The Atheist Manifesto:

Oppressive beliefs and behaviors are ultimately rooted in material conditions such as economic dependence, institutional inequality, and structural power imbalances. These material conditions give rise to and reinforce social norms, which are then justified through religious or ideological interpretations. Therefore, to create meaningful and lasting social change, efforts must prioritize changing material conditions while also working to shift social norms and reinterpret religious narratives. Belief change without material and normative reform is often ineffective.

Historical Evidence

1A. The Rise of Patriarchy in Agrarian Societies

• Material Condition: The transition from hunter-gatherer societies to settled agriculture created surplus and inheritance systems.
• Norm: Control over women’s sexuality and movement became central to preserve lineage and property.
• Religious Interpretation: Male gods replaced mother goddesses; texts like the Laws of Manu and the Old Testament emphasized obedience and female inferiority.
• Conclusion: Patriarchy and its religious justification arose as a response to new material demands.

1B. Medieval European Christianity

• Material Condition: Feudal economic systems with rigid hierarchies.
• Norm: Divine-right monarchy, obedience, sin-based morality.
• Religious Interpretation: Church doctrines reinforced hierarchy and suffering as moral virtue.
• Conclusion: Theology adapted to justify feudal material realities.

1C. Protestant Work Ethic and Capitalism

• Material Condition: Rise of capitalism and individual labor discipline.
• Norm: Thrift, self-discipline, gendered roles (public/private).
• Religious Interpretation: Protestantism promoted labor as salvation (Weber).
• Conclusion: Capitalist needs reshaped religious ideals.

Cross-Cultural Comparison

2A. Saudi Arabia vs. Tunisia

• Same Religion: Islam.
• Different Material Structures: Tunisia has stronger education, legal rights, and women’s labor participation.
• Result: Tunisia exhibits more progressive norms and interpretations.

2B. Kerala vs. Uttar Pradesh (India)

• Same Religion: Hinduism.
• Different Material Base: Kerala has high literacy, land reform, healthcare.
• Result: More gender-equal norms despite shared religion.

2C. Eastern vs. Western Europe (Socialist vs. Capitalist States)

• Same Religion: Catholicism or Orthodoxy.
• Different Material Conditions: Communist states promoted labor equality.
• Result: More egalitarian gender norms during socialism.

Evidence 3: Contemporary Policy Change Studies

3A. Cash Transfers in Egypt (Takaful and Karama)

• Material Intervention: Financial assistance to poor women.
• Norm Shift: Improved schooling, delayed marriage.
• Religious Shift: Increased openness to reinterpretation of gender roles.

3B. Rwanda Post-Genocide

• Material Shift: Women filled labor and political roles due to male population loss.
• Norm Shift: Acceptance of female leadership.
• Religious Change: Institutions supported new gender roles.

3C. Brazil and Mexico – Bolsa Familia / Oportunidades

• Material Shift: Women gained financial autonomy.
• Norm Shift: Improved health, education, family decisions.
• Religion: Began accommodating women’s autonomy.

Evidence 4: Time-Series / Longitudinal Data

4A. Industrialization in Europe and the U.S.

• Material Shift: Factory work, urbanization.
• Norm Change: Shift from family-centered to individual identity.
• Belief Change: Rise of liberal and secular thought.

4B. Post-WWII America

• Material Shift: Women in workforce during the war.
• Norm Change: Growth of feminist consciousness.
• Belief Change: Feminist theology, questioning of traditional roles.

Evidence 5: Statistical Correlations

5A. World Values Survey and Gender Equality

• Countries with higher GDP, education, and labor equality tend to have more progressive gender norms.
• Religiosity often correlates with economic insecurity, not belief per se.

5B. Pew Surveys on Islam

• Economic development correlates with more liberal interpretations of Islamic law.

Evidence 6: Scriptural Reinterpretation over Time

6A. Christian Views on Slavery

• Justified slavery during plantation economies.
• Reinterpreted during abolitionist movements.

6B. Hindu Interpretations of Caste

• Challenged by Dalit movements post-Independence, as legal and educational opportunities expanded.

6C. Islamic Feminism

• Emerged in the late 20th century alongside increased education and workforce participation of Muslim women.

The empirical evidence—ranging from historical case studies to contemporary policy outcomes—consistently supports the theory that material conditions are the primary drivers of social norms and religious interpretations. Norm change and belief change follow shifts in the material base, though they may lag without active intervention. Thus, strategies for lasting social change must prioritize altering material structures while simultaneously working to shift norms and support reinterpretations of belief systems.

Gerda Lerner – The Creation of Patriarchy: https://archive.org/details/the-creation-of-patriarchy-gerda-lerner-oxford-university-press-1987

Perry Anderson – Passages from Antiquity to Feudalism: https://archive.org/details/passagesfromanti00ande

Max Weber – The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism: https://archive.org/details/protestantethics00webe

World Economic Forum Gender Gap Reports: https://www.weforum.org/reports/global-gender-gap-report-2023/

UNDP Human Development Reports: https://hdr.undp.org/

Jean Drèze & Amartya Sen – India: Development and Participation: https://www.oxforduniversitypress.com

Kristen Ghodsee – Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/598555/why-women-have-better-sex-under-socialism-by-kristen-r-ghodsee/

World Bank – Egypt Takaful and Karama Evaluation: https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/650731574944580595/egypt-arab-republic-takaful-and-karama-evaluation

Elizabeth Powley – Rwanda Transition: https://www.idea.int/sites/default/files/publications/chapters/women-in-parliament-beyond-numbers-second-edition/women-in-parliament-beyond-numbers-rwanda.pdf

Rawlings & Rubio – Impact of CCT Programs: https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/914831468134389133/evaluating-the-impact-of-conditional-cash-transfer-programs-lessons-from-latin-america

E.P. Thompson – The Making of the English Working Class: https://archive.org/details/makingofenglishw00thom

Betty Friedan – The Feminine Mystique: https://archive.org/details/femininemystique00frie

World Values Survey: https://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/

Inglehart & Norris – Rising Tide: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/rising-tide/1C4D8A0C88434537F11E112B4F3BBE1C

Pew Research – Global Muslim Population: https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2011/01/27/the-future-of-the-global-muslim-population/

Eugene Genovese – Roll, Jordan, Roll: https://archive.org/details/rolljordanrollwo00geno

B.R. Ambedkar – Annihilation of Caste: https://archive.org/details/AnnihilationOfCasteBRAmbedkar

Margot Badran – Feminism in Islam: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781851685561/feminisminislam