother would want them to be married by a minister.

** "Mortal Coil" is one of the most thoughtful explorations of the idea in the franchise, albeit a very dark one. After Neelix has been medically declared dead, Seven of Nine is able to revive him via [[AppliedPhlebotinum phlebotinum.]] Neelix suffers a [[CrisisOfFaith crisis of faith]] in his alien religion because he did not catch any glimpse of the afterlife. Chakotay tries to reassure him and lets him use a gizmo to go on a [[JourneyToTheCenterOfTheMind vision quest into his own psyche,]] but this only upsets him more, despite Chakotay's insistence that he may be misinterpreting what he saw. Neelix finally finds the strength to keep going after speaking with little Naomi Wildman, but still ends the episode emotionally wounded and full of more questions than answers.
** In "Hunters," Tuvok receives a message from his family on Vulcan. His wife assures him they are praying for his safe return. At a temple.

** ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'': Creator/JasonIsaacs related an experience on set in which he ad libbed a line including the phrase "for God's sake" and was told by the episode's writer that such expressions wouldn't be used in Rodenberry's vision of a science-driven future absent of religion. The showrunners later clarified that, given the shows focus on diversity, it would stand to reason that there would be some religious people among them and references to god were allowed.

* In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'', this is what [[WellIntentionedExtremist Walhart]] wants the world to be like; he advocates the idea of a militaristic and atheistic new world order under his rule to bring an end to war and strife. During [[spoiler:their Support conversations]], the PlayerCharacter admits that while Walhart might be onto something, his world would be no better than a tyranny populated by forcibly-indoctrinated servants who've all been bullied into submission. In response, Walhart [[spoiler:''agrees'' -- reasoning that, [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority because he lost to the Avatar]], [[MightMakesRight he must clearly be in the right]].]] TheHero Chrom also acknowledges Walhart's vision but rejects it on similar grounds, resolving to unite all peoples of all faiths (or lack thereof) by touching their hearts rather than forcing them to bend the knee.

* Many Islamic states have attempted to modernize their societies, replacing Islamic culture with a secular and Western way of life. But in many cases, such as Iran, these regimes were often corrupt, triggering a reactionary backlash that led to the rise of more fundamentalist regimes.

** ''Series/StarTrekVoyager's'' Commander Chakotay is the most visibly religious human protagonist in the entire franchise (even if the religion he practices is a [[CriticalResearchFailure poorly researched mishmash]] of Native American and New Age ideas), and the other characters are consistently very respectful of his beliefs. Notably, his is the only real voice of spiritual consolation to Neelix after Neelix suffers a [[CrisisOfFaith crisis of faith]] in his alien religion in "Mortal Coil."

* [[AvertedTrope Actively averted]] in ''TabletopGame/BattleTech''. All five Successor States have active and vibrant religions and religious traditions. Alongside Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, and the other mainstream real-life faiths, many, many new in-universe faiths have cropped up from the benign[[note]]such as the Unfinished Book Movement in the Federated Suns, which aims to compile all the Inner Sphere's holy texts into a massive sacred encyclopedia[[/note]] to the esoteric [[note]]the technophobic Exituri of Shiloh[[/note]]. Notable amongst the religions in the setting is [=ComStar=] which was a constructed religion intent originally on preserving the technological knowledge of the Inner Sphere from the coming Succession Wars. Unfortunately, the faith's founders realized and feared, but were powerless to stop the eventual corruption of that ideal into the Word of Blake. All in all, religion is presented fairly even-handedly for a science fiction setting [[note]]YMMV, though, on the ''accuracy'' of what's presented, with writers occasionally making well-intentioned CriticalResearchFailures such as having a Catholic priest say "By the power vested in me by the Curia and His Holiness, I excommunicate you and condemn you to eternal Purgatory."[[/note]].

** The closing stories in the ''[[Literature/RendezvousWithRama Rama]]'' books, on which Clarke either collaborated or wrote himself, subvert this. The setting has humanity already in religious decline by default, but the very end of the series presents not only possible evidence for the existence of a divine being such as God, but an explanation for his laissez-faire attitude to dealing with his creation.

%% * In Hamilton's ''Literature/CommonwealthSaga'', religion is for the most part "weddings and funerals" only. However, in the distant sequels of the void trilogy, a massive religious pilgrimage is the source of the main conflict of the stories.

** The Fox in ''Literature/TillWeHaveFaces'' paints Greek society as the Classical Era equivalent and makes it a point that the Greek philosophers of his time have a much less mystical understanding of the gods than the people of Glome. He doesn't exactly disbelieve, but he equates the gods with natural forces and discourages Orual from anthropomorphizing them. [[spoiler:{{Subverted|Trope}} in the end, when he calls himself a fool looking at half-truths.]]

** {{Subverted|Trope}} with the Neanderthals in ''Literature/TheNeanderthalParallax'' books, who never had a concept of an afterlife or gods to begin with due to different brain structures [[spoiler: (though played straight with the finale of the trilogy, when a magnetic pole reversal affects humans' minds by first stimulating then later eliminating paranormal, mystical or religious beliefs. With them gone, peace breaks out in the Middle East, among other improvements)]].
** It's also inverted with the aliens in ''Calculating God'' who are more technologically advanced than humanity but firmly believe in a creator on the basis of scientific evidence. It's the atheist human protagonist who slowly has to adjust and accept it.

* Subverted in ''Literature/BabeRuthManTankGladiator''. The priest writing the story mentions regards old religions (from what we'd call ThePresentDay) as outdated superstitions, but he believes his religion is absolute truth.

* ''Webcomic/AwkwardZombie'': In [[http://www.awkwardzombie.com/index.php?page=0&comic=120814 one comic]] where several characters are having a heated debate over their religious differences, [[VideoGame/StarFox Fox]] -- the only one from a ScienceFiction space age setting rather than a HighFantasy world -- drops in to mock the whole concept of religion. Then [[PhysicalGod Palutena]] walks in...

* ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'': [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-2273 SCP-2273]] is a SuperSoldier from an AlternateUniverse where Atheism is Russia's official religion, though he found peace with Christianity in the [[TheUnmasquedWorld Broken Masquerade]] canon.

** In recent decades, Catholicism's one unshakeable grip on Latin America has faltered due to the corruption and scandals at the Vatican. But Catholicism has been replaced by other sects of Christianity, like Pentecostalism in Brazil, and some Latinos have even converted to Islam.

[[folder:Film]]

* {{Averted|Trope}} in ''Literature/TheyAreSmol''; most of the advanced alien races humanity meets after FirstContact have some kind of faith, be it ancestor worship or theism. This actually ends up sparking a revival of a number of religions around the globe, including at least one cult that worshipped the aliens until they sat down and talked things out with their new "followers".

*** Narns like G'Kar follow the teachings of a variety of gurus. G'Kar is a follower of G'Quan, and apparently has some prominence among them. He is shown reading religious texts, leading ceremonies, and, at one point, writing a religious text of his own.

* In ''Series/RedDwarf'' the only one of the main characters who shows the slightest religious belief is the robot hard-wired to believe in [[RobotReligion Silicon Heaven]]. Though Rimmer mentions that his parents were "Seventh Day Hoppists" (their Bible had a typo) and implies that their religious lunacy is responsible for his JerkAss HollywoodAtheist tendencies.

%% * In Hamilton's ''Literature/CommonwealthSaga'', religion is for the most part "weddings and funerals" only. However, in the distant sequels of the void trilogy, a massive religious pilgrimage is the source of the main conflict of the stories.

--> "So nobody on Earth got their philosophy of life particularly validated or invalidated by the visitors from the stars. Many humans felt cheated by this."
* Creator/NealStephenson's ''Literature/{{Anathem}}'' features a world in which a group of secular monks wall themselves away from society and study pure logic, science, philosophy, and art. Although they are not officially atheistic, few members hold onto any religious beliefs. In the outside world, religions rise and fall unnoticed. While venturing in the outside world, monks can quickly reduce any religion they encounter into one of a number of basic categories so that they can avoid causing offense. Religious non-monks are mostly presented as alien and quite mistaken from the point of view of the secular monks, but are not really treated as villains.
* Zigzagged in the ''Literature/ArrivalsFromTheDark'' series and its spin-off series ''Trevelyan's Mission''. The main series starts in the late 21st century, and this trope is decidedly averted there, with radical Islam and the related terrorism being rampant and the main reason for the creation of a unified SpaceNavy by the dominant global powers. Following the AlienInvasion, cults spring up, believing that the aliens were humanity's intended saviors and even those believing they were descended from those same aliens. The spin-off series takes place in the 29th century, and it's stated that, while a good number of humans still believe in various faiths, organized religion is pretty much gone due to the predominant view that a person's faith is a deeply personal thing that doesn't require a priest or a minister. Also averted with some alien races, such as the Kni'lina, who are at the same technological level of development as humanity, but one of their two main factions deeply believes in a prophet-like figure and treats him as divine. The other faction is highly pragmatic, but still views that figure with respect.

* [[Creator/IainBanks Iain M. Banks]]:
** In the ''[[Literature/TheCulture Culture]]'' novels, the Culture looks at religion as a delusion that is deserving of sympathy. This viewpoint runs into trouble in ''Look to Windward'', where the "enlightened" races are irritated and nonplussed that whether or not the Chelgrian heaven existed before, it demonstrably exists ''now''. ''Literature/SurfaceDetail'' features sophisticated virtual reality environments, many of which are based on each religion's hell, which proves to be a contentious issue in galactic politics.

* In Creator/MikhailAkhmanov and Christopher Nicholas Gilmore's ''Literature/CaptainFrenchOrTheQuestForParadise'', which takes place about 20,000 years in the future, humanity has settled thousands of worlds. Some of the worlds view religion in this manner, especially on the planet Tranai, which is ruled by "humane communism". Some other worlds are ruled by theocracies, such as the Holy Archonate on Murphy, which is recovering from a [[ColonyDrop comet strike]]. The eponymous captain believes theocracy is part of an ever-changing cycle of "democratic" governments; only an enlightened monarchy can avoid it.
* ''Literature/ACaseOfConscience'' toys with this. It features a totally agnostic -- if not atheistic -- alien race that also live in a perfect world and society, facing a bombed-out, nuclear-fried, and heavily Catholic human race. The priest included in the first contact mission considered that society a danger to humanity precisely because it was a rationalistic atheistic utopia; unfortunately, he'd already befriended one of those people before he made the decision. The humans wind up [[spoiler:blowing up the alien world thanks to what may have been an exorcism]].

* Creator/RogerZelazny enjoyed making far-far-far-future societies where humans had become {{Sufficiently Advanced Alien}}s and taken on the roles and power of ancient gods. In ''Literature/CreaturesOfLightAndDarkness'', they had taken on the personae of Ancient Egyptian gods, including managing afterlives. But one of the most prominent characters was Madrak the Mighty, a warrior-priest "of the non-theistic, non-sectarian sort", whose personal religion was based on an agnostic's deity -- another character referred to him as a "holy ambulance-chaser". When Set the Destroyer pointed out to him that Madrak had just aided in the destruction of the Nameless, an EldritchAbomination from beyond the universe, ''which perfectly fit the definition of Madrak's agnostic God,'' the idea that his god existed -- and that he profited by its death -- made him suffer [[HeroicBSOD a crisis of faith]].

* Creator/AnneMcCaffrey's ''Literature/DragonridersOfPern'' is a world without religion. The expressions "Jays" and "by all that's holy" are still in use, but only as swears. "Beyond Between" heavily implies that there is an afterlife, though.
* ''Literature/TheEmpiriumTrilogy'': When she was younger, Eliana loved hearing stories about the time before the Fall, a time when the empirium was still available and magic still in use. By the start of the series, she views those same stories and all talk about the Sun Queen's eventual arrival and her victory over the Undying Empire as mere wishful thinking at best.
* Being a staunch secular humanist almost to the point of being TheLastDJ for logical positivism, it should come as no surprise that Creator/GregEgan frequently uses this trope in his writings. When it is averted, this is still a sign that the [[BeliefMakesYouStupid believer isn’t as smart as he thinks he is]], or is using it as a cover for his emotional issues, or else just wants to control others:
** Religion doesn’t really come up much in the near-future setting of ''Literature/PermutationCity'', and after [[spoiler:the heroes upload their minds to a virtual world]] their new society is wholly atheistic, and the climax features FirstContact with a race of [[SuperiorSpecies perfectly rational and peaceful aliens]] who never developed religion. They aren’t epistemologically flawless though, because their limited understanding of the “natural” world means they do not understand that their universe is a simulation, and so mock the heroes’ claim of being from a different world that won’t suffer heat death. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero This causes]] [[spoiler:the destruction of the virtual universe]]. At the very end, the female lead hypothesizes that God’s existence is just as impossible as a triangle with four sides.

** Perhaps the most {{Anvilicious}} is “The Planck Dive”, which has a subplot that is an extended TakeThat to the theories of Creator/JosephCampbell. The character who prattles on about mythic archetypes is a pompous boor who repeatedly disrespects the scientific team and cares nothing for their explanations, and is convinced that the crew are {{Hollywood Atheist}}s who need to be freed from their empty lives of MeasuringTheMarigolds. His ignorance is so annoying that one character in exasperation says that mythic archetypes only appear to be universal because oral stories are inevitably simplified to the LowestCommonDenominator in the retelling, and anybody who [[{{Troperiffic}} composes such a story on purpose]] is [[MisaimedFandom completely missing the point]] of storytelling.
* Creator/IsaacAsimov's ''Literature/Foundation1951'':

* {{Downplayed}} in ''Literature/TheFourHorsemenUniverse''. In the ShortStory "Angels and Aliens" by Jon R. Osborne, religion is far from dead, but ''organized'' religion is doing poorly: the protagonist is a Catholic priest who joins the Berzerkers mercenary company as a chaplain to find that much of the membership are neo-pagans (everything from Asatrus to Wiccans).

* Creator/JohnCWright's ''Literature/TheGoldenOecumene'' never says anything one way or the other about religion, but it's somewhat odd that in a setting where characters are defined heavily by their philosophical beliefs, the only person who engages in any form of worship or mysticism is a bit character whose philosophy is never explained. This might seem even odder when one considers that Wright is a devout traditionalist Catholic, except that he wrote the trilogy before he converted.

** DiscussedTrope in ''Mere Christianity''; being someone who was raised as a Christian, became an atheist in college, and then regained faith, he believes the attitude to be a form of "chronological snobbery", and the idea that the ancients discovered some profound truths and we would be wise to learn from them is a recurring theme in many of his other works.
** The Fox in ''Literature/TillWeHaveFaces'' paints Greek society as the Classical Era equivalent, and makes it a point that the Greek philosophers of his time have a much less mystical understanding of the gods than the people of Glome. He doesn't exactly disbelieve, but he equates the gods with natural forces and discourages Orual from anthropomorphizing them. [[spoiler:Subverted in the end, when he calls himself a fool looking at half-truths.]]

* Downplayed in ''Literature/TheLostFleet'', where most religious beliefs have been supplanted by ancestor worship. In fact, every warship has a chapel located deep inside it, in the most protected part of the ship. Geary ends every message with, "To the honor of our ancestors," which is apparently some sort of traditional formality that is rarely observed in modern times. [[OneNationUnderCopyRight The Syndicate Worlds]] play the trope a bit straighter; it's mentioned in passing in the first of ''Literature/TheLostStars'' spinoff series that observance of the same ancestor-worship practices seen in the Alliance are officially frowned upon (probably because nobody could figure out how to exploit them for money or power) but not actually outlawed.
** The prequel series ''Literature/TheGenesisFleet'' shows the beginnings of this belief as a cult that springs up in the recently-settled frontier colonies, as the settlers start looking back at Old Earth with a measure of nostalgia.
* In Creator/CTPhipps' SpaceOpera series ''Literature/LucifersStar'', the opposite is true and humanity has become ''more'' religious over time. This is stated due to the fact science has proven many bizarre and strange things about physics as well as the existence of SufficientlyAdvanced races. Religions may still be wrong (and are often used as a form of social control by the setting's many dictatorships) but show no sign of going away any time soon.

* The ''Franchise/{{Doctor Who|ExpandedUniverse}}'' book ''[[HumansAreBastards Night of the Humans]]'' is essentially [[AuthorFilibuster one long rant about how awful and evil every single religion is]]. The Doctor responds to a crash-landed alien race on a massive pile of space-junk that is threatening a nearby planet. This interesting premise is quickly and completely overshadowed by the book's message. The chosen "god" of the crashed humans turns out to be [[spoiler:[[MonsterClown a creepy, creepy, clown called Gobo]]]].
* In Peter F. Hamilton's ''Literature/NightsDawn'' trilogy, the rival powers in the Confederation are the staunchly atheist Edenists and the staunchly Christian Kulu Kingdom. The Edenists' philosophy and way of life lead to the closest thing to paradise as one can get, and they're also the only humans who can fully resist the possessed.

** {{Subverted}} with the Neanderthals in ''Literature/TheNeanderthalParallax'' books, who never had a concept of an afterlife or gods to begin with due to different brain structures [[spoiler: (though played straight with the finale of the trilogy, when a magnetic pole reversal affects humans' minds by first stimulating then later eliminating paranormal, mystical or religious beliefs. With them gone, peace breaks out in the Middle East, among other improvements)]].

* Creator/{{E E Doc Smith}}’s Literature/SkylarkSeries has an early SF aversion before this trope ever got off the ground: the heroes make FirstContact with the Kondalian civilization, which is slightly more advanced than Earth, but will still has a state-sanctioned religion, though it has a mythologized take on evolutionary theory. The idea is supposed to be that Kondal has been a technologically advanced society for so long that its religion has come to incorporate scientific facts, which is still a unique approach even today. However, this is ultimately not very important and the sequels written after SF pulp magazines came into being have no other religious aliens.

* {{Downplayed|Trope}} in the ''Literature/StarCarrier'' series. Due to Islamic terrorism having been largely responsible for WorldWarIII in the backstory, all faiths have to abide by a pledge called the White Covenant that makes many religious practices (chiefly proselytizing and conversion by threat or force) violations of basic human rights. It's mentioned in book four that being religious and having it listed in your military jacket can seriously hamper your career. Most nations have signed the White Covenant, except for the [[MiddleEasternCoalition Islamic Theocracy]], which has been barred from the [[TheFederation Confederation]] because of this.
* Creator/AlfredBester's ''Literature/TheStarsMyDestination'' didn't explicitly say that all religion was outmoded in its society, but Christianity was illegal, and pictures of nuns praying was considered equivalent to pornography.
* Caffrey's ''[[Literature/TowerAndTheHive Talents]]'' series plays this mostly straight. Those few protagonists who espouse a belief in a higher power are, at most, vaguely Deist. Those who are openly devout are almost always portrayed as mentally unstable troublemakers. Organized religious populations are shunted to backwater worlds where "the harm they can do is minimized."

* Defied in ''Literature/TheyAreSmol''; most of the advanced alien races humanity meets after FirstContact have some kind of faith, be it ancestor worship or theism. This actually ends up sparking a revival of a number of religions around the globe, including at least one cult that worshipped the aliens until they sat down and talked things out with their new "followers".

* In military science fiction ''Literature/{{Victoria}}'', the technologically advanced LadyLand Azania is an example, supporting secularism and considering Christianity a regressive cult that oppresses women. Their main enemy, the Northern Confederation, soundly averts this, being a reactionary and borderline theocratic state.
* An interesting [[SubvertedTrope subversion]] in the ''[[PolishMedia Yggdrasil trilogy]]'', where the political thinkers behind the colonies made all religion [[IllegalReligion contraband]], so religious people had to stay on Earth. Fast forward several hundreds of years, and the colonists have several religions of their own (one deifying Helen Bjorg, who may or may not have been a MadScientist), while those who stayed behind remain Christians or Muslims (possibly others, but we don't see them). The Earth-colony trade is largely handled by the Christian Anhelos (CultureChopSuey of sarmatian Poland and colonial [[TorosYFlamenco Spain and/or Portugal]] who [[MustHaveCaffeine like coffee a lot]]). So no, despite what they thought, humanity has not outgrown silly superstitions.
* This notion is deconstructed in ''Literature/TheHighCrusade'', which features an advanced alien race invading 14th century England. The humans are very pious, and while there is some tongue-in-cheek humor about Medieval practices and obsessions, their faith is definitely not portrayed as a bad thing, and the most humane character in the book by far is the narrator — who is a pious monk. The Wersgorix, on the other hand, no longer believe in a god...but their dependence on technology makes them physically and politically weaker than the English peasants.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' mostly averts this, with {{Church Militant}}s and [[ReligionOfEvil Religions Of Evil]] popping up everywhere, but it still has a few examples: