Why is Atheism growing so fast especially in Europe?

Answer 1

Opinion

Religious beliefs are often based on what some believe to be ignorance, such as the creation of earth and the universe in general, as well as a number of other existing bodies. With better education and advancements in scientific knowledge, religious beliefs are gradually being replaced by commonly accepted knowledge. Opinion

Europe has a high level of secular medicine and services. In the past these were under the control of religious groups. With government provided services there is less contact with religion and less participation by the populace. The lack of any religious instruction in schools may increase this process.

There is a social pressure in many European countries to disavow religious affiliation, many countries have adopted very stringent rules on the secular nature of government.. This is especially true in France, the Scandinavian countries and in some of the ex-Communist Bloc countries. As a result polled citizens may more frequently be open to indicating they have no church affiliation. Opinion

Like any human activity, it is a matter of choice. Those who accept Atheism as reality, are obviously as committed to this way of thinking as those who subscribe to the various religions of the world. There could be any number of reasons, or a combination of reasons for the perceived rise in atheistic thought. It could be a matter of where the data is gathered, the openess of those polled, it could be a matter of misinformation or misinterpretation, or it could be factual representation and completely understood; however, if it were understood, this question likely would not exist. The reality is, when dealing with the vagaries of human belief and understanding there are at least 7 billion possibilities for any result, real or perceived. It can't be limitless, as the population of this planet is finite.

Opinion

After the massive European failure of religion, and paticularly of the Catholic Church, during World War II, many Europeans began to question the benefits of faith.

Answer 2

One reason for the rapid growth of atheism is that people are becoming better educated. The more well educated a person is, the more likely he or she is to become an atheist.
This is particularly marked in the countries of Europe which lack a large underclass of poorly educated people. First generation immigrants, who tend to include a higher proportion of the less well educated, tend to try hard as a group to retain their culture, religion and identity.