Elon Musk’s Statement on Religion and the “Woke Mind Virus”: An Analysis of Public Reactions
Date: September 10, 2025
In a recent video clip posted on the X platform by the account @AutismCapital, Elon Musk tackles a profound and controversial topic: the role of religion in society and the dangerous spiritual void created by its absence. According to Musk, removing religion leads to something worse taking its place—namely, a destructive ideology he calls the “woke mind virus,” which fosters “de facto dystopian and self-destructive religions.” He advocates for a revival of religion or a coherent philosophy to inspire people and fill this spiritual gap.
This statement, made during a 38-second interview, has sparked widespread reactions on X, garnering over 1 million views in just a few hours. The original post, published at 8:17 AM on September 10, 2025, has received thousands of likes, reposts, and comments. In this article, we will explore the positive and negative opinions expressed by users, citing the names of the authors and the relevant content of their comments. The responses reflect a clear polarization: supporters who see Musk’s words as an accurate diagnosis of a modern crisis, and critics who accuse him of oversimplification or promoting superstition.
Positive Opinions: A Diagnosis of the Spiritual Void
Many positive reactions highlight the idea that the absence of religion paves the way for toxic ideologies like “wokeism,” which undermine society. Users view Musk’s statement as a call to return to traditional values or a rational philosophy that inspires.
• Dan Brisbois (@Dan_Brisbois): “Elon’s dead-on. Rip God out of society and people don’t become enlightened—they become slaves to bullsh*t cults. Instead of worshipping truth, discipline, and higher purpose, they worship pronouns, climate hysteria, and soy-based nihilism. Humans are wired to believe in something bigger, and if it’s not God, it’s some half-assed, destructive religion cooked up by academics and activists. That’s why the woke mind virus spread like cancer—it gave lost, weak people their fake ‘church.’ Elon’s right, we need a revival—faith, philosophy, masculinity, discipline—something that makes people strong again, not this self-destructive circus.” (Posted at 5:48 AM, 7 likes). Brisbois sees the absence of religion as a path to ideological slavery and calls for a revival of strong values.
• Brett Hall (@ToKTeacher): “As others have also, @elonmusk has recently and rightly diagnosed how the removal of religion allowed a rise in worse dogmas like woke, relativism and so on. Is there a third way? Reject religion and still embrace wonder and awe around objective reality, truth and morality? Yes.” (Posted at 10:02 AM, 38 likes). Hall appreciates Musk’s diagnosis and suggests a secular alternative based on objective truth.
• Pat Conway (@mrpatconway): “The removal of religion left a void. It was consciously filled by bad actors with the woke mind virus. We don’t need to believe in fairytale creationism, but we do need to fill that void with something positive for society and the individual.” (Posted at 10:52 AM, 1 like). Conway acknowledges the void created and calls for a positive replacement without insisting on creationism.
• JC Monnerville (@JCM8570): “Elon is pointing to something crucial: the spiritual void never remains empty. Where religion retreats, other belief systems take its place, often more ideological, more radical, sometimes destructive. A society needs a shared horizon, whether religious or philosophical. Without it, we fall into relativism and ‘substitute religions.’” (Posted at 8:53 AM, 0 likes but 86 views). He emphasizes the need for a common societal horizon.
Other positive reactions include enthusiastic translations and reposts in languages like German (Meira Erler @Saerdnaya), Italian (Sabrina F. @itsmeback_), or Portuguese (Marcelo Pessoa @MarceloDSPessoa and Nômade Capitalista Brasil @strobel_gustavo), amplifying Musk’s message without criticism, indicating global support.
Negative Opinions: Criticism of Oversimplification and Religion Promotion
On the other hand, some users criticize Musk’s statement as oversimplified, lacking evidence, or even dangerous, accusing him of promoting religion as a tool to control minds.
• WWEdeadman (@WWEdeadman): “That is quite possibly the dumbest bullshit Elon has ever said. This is a completely made up narrative, as there is literally not even a single study that would investigate even as much as the most common religious belief in woke people. Let alone any proof of his claims.” (Posted at 10:03 AM, 0 likes). The user considers Musk lacking scientific evidence, calling the statement “bullshit.”
• VILLA D’ESSEL XXXIII (@Huey_Brabus): “Basically Elon Musk says He supports religion Controlling our minds because He is scared that our Minds will be Free once We take out Religion!” (Posted at 11:21 AM, 0 likes). Here, Musk is accused of wanting to maintain control through religion, fearing mental freedom.
• Roy (@rowjelli): “Elons point of view is that religion is what holds our moral fabric together. At the same time, it’s - bunch of nonsense so it is only the less educated that need it. He is an atheist himself so he surely doesn’t believe he needs it. Having a functionalist view of religion is a lot better than an antagonistic view, but it is wrong and equally as empty.” (Posted at 11:21 AM, 0 likes). Roy critiques Musk’s functionalist view, noting the hypocrisy of an atheist defending religion for others.
• Riaz Ahmed Choudhary (@Rac57Riaz): “@elonmusk says if u take away religion but u get something worst then what was before directly hitting all faiths in this known world as bad funny as million or billions followers can not give u mandate of denouncing any faith which is being part & parcel of billions of people.” (Posted at 11:46 AM, 0 likes). Choudhary sees Musk’s words as an attack on all religions, arguing that billions of followers cannot be dismissed.
Other indirect criticisms come from posts linking the absence of religion to destructive atheism, but without clear support (e.g., 80zBby @Bby80z, mentioning lies about evolution).
Conclusion: An Open Debate About Modern Meaning
Elon Musk’s statement highlights a deep spiritual crisis in contemporary society, where the absence of traditional structures leaves room for extremist ideologies. Positive reactions dominate in terms of engagement, reflecting support for a revival of values, while criticisms underscore the risks of idealizing religion without empirical evidence. This X discussion shows how relevant the topic remains: we need something to unite and inspire us, whether religious or philosophical. What do you think? Leave a comment on the blog!
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