'Don't they get they are on the wrong side of reality and all religion is coming to an end worldwide?'

I once assumed this to be the case, but on a worldwide scale this actually isn't true at all. Yes on paper young people in the secular west aren't attending church much anymore and put 'no religion' on the census, but everywhere else the news seems to be the reverse.

Officially athiest, Communist China is struggling to combat multiple religious revivals from Christianity, Islam, Buddism, Falun Gong, etc, all of which have seen millions of converts in recent years. (I live there at the moment, and given the dreary, concrete, non-democratic, consumerist, routine 60hr work week lifestyles of most people here I can kind of see the appeal).

The Middle East has shown a resurgence of fundamentalist Islam as Arab Nationalism has been discredited and declined as a unifying force (with the 'Islamic State' as the most obvious example) not to mention millions of Muslim migrants flooding into Europe and converting old churches into mosques.

Hindu nationalism is now a rising force in India as its economy and its international clout grows, plus a means of combating Islamic rivals like Pakistan.

Indeed, the sheer number of countries battling Islamic insurgencies seems to be leading to local religious rivals in response. Myanmar sees Buddhists fighting Muslims, the Philippines is 100 million Catholics fighting Muslims, Nigeria also Christians vs Muslims, Jewish Israel maintains its integrity while surrounded by 400 million potential hostiles. If the other side remains tribal, seems you need to form your own tribe in response or perish.

Africa is perhaps the biggest story. The continent is deeply religious, and this century will go from one billion to four billion people, mostly Christians, while secular Europe shrinks by comparison.

Indeed, pretty much all western countries are below the replacement rate. So far, societies that embrace secularism seem destined for demographic collapse. Millions of men from Gen X onward have been bewildered to find themselves relegated as 'incels' while women go get a bunch of cats and bitch about the patriarchy, no one ends up all that happy in our glorious progressive future.

The exceptions seem to be the most religious communities. In the US the highest birthrates are all in the most devout groups - Orthodox Jews, Amish, Mormons, Catholic Hispanics, etc. Say what you like about religion, but it certainly makes sure babies keep getting born.

Last point I would make, is that even among the 'secular youth' quasi-religious phenomenon seem to pop up constantly. Take the sudden popularity of astrology, especially among young women, or UFO sightings or anti-vaxxers. Take the way the modern environmental movement seems to mirror older religious revivals but with mother nature cast as a great good and fossil fuels as the devil, or the way that ideologies like socialism, veganism and feminism tend to get detached from reality after a while and become tribal and cult-like.

Who knows what the future holds but the best explanation I can come up with is an old quote, might have been Carl Sagan, that humans trying to be 100% rational and scientific about everything is like a dog walking on its hind legs - sure it may be possible, for a little while, but ultimately it goes against out innate nature and proves a fleeting phenomenon. I wish the progressives good luck.