"Deus Est Machina": Plea for a Secular Society

With Deus est Machina, Niko Alm presents a work that deals with the role of religion in modern society and the state. Alm, known as a contentious advocate of secularism in Austria, analyzes at a high intellectual level the interconnections of religion, politics, and society – and passionately advocates for a clear separation between religious and state spheres.

Interpretative Authority and Social Control

At the center of the book is the thesis that religions have always claimed interpretative authority over social reality and use this for political control and power security. Alm describes how religious institutions not only shape individual beliefs but also systematically influence legislation, education, and public debates. In doing so, he succeeds in disentangling numerous misunderstandings and myths surrounding religious freedom, religious privileges, and the relationship between church and state – a contribution that is highly topical in light of current social debates on migration, integration, and identity.

Recognition and Criticism of Religious Institutions

Alm does not argue in an anti-religious manner. On the contrary, he acknowledges the historical achievement of religions as a "cultural glue" that promotes moral principles and ethical behavior. Yet he also objectively points out where religious special rights and exemptions lead to social problems. He is particularly critical of the incomplete separation of church and state in countries like Austria and Germany, where religious worldviews continue to enjoy a privileged status – visible, for example, in crosses in classrooms, references to God in constitutions, or compulsory religious education.

Structure and Argumentation of the Book

The work is divided into six main chapters and numerous subchapters. Alm explains the origin and significance of religions, describes the development of secularization since the Enlightenment, and analyzes the current social reality with its diverse religious and ideological currents. He offers a typology of religious problem areas, discusses the "brand God" in modern society, and critically addresses atheism and agnosticism. Time and again, he calls for metaphysical questions to be shifted from the public sphere to the private sphere and for the state to be thought of as a "state without confession" that protects individual religious freedom without privileging religions.

Migration, Diversity and Ethics Education

Alm places special emphasis on the challenges arising from migration and growing religious diversity. He advocates for mandatory ethics education, in which values are conveyed as a societal negotiation process, and calls for an end to religious special treatment in public spaces. The central message: The modern democratic constitutional state does not need religious legitimation but is based on universal values that are independent of specific beliefs.

Plea for a Secular Society

Deus est Machina is a plea for an open, enlightened, and secular society. It is aimed at all those who want to understand and shape the tension between religion and politics – and provides well-founded arguments for an overdue societal debate.

About the Author

Niko Alm, born in 1975 in Vienna, is an entrepreneur, publicist, and former politician. After studying philosophy and communication sciences, he founded the creative agency Super-Fi and brought the media brand VICE to Austria. Alm became known as a co-founder of the "Initiative against Church Privileges" and as a representative of secularism. He gained international attention when he successfully advocated for the right to wear a colander as a "religious head covering" in his driver's license photo – a satirical protest against religious special rights.

From 2013 to 2017, Alm was a member of the Austrian National Council for the NEOS, where he was particularly committed to media policy, net policy, and the separation of state and religion. After his political career, he was the managing director of the investigative platform Addendum and published several books, including Ohne Bekenntnis and Deus est Machina. Alm is also a founding member of the Giordano Bruno Foundation Austria and continues to be actively involved in publishing and advocating for an open, secular society.

With Deus est Machina, Niko Alm sets another milestone in the critical debate on religion and makes an important contribution to shaping the relationship between religion, state, and society in the 21st century.

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