Most people believe that atheists know very little about God or religion, concluding that they do not believe in an all-powerful, supreme being. However, this is not a belief but rather a rejection that such deities exist. This means their very existence was created by the God question, wherein religious leaders failed to solve the Nike problem.

This article will explore the rise of atheism and how brands like Nike have compounded the problem for religious leaders.

According to the Atheist and Wikipedia, atheism is the “rejection of the assertion that there are gods” or a “rejection of the belief that any deities exist.” In 1999, Cladius Adams Fennel told the Pentecostal Church of God that he did “not believe in God and I am not an atheist.”

This historian did not share the common belief that atheists were god-haters. Instead, he tried to prove that he was created by the very churches that he now contradicts. Unfortunately, Fennel is not alone. A 2023 PRRI survey found that 51% of non-Christians were once protestants or catholics.

Atheists and Nike – What is the Nike Problem?

Over the years, the percentage of Americans who identify as non-religious has been growing steadily. A PEW research found that in 2007, there were only 16% compared to 29% in 2021. Of these respondents, 3% were now atheists and 5% agnostic. Agnostics take the middle ground, being unable to deny or confirm that deities exist.

Unfortunately, many of these people were once firm religious believers who ran head-on with the Nike problem. They abandoned their faith, choosing to stand on the middle line or fully deny the existence of supreme beings.

What is the Nike problem?

Brands like Nike have exposed three major flaws in the basic God doctrines held by churches all over the world. Churches do not share a common deity ID, present beings with prejudices, and whose power is rather exclusive and selective.

Like any other shoe factory, Nike was created as a source of income for its founders, Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight. However, within a short time, the company became a brand, a household name, and finally the correct sign. The company no longer advertised its name, just that well-known symbol.

Interesting, right? Nonetheless, three things have set Nike apart from the pack and have kept it ahead over the years. Reports from Statista and Esquire ME show Nike as the number one US shoe brand and the best-selling shoe (Nike Airforce 1) in the world in 2023.

1. One logo: Nike has only one symbol, a unique logo using the ‘correct’ sign. It doesn’t matter where you are in the world, Nike is the same.
2. Nike has no limitations: Nike is a universal shoe company that has no known discrimination – gender, age, race, social, or economic status. Anyone can wear the brand.
3.  Nike products are user-owned: When the company releases its products, everyone can own them. People who purchase a pair may use them for their own benefit as they so desire.

The company has changed over the years in improving the quality of the products it provides, but has not changed its core values.

Why do People Convert to Agnostics?

No one is born an expert. Time is responsible for grooming them into who they will become – a doctor, a mechanic, a writer.  Once upon a time, over 51% of Americans believed in a supreme being and followed a religious leader or a church in its concept.

Notably, 33,089 Christian denominations in the world are responsible for teaching about God. Here are three main reasons they have created atheists or agnostics.

1. Will the real God please stand up: There are 33,089 different presentations of this Christian deity and claim to have the “true and living God.” Which denomination is correct? So many different logos. Confused members find more questions than answers.
2. Strange deities: These churches all present different sides of this supreme being of love. For some, he promotes slavery, for others, women’s inferiority, racism, hatred of evildoers, and the destruction of the human race.  Can someone please define love, again?
3. Socialism: Some of these organisms have supreme leaders who dictate the rules that govern their followers’ lives. The freedom granted by democracy is suddenly swept away. These leaders have gifts and rights to the possessions of their members. All are ordered by this deity.

After being subjected to these conditions, it’s a matter of common sense. People will reason, and when they do, they walk away from their doubts. Unlike the Nike brand, these deities come face to face with rejection, losing more believers each year.

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