Civilizations or cultures that have removed God from their society have replaced it with ideologies like communism or fascism.

The finding

What the evidence shows

There is a real basis for this. The Soviet state promoted atheism, and scholars have long described Marxism-Leninism and fascism as "political religions" that tried to fill the place of faith. But framing it as a pattern for societies that "took God out" is one-sided. Many secular societies did not turn to communism or fascism, and fascist movements arose in religious countries and often worked with churches. A study showing most societies that dropped religion went on to adopt such ideologies would flip this verdict.