Acharya Prashant addresses the rise of atheism by distinguishing between two kinds of religion. The first is the popular, formal, and organized religion, which he describes as a belief system. This type of religion, which has appropriated the word 'religion', is generally based on a story concerning a particular God. When people say they are not religious or are atheists, they usually mean they do not subscribe to these belief systems. This rejection is natural and was bound to happen, as any story is a product of the mind, and any belief system is merely something one believes in, not necessarily having any truth to it. With the advent of science and a more deterministic worldview, these stories and beliefs have lost their charm and sound juvenile, making it understandable why people reject them. In contrast to this, there is a second kind of religion, which Acharya Prashant calls "real religion" or "essential religiosity." This is not about belief but about the mind's fundamental thirst to honestly reach a state of rest, peace, and truth. This religiosity is an innate, inner need, much like the body's need for food and water. Man is born with restlessness, ignorance, fear, and unfulfillment, and true religion is the means to address this inner condition and find peace. If a person sets aside this real religion, they will turn neurotic and suffer endlessly. Man, in this sense, is a religious animal who cannot live without true religion. The speaker sees the rejection of popular, organized religion as a welcome and auspicious trend, a form of atheism that many great saints and religious reformers also practiced by not subscribing to the prevailing, often rotten, notions of Godhood. However, he expresses concern that in the name of atheism, people are also rejecting core spirituality. It is a tragedy if, along with the superstitions of popular religion, the quest for truth, peace, compassion, and love is also discarded. One cannot throw the baby out with the bathwater. While it is understandable to reject the idea of a fictional God, it is not understandable to reject the need for peace or truth. The intended purpose of religion was to be the outer shell for the kernel of spirituality, but it often became a barrier. Therefore, while it is good to discard the rotten shell, one must not discard the essential kernel of spirituality along with it.