The dawn of the golden age of atheism -- pt. 1. The high noon of atheism. The French Revolution -- The intellectual foundations : Feuerbach, Marx, and Freud -- Warfare : the natural sciences and the advancement of atheism -- A failure of the religious imagination : the Victorian crisis of faith -- The death of God : the dream of a godless culture -- pt. 2. Twilight. The unexpected resurgence of religion -- Disconnection from the sacred : Protestantism and atheism -- Postmodernity : atheism and radical cultural change -- The atheist's revolt : Madalyn Murray O'Hair and others -- End of empire : the fading appeal of atheism.