Ideas have consequences. Everybody has heard of the placebo effect. The idea that you are taking medicine that will heal you, sometimes has the consequence of working even if you're taking a sugar pill. Our ideas form the basis of our decisions. These ideas have consequences. For example two guys in Columbine were taught that we are a product of chance. One of them was wearing a t-shirt that said "Survival of the Fittest", a fundamental doctrine of Darwinism. They were taught that there is no god, there is nothing but science and nature. If evolution is true then for any decision, we can ask "why not?" and there is no good answer. If God does not exist then anythiing is permissable.
Ideas have consequences, when scientists who believe only what they see, touch and test has relevance, anything outside will be discounted. Albert Einstein believed the universe was constant, in working on his theory he didn't like the result so he put in a fudge factor. He calls it his biggest mistake. Many of the sciences are not looking for truth they are looking to enhance their own prestige. The scientist that first proposed atoms committed suicide because of the ridicule he got from colleages. Now everyone knows there are atoms, I wonder what is being ridiculed now that will be fact tommorrow?
Ideas have consequences. When a society legislates god out of existance they shouldn't be surprised when people start acting as if there is no god.