It's due to organized atheist organizations and movements. If atheism were personal and un organized and nobody complained about religious symbols on govt. Property than it would not be called a belief system and simply be treated as irreligousity, or not brushing one's teeth.
The Pious would urge the lay Christian to go to church and be more active, while the atheist would state he didn't believe, or didn't feel like it, or make an excuse to skip sermons, yet not form a coalition to fight theology on a grand scale throughout society.
I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.