Free thinkers
Reason-Freedom-Curiosity
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Freethinkers Magazine Oct1,2012. Magazine Issue 1, Religious Rampage Objectives: To promote thinking freely without depending on authority, religion, tradition, culture, popular opinions, society norms, irrationality, stupidity and feelings etc. To fight against tyranny of all types, especially tyranny of thought. To pursue truth at all costs. To rekindle the sparks of freedom, curiosity, reason. To think freely and come to conclusions in any matter.
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Dedicated to all freethinkers of past, present and future!
Editors: Sohith Dinesh [email protected] [email protected] sohith.wordpress.com
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Contents: 1. Editor‟s Note -page 1 13.Harry Potter, Rajamouli‟s Eaga and Religion – 2. Check whether you are brainwashed by religion page 59 –page 5 14. Hinduism: Tolerant Religion –page 61 3. Values –page 7 15. Proofs of god often used by Religious people – 4. Origin of the religions –page 12 Page 66 5. Why God doesn‟t Exist? –page 25 16. Why I am an Atheist by Bhagat Singh–page71 6. To Christians –page 31 17. Criticism of Islam –page 92 7. My Freedom-2012 –page 32 18. Daily Kos-page 100 8. Logical Pathway from god to evil –page 34 19. Criticism of Christianity –page 102 9. Letters to Bujji –page 43 20. Science, Religion and Secularism –page 106 10. Female Atheists‟ Quotes –page 48 21. Resources –page 109 11. How I am affected by Christianity -51 22. CREDITS –page 112 12. Atheism in India –page 55 23. LAST WORD- page 113
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The contents of this magazine are extremely truthful. They may challenge your world view and core beliefs. Unless you want to find truth and unconventional ideas, don‟t read further!
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EDITOR’S NOTE:
Freethinkers always existed in minority protecting reason and sanity of society. Progress in morals and human rights, development of technology and science is rooted in freethinking. This magazine is an attempt to make sure that the spirit of freethinkers is not forgotten in a society of conformity and mediocrity. “Freethinkers” magazine discusses issues that are not freely discussed in society. It is a proud effort to spread awareness of freethinking to general public and reduce the irrational nonsense going around the world. Freethinkers will criticize anything irrational or wrong. Freethinkers will promote science and rational thinking so that people can make better decision themselves rather than follow tradition, culture, authority and other shit. Freethinkers will expose anything nonsensical going on around the world. One more idea behind the magazine is that in future if a day comes when you start sensing the stupidity around you and feel something is wrong with the world, you will have a companion which will assure you of reason and freedom. This magazine will act as single source of vast ideas, references and help you make an informed decision. This will present you other side of argument.
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„Freethinkers” magazine should be read with open mind. At least try to see the reason behind what we say. If you find anything fault with the facts, hypothesis or reasoning, then inform us. Any decision should be the outcome of reasoning and sound hypothesis or assumption. Unless you do the same with your thinking, you cannot claim to be right. So if you are angry with what you read here, you should be able to reason why you are angry and give feedback to us. If we cannot clear it, then you can go on with your decision. If you cannot reason why you are angry or feel something wrong, then most probably that‟s because you are wrong in either assumption or reasoning or at least you are dogmatic with years of indoctrination done by parents, society, authorities and assholes. We are expecting feedback and response letter which will give us a chance to discover where we went wrong in our assumptions or reasoning. You can write to us criticizing us and we encourage it. We will reply in same. We oppose censorship. If you think what we are doing is should be banned and stopped, you can fuck yourself! Yours freely, Sohe
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Quotes for Freethinkers
Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who has said it, even if I have said it, unless it agrees with your reason and your own common sense. –Gautama Buddha
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Check whether you are brainwashed by religion
Here are few questions you should try to answer honestly to know whether you have been brainwashed by religion or not. 1. Whenever someone criticizes, curses, abuses god, do you feel upset/angry/hatred? 2. Do you think atheists or those who do not believe in your religion are deluded going to hell or bad or punished? 3. Do you fear the idea of non-existence of god or religion? 4. Do you think religion shouldn’t be discussed and it should be above criticism and those who do are criminals should be punished? 5. Do you think your religion is absolute truth and that science is bad or an elaborate deception (hoax) or immoral? 6. If the ideas propagated by your religion contradict that of evidence based reasoning of science, do you choose religious ideas? 7. Do you actively go to your religious centers, listen to religious leaders with unquestionable devotion, donate money to religious charity, and coerce your friends, acquaintances into religious activity? 8. Do you believe religious person or a god-man or swamiji can do “real” magic/change laws of nature at will and could turn water into petrol? 9. Do you want all people in the world to kneel down before your god and religion? 10. Do you believe god created humans but not the fact that humans gradually evolved over billions of years.
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11. If someone/you/friends/family members are sick, will you give more importance to going to temple/swamiji/church/Durga/Masjid rather than going to hospital? 12. Are you absolutely sure of god’s existence and willing to hurt another person if god orders you directly?
Results: Count 1 for each “yes” you give as answer to the above questions and see below to evaluate your score:
0: Congratulations! You are freethinking. We would like to meet you! 1-4: oh! You are close to freethinking. Read magazine once to boost you up! 5-8: Damn! You are indoctrinated and need help. Read magazine as many times as possible. 8-11: Shit! You are fucked up. Meet Freethinkers urgently and try desperately to improve tolerance. 12: Alas! Completely brainwashed and your life will suck forever. RIP!
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Values
Humans are the most intellectual animals known, A value is an ideal on the basis of which a person decides and what makes them intellectual is their need to think and what action to take in a specific situation. A person’s value survive. When we observe living organisms every species decides his or her actions and reactions to the nature or in has a special capacity or attribute which helps in sustaining short, values imply behavior of a person. If a person values and improving their off springs. The special attributes his freedom and is in an atmosphere of slavery, he may humans have is their capacity to think and their dexterity increase an attitude of hate towards his surroundings and in hands to manipulate things. The greatest attribute of tries to escape it. A principal value is a core value on the these two is mind or capacity to think. Yes, we can use our basis of which other values are created. Values are acquired brain in whatever way we want. What makes people to act by consciousness and sometimes by norms of society a in the way they act is their evaluation of the nature or person living in and blind imitation of others. An action we consciousness and their values.
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value more is considered as good, and an action with will affect a person’s volitional and thinking skills, making relatively no or low value is considered evil. him blindly to follow his culture or to reject and confront. Personal values are created by one self and they The capability to decide and choose is called Volition. provide an internal reference to what is good and Values are essential for a person in using ones volition. The important. Cultural values are shared by their members application of volition is everywhere, whether to eat or not, and not all cultural values are essentially personal values. think or not, live or not and so on. Thus, values are Sometimes cultural values are mainly affected by thoughts essential for living. The absence of values leads to and attitude of the highest authority of that culture. This is destruction or death. If a person acquires a value whether one of the problems of present cultures and religions. As by thinking or blind imitation, there is a possibility of the culture evolves, these values will become cultural norms change in his values due to logical fallacies (if he acquire and contradict with the values of present individuals. This values by thinking) or by imitating other (if he acquire values by imitating). This implies his random behavior and
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changing attitude and thereby this will cause self- the deficiency and excess of a trait. Examples include destruction. So, two important aspects in acquiring values courage which is the mean between cowardice and are correct reasoning and integrity of those acquired values. foolhardiness and ambitiousness, a mean between fear and The actions by which one keeps his values are called anger. Aesthetics is branch of philosophy regarding beauty Virtues. Integrity and correct reasoning are two virtues and taste of objects. discussed earlier. Doctrinal Virtues are mainly experiences of individual An action which causes a loss of our values is called as and influencing persons in their life. These include a Vice. Virtues are grouped into four categories. They are: - political, religious and social beliefs. Every religion Ethics, Aesthetics, Doctrinal and Innate. Virtue ethics proposes some actions as virtues. They are mainly based on emphasizes the character of a person as the reason for his beliefs and experiences. Most of the religions emphasize behavior. One good definition of virtues is given by the peace, faith, altruism and self-control as virtues and ego Aristotle. He defines virtue as a balancing point between and selfishness as vices. But in contrary, rational ego and
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rational selfishness are required for self-esteem according to concerns with the meaning of moral propositions and psychology and reason. These doctrinal virtues lack proof determining the truth values of these moral proposition. and reason. Normative Ethics deals about the way of determining the This instability and lack of exactness gave rise to a moral course of action and Applied ethics analyses how branch of philosophy called ethics (search for stability). moral outcomes can be achieved in specific situation. The Ethics is a branch of philosophy, involving systemization word moral is synonymous to that of a good value. and recommendation of the concepts of right and wrong Morality is the differentiation of actions and behaviors. As values are essential for life, virtues (in intentions as good or evil. Immortality is the opposition of organizing and utilizing values) and ethics (in knowing a morality and amorality is the disbelief in any specific set of correct virtue) are also essential for successful living. Ethics moral codes. A person cannot live his life which is carried has three major areas of study. They are: - Meta-Ethics, out by his emotional whims or social or cultural norms. It Normative Ethics and Applied Ethics. Meta-Ethics soon will lead to destruction of one’s life or happiness. He
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must have his code of morality which he creates himself with reasoning applied to his world and situations. And finally for good living and happy life one must apply good reasoning skills in acquiring values and constantly maintaining them and one must be conscious of his surroundings if he has to live in reality and not in mystic world or illusion.
-Raven Alab
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Origin of the religion
Religion and god are just like siblings both are Islamic and they don't allow their people to change interrelated. We can say religion is a body and god is their religion. There are lot many examples of its its head (but no brain!) indeed both damn things are brutality. Let’s say in one of UAE countries muslim very useless in the world. Religion is the most people had killed an innocent man just because he is dangerous weapon in the world because it is the root not their kind and they even don't allow to share cause of all types of depravations. And it’s created by their views and thoughts. Especially woman in those some group of people (not by god) for their own countries are highly deprived of their rights by their purposes with full of madness and useless fucking religion. Till now only two women had participated in rules. Basically religion has very brutal nature if we olympics on the behalf of the UAE and they are consider the UAE countries majority of the people are proclaimed as prostitutes. Basically human race don’t Muslims and the government that's ruling is also need religion though if religion is present then it
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should be the one which makes the human life happy Let’s swirl into the evolution of the primitive religion. which means not interrupting the one’s own ideas At the primitive stages of the human life there was no and values. Especially it should not provide any bias religion, the people who lived at that time made the to expressing their ideas and views. Religion which religion concept for their own survival. At that time ignores the values of the people will lead to monarchy. people had fought for their food and their survival Most of the countries like Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia and basically nature loves dominant characters and and many other countries were trapped in the hands it suppress the recessive characters it’s the nature’s of monopolistic rulers. Now most of those countries law according to this the people who were gigantic were democratized but the powers were not given to structure and strength would survive and the people those people. It’s just like a puppet show. Many more who had recessive characters will yield to them. So examples are present. All these shit was done by those who form groups with the help of religion bunch of fools and they named it as a RELIGION. survived well.
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And the second one is the territories, ancient given by their followers and started occupying the people hunted the animals to lead their lives when lands and the concept of expansion of their territory they were nomads they travel to many places mean so they fought with the people and they took over while they encounter their kind of people (remember their wealth and their country and their different human race is scattered all over the world. It’s not cultures and habits from them not all the cultures concentrated to some regions like the myth of they just took those which is harmless to their rules so ADAM&EVE) they had fought for their predators and they made their own rules and laws and they insisted for their own survival only. Later It turned into the that all the people should follow their rules because POWER PLAY and they made war as symbol of their they had power in their hands and the people had dominance. In a group all the people are not same great fear of death. Let’s consider our some ancient means in their capabilities so those who have good bunch of foolish people they worship the natural skills. They became LEADERS, enjoyed the power powers and they assumed that those were gods(I
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don’t know what god refers it’s just sounds pretty ) belong to that tribe they insisted to follow those rules like god of rain, and some shit why because those are if not they were simply killed .This is because lack of more powerful than humans .If thunder strikes the FREEDOM and they resist the change . Some great ground or any heavy downpour occurs they cannot people try to get rid of this damn rules but the stop those because of the enormous power of those society will suppress ,society won’t tolerate all these natural phenomena they were afraid of its power stuff and their existence. The best results of this because they were not aware of the reasons behind ruthless ,arrogant , overwhelming issue is those and they started yielding to it .The main “Terrorism". It is the extremity of the religion . Let’s reason for evolution on the religion is the GREAT consider Pakistan. It’s the one of the islam majority INSECURE FEELING OF THE PEOPLE AND LACK country where we can’t express our thoughts and OF KNOWLEDGE to cover up that feeling they where we can’t use our basic fundamental rights and created certain rules and laws. And the people wh0 also its the place where terrorism had emerged just
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because of the extremities of religiousness and it’s the This religion is created by a man called Muhammad most violent religion.( And their sacred writings under the guidance of allah and he is the one who suggests that It doesn’t matter whether you are dictates the all damn rules of Islam and it was Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, or any other founded in 622 CE by muhammad the Prophet, in religion. If you are not a Muslim, you are the target of makkah. Though it is the youngest of the world's Muslim persecution and slaughter) It’s just an great religions, muslims do not view it as a new example. This not only the fault of islam religion it’s religion (madness!!). They belief that it is the same the fault of the ideology of the people who believed faith taught by the prophets, Abraham, David, Moses those damn stories and the rules. and Jesus and some blahblahhhh. The majority of Let’s see the foolish doctrines of the different Muslims are Sunni, being 75–90% of all Muslims. The second largest sect, Shia, makes up 10–20%. The religions: Introduction to islam: most populous Muslim majority country is Indonesia
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home to 12.7% of the world's Muslims followed by muhammad's sayings the duties of all Muslims are Pakistan (11.0%), India (10.9%), and Bangladesh known as the 5-pillers of Islam and are: (9.2%).Sizable communities are also found in China, 1) Recite the shahadah at least once. Russia, and parts of Europe. With over 1.57 to 1.65 2) Perform the salat (prayer) 5 times a day while billion followers or over 22 to 24% of total population. facing the Kaaba in Makkah. The role of Muhammad as the last prophet was to 3) Donate regularly to charity via the zakat, a 2.5% formalize and clarify the faith and purify it by charity tax, and through additional donations to the removing evil ideas. The two sacred texts of Islam are needy. the Quran, which are the words of allah 'the one true 4) Fast during the month of Ramadan, the month god (what is true god???) as given to muhammad, that Muhammad received the Qur'an from Allah. and the "Hadith", which is a collection of 5) Make pilgrimage to Makkah at least once in life, if economically and physically possible.
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Islam's most fundamental concept is a rigorous all their rules state to kill everyone else but them,how monotheism. God is described in chapter 112 of the funny!). Quran as: He is God, the One and Only; God, the Introduction to Christianity: Eternal, Absolute: He begetteth not, nor is He Christianity is a monotheistic religion. Its followers begotten; And there is none like unto Him. They also are known as Christians. As of the early 21st century, believe in Satan who drives people to sin, and that all Christianity has between 1.5 billion and 2.1 billion unbelievers and sinners will spend eternity in Hell. disciples, representing about a quarter to a third of Muslims sincerely regret and submit to god so that the world's population. It is the state religion of at they turn into a state of purity and go to Paradise least fifteen countries. They believe that Jesus is the after death. Alcohol, drugs, and gambling should be son of God and the Messiah (or Christ) mentioned in avoided and they reject racism(reject rasism?? When the old testament of the bible , the part of their scriptures they have in common with Judaism. To
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christians, jesus christ is a teacher the model of a middle ages, most of the of Europe was christianized, virtuous life, the revealer of god, and most with Christians also being a religious minority in the importantly the redeemer of humanity who suffered, middle east, North Africa, and parts of India through died, and was raised in order to bring purity in their missionary work and colonization, Christianity lives . Christians maintain that Jesus ascended into spread to the Americas and the rest of the world. heaven, and most denominations teach that Jesus will There are a multitude forms of Christianity which return to judge the living and the dead, granting have developed either because of disagreements on everlasting life to his followers. Christians describe the dogma (true but no proof), adaptation to different new testament account of jesus' ministry as the cultures or simply personal taste. Gospel, or "good news". Introduction to hinduism: By the 4th century, Christianity had become the The origins of Hinduism were dawned from Indus dominant religion in the Roman Empire. During the valley civilization at sometime between 4000 and
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2500 BCE. Though believed to be a polytheistic thoughts will cause one to be born at a lower level, as religion, the basis of Hinduism is the belief in the a person or even an animal. unity of everything. The purpose of life is to realize Hindus follow a strict caste system which that we are part of god and by worshiping the god we determines the standing of each person. They believe can leave this plane of existence and rejoin with god. that the caste one is born into is the result of the This can only be achieved by going through cycles of karma from their previous life. Only members of the birth, life and death known as “samsara”. One's highest caste, the Brahmins, may perform the hindu progress towards this is measured by his karma. religious rituals and they hold positions of authority This is the accumulation of all one's good and bad within the temples. Hinduism is not given by one things and this determines the person's next rebirth. man or group, its drawn from many cultures which Selfless acts and thoughts as well as devotion to god ruled the Hindustan. help one to be reborn at a higher level. Bad acts and Introduction to buddhism:
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Buddhism developed out of the teachings of desire and the self, they can attain a stage of Siddhartha Gautama who later turned as Buddha. “Nirvana”. In general, Buddhists do not believe in any He promoted “The Middle Way” as the path to type of God. However, since the time of the Buddha, enlightenment rather than the extremes of Buddhism has integrated many regional religious humiliation of the flesh. After his death the Buddha's things and beliefs and customs into it as it has spread teachings were written down. This collection is called throughout Asia. It is now divided into hinayana and the Tripitaka. Buddhists also believe in rebirth and Mahayana, with the latter being popular. This is the that one must go through cycles of birth, life, and most unlikeliest religion because Buddha rejected god death like in hinduism said previously. After many but was made into one himself. Poor Buddha! -Stark such cycles, if a person get rid of their attachment to
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Quotes for Freethinkers
“If the whole world stands against you sword in hand, would you still dare to do what you think is right? If all your money goes, your name dies, your wealth vanishes, would you still stick to it? Would you still pursue it and go on steadily towards your own goad? Have you got steadfastness?” - Vivekananda “If you’re going to tell the truth, you’d better make them laugh. Otherwise they’ll kill you.” – George Bernard Shaw “The human psyche has two great sickness: the urge to carry vendetta across generations, and the tendency to fasten group labels on people rather than see them as individuals. Abrahamic religion gives strong sanction to both- and mixes explosively with both. Only the willfully blind could fail to implicate the divisive force of religion in most, if not all, of the violent enmities in the world today. Without a doubt it is the prime aggravator of the Middle East. Those of us who have for years politely concealed our contempt for the dangerous collective delusion of religion need to stand up and speak out. Things are different now. All is changed, changed utterly.” - Richard Dawkins
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Why God Doesn't Exist?
For majority of the people, the existence of god is probability that the god you believe in to be true unquestionable. There has to be a god. Otherwise the approaches zero. In other words, you don't know world will stop. People will start raping, plundering, whether you believe in true god or a false one. robbing and the crime spree will continue till the Let us take it a step further. Your beliefs mostly came world ends. God is the reason why they exist happily. from your parents. If you are born in Afghanistan, God answers their prayers. For a few, he even speaks, then with all certainly, you will be a muslim, orders, gives divine revelations. For most part, he can completely deluding yourself that your allah is the listen, know and answer everything and do anything. only true god and all the people believing in another Be it Krishna, Jesus, Allah, Thor, Buddha, Zeus the fact false gods are going to hell. If you are born to people is only one of them can be a God. If all the gods who believe in scientology (scientology is a religion, not humanity ever accepted are counted then the science), you will be scientologist. If you are born to
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christian parents, you will be christian. Hindus too, wanted people to believe in him, then why can't he are the same. Since you are spoon fed it, you cannot make people only born to christian parents? This distinguish the knowledge that is true and the shows that god if exists must be evil and that there knowledge that is rubbish. You will suck down cannot be a true god. All gods are same. whatever passed on to you and forever seal your Now I ask for a mental experiment. Consider personal beliefs and ideals and thereby your fate. this: “In the beginning, god created universe. God made Suppose god is Jesus. Then all the hindus, earth, milky way, galaxies, billions of stars, sun and moon, muslims and Buddhists will go to hell because they asteroids, animals, tress, microbes, viruses, dinosaurs so that believe in wrong gods. Here's the stupid part. The god, men and women can live. God cannot be seen, heard, tested, and sensed. God will be seen by only people with complete in the first place, made them to be born to hindu or belief in god. God wants everyone to believe in him. God muslim parents and thereby condemned by birth. made everything”. Now change the word "god" to Only an evil god will make people believe in wrong "goblins" or "google" or "noodles" or "guhaha" or gods and then punish people by eternal hell. If he
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"blahblah" and read the passage. It will not make any knowledge’s limitations. When primitive people saw sense. Isn't it? It’s because the word god is vague, ill- huge fire destroying forest, they feared it. They defined and most probably a delusional idea. "God worshipped it. They sacrificed humans to please god made universe" is not any more meaningful than just like they cut down animals and gave meat to "Guhaha made universe". It's just another way of please other humans. When they knew how to produce saying that people don't know about universe and they & tame fire, they no longer worshipped it. However the want to have someone create universe just like tradition continued (as people are hard to change) in someone created furniture. They also want to give Hinduism as we can see today People used god to definitive answer to questions about which they don't explain away how rains occur or thunderbolts occur. know answers rather than accept that they are Then they used god to explain how sun revolves ignorant and improve themselves. around earth. When science improved our knowledge, So whenever people are ignorant of how nature god ran away from explaining rains and solar system. works, they use god instead of accepting their People used god's anger as the reason for deadly
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diseases like smallpox, cholera, malaria. When science none created god, then why can't we save a step and improved our knowledge to understand say none created universe. However, when atheist microorganisms, god no longer is the explanation. point out there is no evidence for God. They say there People used god as creator of living organisms until is no evidence for god's non-existence. Well, there is no evolution kicked god from that position. People used evidence for non-existence of flying pigs or fire god to explain feelings, conscience. Now cognitive breathing dragons. Does that mean you are going to psychology and meme theory are trying to explain believe in flying pigs or dragons? At least flying pigs them. So god is left with only ultimate existence of may one day be possible by genetic engineering, god universe. Even there science is in the process of once even doesn't exist materially. God is invisible. Let us and for all kicking god by recent developments of assume an invisible pink unicorn that created parallel universe theory, String theory and M-Theory. universe. Can you disprove it? Does it make sense? No, Now religious people still stubbornly name god for similarly god too doesn't make sense. People who creation of universe. Well, then who created god. If believe in invisible pink unicorn should give evidence
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or proof of it. Similarly, the burden of proof lies with church pastors and islamic militants, slavery, forced people who believe in god. Those who make claim marriages, suicide bombings, terrorist attacks, should give evidence. palestine issue, 9/11, witch burning etc. , are not just If people claim miracles are proof of god, they side effects, they are the main problems of humanity can be assured to be a mixture of chance, delusion, upon which religion forced them. Almost all of myths and deliberately man-made. No miracle has humanity's troubles are due to belief in god. People ever stood before scientific scrutiny. Perhaps, the best like Sanal Edamaruku, M. F. Hussain, Salman rebuttal is given by astrophysicist Carl Sagan, Rushdie are prosecuted and many innocent woman "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary burned accused of magic. All of them because people evidence.” Some religious apologists claim god is a believed in god and his magic or miracles as personal belief with no side effects on society. Well, unquestionable and beyond doubt, valued even racism, religious clashes, castes, untouchability, greater than life of a human. fatwas, inquisition, raping women and child abuse by
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People, who are doing well because they believe visible humans. Choice is yours. But remember no god told them to do so, should remember that it is evil amount of praying will make you start your car or and they are doing good for wrong reasons. Are they pass exams or love. In the end, you have to depend on implicating that if god told them to rape, will they? (In yourself. Your mind with its thoughts and your body bible, there is story of a man who tries to kill his own with life are only possessions on which you can son because god asked him to do so. Many christians depend. Take charge of your life from god and make want themselves to be in his place and prove their your mind your decision making tool. Let mind decide faith. ) Christopher Hitchens said that if god asked with rational thoughts, facts, evidence and science. In him to sacrifice his own son, he would say, "No, Fuck short your mind is not a slave to god and ego. You're a you.” People can be good without god since we all are free man with free mind. Use it like hell! humans and have humanity in us. Because in the end, -Sohe it boils down to choosing between invisible god and
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To Christians: If you think Christianity is a peaceful religion go to this page which has list of violent and sick things done along with references to check them: http://notachristian.org/christianatrocities.html
Here are few examples of christian love:
#17th century Catholics sack the city of Magdeburg/Germany roughly 30,000 protestants were slain. "In a single church fifty women were found beheaded," reported poet Friedrich Schiller, "and infants still sucking the breasts of their lifeless mothers."
# In average two thirds of the native population were killed by colonist-imported smallpox before violence began. This was a great sign of "the marvelous goodness and providence of God" to the Christians of course, e.g. the Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony wrote in 1634, as "for the natives, they are near all dead of the smallpox, so as the Lord hath cleared our title to what we possess. -Sohe
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My freedom-2012 As a young Indian, I truly believe in the idea of India as enshrined in the constitution. But I feel scared for my freedom. I witness a development which is a blow to my freedom of expression and free speech. I cannot have a discourse on Kashmir, If so, I may be treated as Islamic informer. I cannot talk on scam’s that are rising daily, I may be called as Opportunist who needs a exposure in media to become celebrity. I cannot convey my views about political leaders while they indulge in plunder, I may be prisoned without any reason. Ministers who cut deals with industrial houses/money gifting IT field have no time to talk to their constitution people, who made them to sit in assembly. May be they are confident that these fellow people take wrong decisions, since they selected him/her as their representative. I cannot forward emails/sms, I want my friends and colleagues to read, due to TRAI and its policies to save government from scams. There is communication sans barriers that makes redundant laws and regulations which govern traditional media. I cannot openly criticize government policies if I have a better alternative, I may treated as GOVT-BUG. I cannot even make an attempt to correct wrong perceptions. Correcting them involves discussion involves free flow of ideas involves dwelling on crucial and sometime sensitive issue. But the chances are that the moment I do one of these, I will be labeled as a traitor. Lack of LOYALTY on their people, the same elected them as their leaders. Tribal folks, untouched by the sins of the modern world, are uprooted from their lands to make way for giant industries and/ or energy plants. Frustrated, when those tribals take up arms, they are called anti-national. I have not seen the British Rule. I read about it in my history textbook. But I don’t think it would have been different from the current Indian scenario but for the fact that at that time those calling the shots were not Indians.Here I am not putting names to the states, villages and industries because the story is same across the country.I have not studied law. I am not an authority on what is wrong in our laws and which of them needs a review. But I exist in society for which these laws are made. As a social creature, I am scared of my future.I am scared as my idols are changing. I grew up reading books and watching films on independence, Gandhi, Nehru, Ambedkar, Jai Prakash. For many years, these I thought highly of these figures. That is changing now. My heroes are changing. My new idols are Jayprakash Narayan,Dr Binayak Sen, A.K.Antony, Narendra Modi and Aseem Trivedi.
-RohiPraveen
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Logical pathway from god to evil
All religion claim God to be a source of good, an inspiration for making this world better. When the fraud and evils of religion are exposed, they retort that many atheists also do bad things. What religious claim is that since some of the people who do evil things are atheists (who don’t believe in god), their non-belief in god must be the reason for doing evil things. How come theists or religious people do evil things even when god is on their side? Religious people pacify themselves by deluding that particular evils are necessary for god’s design or plan or that satan may have been at work. Instead of deluding themselves further, they could just accept the truth that there is a logical pathway from God to Evil. There is no logical pathway from not believing in god to doing evil things. If a person is atheist, one who doesn’t delude himself that there is god, he/she should take responsibility of his/her life. It doesn’t say anything about other qualities, ideas , ideals that person has. It’s like not believing in Santa Claus or Superman, it doesn’t make any difference.
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But if you believe in Santa Claus e or Superman, you will try to do things which you won’t do if you are in your right mind. Jumping out of the window hoping that superman will rescue you is one such delusional outcome that follows logically if you assume superman is real. Some may even try bombing a city with thermonuclear device so that superman will be forced to come out of exile. These may sound comical. Indeed they are, but when such belief is assumed in reality, this shit becomes real.
Babri Masjid demolition
People who believe in god, assume god to be more real than the people around them. When you believe that there is a most powerful, most knowledgeable man keeping track of you, you will do things which you won’t normally do to please him. No educated man will fly
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aeroplanes into building. But belief that allah wants non-muslims to die and will reward with heaven and 72 black eyed virgins, made people turn themselves to suicide-murder on 9/11 when twin towers are demolished . The same belief in god rama made people who thought his temple should be built into demolition of Babri Masjid. It’s the belief that jesus is the only god worth following that made people take the words in bible “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live” and kill many thousands of innocent woman, revolutionaries and intellectuals by burning alive. This belief in allah that he is the only god made Osama Bin Laden, a prosperous and educated man into Terrorist. It’s this idea of god, that is making muslims in Pakistan abduct hindu girls ,rape them and forcibly convert into islam. Hundreds of Hindu families moved to India in mass exodus as India is celebrated independence this year.
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Our decisions and conclusions are only as sound as our assumptions and facts. If our assumptions and facts are not evidence-based or scientifically accepted or at least rational, then we can be sure that our conclusions and decisions based on these assumptions are wrong. Many religious people absolutely believe in god. Though no evidence exists, these people regard god as real based on loosely fabricated books born out of deluded men, women and shepherds about 2000 years ago in a desert when those illiterate people didn’t even know that earth is not flat. Imagine a pregnant women claiming that she is a virgin, will you believe it? Unless it is a case of artificial insemination, which is not developed two thousand years ago, we can assume either that she is raped and lost her sanity or that she is duped by a lover and is lying to protect herself from dishonor. Similarly, if a voice yells in your head to kill your son, most probably you should go to psychologists and for worse psychiatrist rather than follow that voice. Alas! If you accept god, you are going to kill your son or delude yourself into believing that your pregnant girlfriend is impregnated by god. If you’re absolutely sure of god, then it is absolutely sure that you will do nasty evil things.
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Below are the verses from so called “holy” and “true” Bible and Koran (How can both be true? Think!): 1. Prophet, make war on the unbelievers and the hypocrites and deal rigorously with them. Hell shall be their home: an evil fate. (Koran 9:73) 2. Believers make war on the infidels who dwell around you. Deal firmly with them. Know that god is with the righteous. (Koran 9:123) 3. Allah made the Jews leave their homes by terrorizing them so that you killed some and made many captive. And he made you inherit their lands, their homes, and their wealth. He gave you a country you had not traversed before. (Koran 33:26) 4. The believers who stay at home-apart from those that suffer from a grave impediment- are not the equal of those who fight for the cause of God with their good and their persons. God has given those that fight with their goods and their persons a higher rank than those who stay at home. God has promised all a good
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reward; but far richer is the recompense of those who fight for him…..he that leaves his dwellings to fight for God and His apostle and is then overtaken by death, shall be rewarded by God…the unbelievers are your inveterate enemies. (Koran 4:95-101) 5. If your brother, the son of your father or of your mother, or your son or daughter, or the spouse whom you embrace, or your most intimate friend, tries to secretly seduce you, saying, “Let us go and serve other gods,” unknown to you or your ancestors before you, gods of the peoples surrounding you, whether near you or far away, anywhere throughout the world, you must not consent, you must not listen to him; you must show him no pity, you must not spare him or conceal his guilt. No ,you must kill him, your hand must strike the first blow in putting him to death and the hands of the rest of the people following. You must stone him to death, since he has tried to divert you from Yahweh your God….. (Deuteronomy 13:7-11,Old testament)
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6. And kill the infidels wherever you find and turn them out from the place where from they turned you out; and their mischief is more grievous than killing. And if they fight them near the sacred mosque unless they
fight you therein, and they fight against you then kill, them. This the only punishment of infidels.(koran2:191)
7. And fight them until there is not mischief and be there worship of one Allah, then if they desist, there is no
violence save against oppressors.(Koran 2:193)
8. Let those who would exchange the life of this world for the hereafter fight for the cause of God; whoever fights for the cause of God, whether he dies or triumphs, We shall richly reward him- The true believers fight for the cause of God, but the infidels fight for the devil. Fight then against the friends of Satan… Say: “Trifling are the
pleasures of this life. The hereafter is better for those who would keep from evil….”
9. If you hear that in one of the towns which Yahweh your god has given you for a home, there are men, scoundrels from you own stock, who have led their fellow-citizens astray, saying, “Let us go and serve other gods,” hitherto unknown to you, it is your duty to look into the matter, examine it, and inquire most carefully.
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If it is proved and confirmed that such a hateful thing has taken place among you, you must put the inhabitants of that town to the sword; you must lay it under the curse of destruction- the town and everything in it. You must pile up all its loot in the public square and burn the town and all its loot, offering it all to
Yahweh your god. It is to be a ruin for all time and never rebuilt.(Deuteronomy 13:12-16)
10. Whoever changes his religion, kill him –(hadith)
11. But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for
yourselves.(Numbers, 31:18,Old Testament)
12. ……. Ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their graves. For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous god. Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice; And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a
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whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods. Thou shalt make thee no molten
gods. (Exodus 34:13-17)
13. Joshua didn’t rest until they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and women, young and old,
and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword. (Joshua 6:21)
These are very few of the many violent verses in Koran and Bible. No wonder millions of people who read these every day are violent, intolerant and stupid.
If you think these are just some verses that could be explained away, the god is very specific in telling that “Whatever I am commanding you, you must keep and observe, adding nothing to it, taking nothing away”(Deuteronomy 13:1) -Sohe
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Letters to Bujji Dear Bujji, You, being a girl, going to temple is probably a result of cultural conditioning or an escape from boredom or a small trip out of peer pressure. However if you stop and think for 5 minutes before going to the temple, you may realize some truths that may help you make better decisions. If you are going to temple for marks or health, you obviously know that it isn‟t going to help. Marks don‟t depend on prayers and health depends on diet and exercise. As for peace, with large crowds of devotees at the temple, you may find your peace in a bathroom rather than at the temple. As for a change, you may visit hospital for a checkup or tend to plants, and other life forms around you. You can even try stamp collection or photography or chatting. If you are going to temple because you believe in god and you want to pray then I urge you to consider a few points: # Do you really think an all knowing, omnipotent god doesn‟t know what you are going to pray?
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# Do you think all powerful god requires a prayer? # Do you think that god requires praises from mortals! # Do you think the wise god, who created you, wants your belief in him and will be angry if you don‟t have faith in him? Surely god must be insecure! Or are you? # Don‟t you know that god never replies to your prayer? # Don‟t you stumble upon the paradox of all-knowing and all-seeing god? If god is all-seeing, can‟t he see you while bathing! Think about it and continue. As far as I know, you know god doesn‟t exist. That‟s the reason why you bath, lie, cheat, pray, study, love, live, think freely without apprehension. Complete surveillance is death. If you go to temple because you are religious, then, sorry to say, know that religion is the worst enemy of women. All over the world, religion opposed education, human rights, equality, freedom to women. Women are considered as inferior by almost all religions. Child marriages, Sati, Mutilation of female genitalia, human sacrifices, chastity belts, witch burning, domestic violence, arranged marriages, moral policing, inequality, lack of freedom to take decisions, looking down as sinners, slavery to men, restraints on dressing and movements etc., are all atrocities committed
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against women by religion under the disguise of peace and morality. Women are made into slave, not given a chance to choose their path in life, studies, dress or even in thought. Women are not allowed to decide how many children they should bear. All rights and freedom you are enjoying, however few they may be, are result of fearless freethinkers and atheists who broke the shackles of religion and gave female equality. To know more type “feminism” and it‟s history into Google or Wikipedia.
While in western countries many women who are freethinkers are fighting for women to have access to contraception and abortion rights. You may enjoy these without knowing how you got them just like the education you are receiving. Just a few decades ago, education is a no-entry zone for women. For centuries, religious people kept women in constant state of ignorance and slavery. However you are enjoying them without knowing how you got them. May that‟s the reason why you still think religion is good. In countries with muslim majority, the rules are dictated from their holy books and religion rules the country. Do you know that state of that women? Their body should always be covered
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even the eyes should be concealed. Their vaginas are mutilated and stitched so that they will never enjoy sex since all religions consider sex is sin. The pain and embarrassment, not to mention the health hazards, are unbearable. They are married at the young age of twelve because that stupid mohammad was married to one of his many wives when she is a child. Sexual abuse is routine and is hushed up. If you are raped, then you will be put in prison because you had sex out of marriage, regardless of you being the victim. This stupidity comes from religion. If you loved someone or wore different clothes, then you will be stoned to death. You can search for these on the net but be careful, you may cry! In India, it is not much different. Child marriages, widow shunning, sati just ended. Honour Killings of those young couple who love, marry, and live independently is routine. I know instances of brother killing his sister when she revealed that she is in love with someone else. All these are because religion mandated that girl should always bow down to elders(who are often stupid males), and marry and have sex with some stupid selfless guy like a prostitute business. If a girl takes her own decision, she is a disgrace, bad, immoral and should be killed. If you still think religion is doing good to society, please think.
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Not every girl is independent and intelligent like you(for that matter not every boy) and that‟s the reason why I get hurt when you believe in god and religion. If I hurt your religious sentiments, think about the millions of muslim women tortured every day because a stupid violent book called Koran contains the numerous passages of female oppression like one given below: #”Honorable women are, therefore, devoutly obedient and guard in thehusband‟s absence what Allah requires them to guard their husband‟s property and their own honor. As to those women from whom you fear disobedience, first admonish them, then refuse to share your bed with them, and then, if necessary,BEAT them. Then if they obey you, take no further actions against them.” (Koran 4:34)
Most religions portray women as a source of evil, inferior and in need of a man to lead and direct them. Search in Google:Artemis Pipinelli, Ph.D. Personal notes taken from the book “Engendering Psychology” by Denmark, Rabinowitz, et.al - Chapter 2
Hope you will understand. -Sohe
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Female Atheists’ quotes
‘I’ve got my own religion. Iceland sets a worldrecord.The UN asked people from all over the world a series of questions.Iceland stuck out on one thing. When we were asked what we believe, 90% said, ‘ourselves.’ I think I’m in that group. If I get into trouble, there’s no God or Allah to sort me out. I have to do it myself.’ –Bjork, Icelandic singer and actress.
‘So, I’ll out myself. I’m an Atheist. I don’t believe in God, Gods, Godlets or any sort of higher power beyond the universe itself, which seems quite high and powerful enough to me. I don’t believe in life after death, channeled chat rooms with the dead, reincarnation, telekinesis or any miracles but the miracle of life and consciousness, which again strike me as miracles in nearly obscene abundance. I believe that the universe abides by the laws of physics, some of which are known, others of which will surely be discovered, but even if they aren’t, that will simply be a result, as my colleague George Johnson put it, of our brains having evolved for life on this one little planet and thus being inevitably limited. I’m convinced that the world as we see it was shaped by the again genuinely miraculous, let’s even say transcendent, hand of evolution through natural selection.’ -Natalie Angier, Atheist American Pulitzer Award Winner
I saw that God was an invention and that subjection to His will meant nothing more than subjecting yourself to the willpower of the strongest.‟ -Ayaan Hirsi Ali
„I no longer believe in God, I told myself, with no great surprise… That was proof: if I had believed in Him, I should not have allowed myself to offend Him so lightheartedly. I had always thought that the world was a small price to pay for eternity; but it was worth more than that, because I loved the world, and it was suddenly God whose price was small: from now on His name would have to be a cover for nothing more than a mirage… I was not denying Him in order to rid myself of a troublesome person: on the contrary, I realized that He was playing no further part in my life and so I concluded that he had ceased to exist for me.‟ -Simone de beauvior , French philosopher „Oh, absolutely! I feel that everyone has a right to be insane. And that they can do this any place at all. If they want religious schools, build them! My only problem with that is, do not ask for the land to be taxfree.Do not ask for a government grant to build them. Do not ask for money for teacher‟s salaries, or more books, or anything else. Just go ahead and do your thing, and do it yourself. Just exactly the same as if you were a nudist. Somebody doesn‟t get a tax break for being a Mason, or whatever they‟re interested in.‟ - Madalyn Murray O’Hair, American atheist activist
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„I don‟t agree with those who think that the conflict is simply between two religions, namely Christianity and Islam…. To me, the key conflict is between irrational blind faith and rational, logical minds.‟ „I believe that if the silent majority were to protest against those who believe in irrational blind faith – who want to go backwards instead of forward, who are for tradition not innovation, who oppose individualism and plurality of thought – then the world would become a truly civilized world in which to live.‟ - Taslima Nasrin is an atheist Bangladeshi doctor, poet, writer and feminist. She is living in exile in India since Islamists threatened to kill her.
‘As my ancestors are free from slavery, I am free from the slavery of religion… They say the streets are beautiful in Heaven.Well, I’m trying to make the streets beautiful here… When it’s clean and beautiful, I believe America is heaven. And some people are hell.’ – Butterfly McQueen, American actress ‘I’m an atheist, and that’s it. I believe there’s nothing we can know except that we should be kind to each other and do what we can for people.’ - Katharine Hepburn, Oscar winning American actress
‘No, I don’t believe in God. I was raised with no religion, but a lot of morals. I definitely think that sex is natural and healthy, and that people have the absolute right to pursue their sexual preferences with other consenting adults without government or church intervention. I can do what I do to share my enjoyment of sex with all my viewers out there. If I can help any person or persons have a great sex session, then I’ve done a good job! I believe that society changes and that we can take what is good from the world’s religions and leave behind what isn’t so good, and forge a new say. I’m one of the forgers, I like to think!’ - Nina Hartley, American porn actress and director
I absolutely believe what Ellie believes; that there is no direct evidence, so how could you ask me to believe in God when there’s absolutely no evidence that I can see? I do believe in the beauty and the aweinspiring mystery of the science that’s out there that we haven’t discovered yet, that there are scientific explanations for phenomena that we call mystical because we don’t know any better. –Jodie Foster, American actress, director ‘I’m an atheist, so it was actually a joy. Spitting on Christ was a great deal of fun. I can’t embrace a male god who has persecuted female sexuality throughout the ages, and that persecution still goes on today all over the world.’ -Amanda Donohue is an atheist American actress.
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Quotes for Freethinkers
‘Religion has actually convinced people that there’s an invisible man – living in the sky – who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever ‘til the end of time! [Pause] But He loves you.’ ‘I noticed that of all the prayers I used to offer to God, and all the prayers that I now offer to Joe Pesci, are being answered at about the same fifty percent rate. Half the time I get what I want. Half the time I don’t. Same as God: fifty fifty.’ -George Carlin American Atheist Comedian ‘If you want to get together in any exclusive situation and have people love you, fine – but to hang all this desperate sociology on the idea of The CloudGuy who has The Big Book, who knows if you’ve been bad or good – and cares about any of it – to hang it all on that, folks, is the chimpanzee part of the brain working.’ ‘The essence of Christianity is told to us in the Garden of Eden history. The fruit that was forbidden was on the Tree of Knowledge. The subtext is, all the suffering you have is because you wanted to find out what was going on. You could be in the Garden of Eden if you had just kept your fucking mouth shut and hadn’t asked any questions.’ - Frank Zappa was an atheist American musician You have noticed that the human being is a curiosity. In times past he has had (and worn out and flung away) hundreds and hundreds of religions; today he has hundreds and hundreds of religions, and launches not fewer than three new ones every year… One of his principle religions is called the Christian. A sketch of it will interest you. It sets forth in detail in a book containing two million words, called the Old and New Testaments. Also it has another name – The Word of God. For the Christian thinks every word of it was dictated by God. It is full of interest. It has noble poetry in it; and some clever fables; and some blood drenched history; and some good morals; and a wealth of obscenity; and upwards of a thousand lies. -.Mark Twain To say that I am not a fan of organized religion is putting it mildly. My feeling about even disorganized religion is summed up in James Taylor’s immortal line in “Sweet Baby James”: “Maybe you can believe it if it helps you to sleep.” I have no desire to promote secular insomnia. As for being spiritual, not in the New Age sense, certainly. I find enough mystery in mathematics to satisfy my spiritual needs. I think, for example, that pi is mysterious enough (don’t get me started!) without having to worry about God. Or if pi isn’t enough, how about fractals? or quantum mechanics?… -Tom Lehrer , American Mathematician
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How I am affected by Christianity
1.Parents background: Parents are the main reason for me to believe in christianity just like everyone else.If I was born in a hindu family it might be that I would have believed in the Hinduism rather than believing in the christianity or islam.I think this is the best way of explaining why I believed in christianity rather than any religion. I am going to the church every day because of my parents and surrounding people were christians. It is from my grandparents, who over the decades believed in it and it was like a chain. Most people believed in religion since their grandparents and parents believe in that particular religion. 2.Influenced Factors: In the early age I was going to the church every day because, I was attracted by the rewards given by the church organization. So I and my street friends were going to the church every day, and reading the bible and listening to the speeches given by the preachers. So it’s a kind of entertainment we go through every day. As this process going on, new pastor came to the church. He is the most influenced person in my life because he had speaking skills as a pastor to attract the people and to get money from them. He
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couldn't do anything rather than that to feed his family. I became religious man mostly because of his influence upon me.
I was also attracted by the rewards given by the church people. Every year they used to conduct quiz & cultural events for sacred christian festivals like christamas, easter and they give rewards to the winners. Basically I am the first in the every bible quiz competition they conducted. I am first at every class of my elementary school and also I am good at reading the bible fluently unlike the most people. So they used to appreciate me every time. This is also one major reason for me to go church every day.
Every sunday pastor comes to our church to teach us bible. He lives in nearby town. He organizes 10 to 15 churches around the town basically he was the owner of the those churches yearly he got the money from the foreign countries as funds which christian missionaries provide, and he will distribute that money to each church pastor for every month. It is like a small business deal between them, and they also got money from the normal people who must pay 10% of their income to the church as they had been deluded into thinking that god gives the money and asks them to give 10% of their income in return to him as mentioned in the bible.
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Eventually, I was attracted by rewards of the quiz competitions on bible chapters conducted by the bible missionary camps, vocational bible school. Finally the appreciation of my parents as the encouragement, rewards and such a kind of entertainment we had in the vocational bible school camps dragged me more close to be a religious follower.
3.Lack of knowledge of science: I didn't have sufficient knowledge of science at that stage to question about religion and also there is no guide (or) guidance to tell me which is correct and which is wrong so I had been totally brainwashed by the religion.
In my high school also no one raised or discussed about the strange topics like does any supernatural power exist or not? Do religious books matter correct or not? Why people give more preference to the god more than anything? How the word "god" come to existence? Is that great literature of different religions truly happened before or not? How the universe formed? How the life started on the earth? I didn't have answers for these type of questions at that stage. So, I had been brainwashed by the religion, quite easily.
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4.Conclusion: Realization through questioning Thorough questioning of those religious teachings and by reading the books which mainly focuses on the atheism(the philosophy that denies god's existence) and evaluation using the science to give evidence to the origin of life on the earth, and how the religion came to existence, made me realize that god doesn't exist and religion is nonsense.
Finally don't mess with your standards like many unreasonable believers or continue believing in something which was constructed by your mind at childhood stage, when you couldn't even notice what's going on. You didn't have even thought about those things and you didn't have any evidence to question it. So your ideas were constructed by the false or unreasonable information you had at that time. So, now make the new standards by refreshing or reprogramming your stored patterns in your mind with the help of your present knowledge of science and questioning not only on this particular aspect but also in every aspect you had faced. Think using scientific evidence and logic for the every decision you had taken or would take in future. Surely, it will give strength to your values and ideas as they will be based on strong foundation.
-Anji
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Atheism in India
India is not religious as many claim it to be so. Atheistic philosophy like Carvaka are prevalent in India and it is developed just like any other philosophy. Great people, who had the courage to accept that truth and reason are more important than tradition and religion, developed atheism into a valid philosophy to lead a practical and fulfilling life. Atheists are present throughout the history shaping it.
Carvaka is a system of Indian philosophy which can be considered to be a materialistic, atheistic philosophy which rejects god, authority, rituals and superstitions.
Here are few freethinking Indians:
Periyar E.V. Ramaswamy, the leader of self respect movement was a vocal critic of rituals, superstitions and concept of god. In his words: “There is no god, there is not god, there is no god at all. He who invented god is a fool. He who propagates god is a scoundrel. He who worships god is a barbarian.”
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Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister, takes on religion: “The spectacle of what is called religion, or at any rate organized religion, in India and elsewhere, has filled me with horror and I have frequently condemned it and wished to a make a clean sweep of it. Almost always it seemed to stand for blind belief and reaction, dogma and bigotry, superstition, exploitation and the preservation of vested interests.” ‘I want nothing to do with any religion concerned with keeping the masses satisfied to live in hunger, filth, and ignorance. I want nothing to do with any order, religious or otherwise, which does not teach people that they are capable of becoming happier and more civilized, on this earth, capable of becoming true man, master of his fate and captain of his soul. To attain this I would put priests to work, also, and turn the temples into schools.’
Beechi, Famous kannada novelist said: “ God doesn’t appear before us whenever we want. He appears unexpectedly only in Tamil movies.”
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In Ramayana, Ayodhya Kanda, chapter 108, where Jabali tries to persuade Rama to accept the kingdom Rama then refutes him in chapter 109: “O, the highly wise! Arrive at a conclusion, therefore, that there is nothing beyond this universe. Give precedence to that which meets the eye and turn your back on what is beyond our knowledge.”
Brihaspati , quoted in Sarvasiddhantasangraha as: “Chastity and other such ordinances are laid down by clever weaklings; gifts of gold and land, the pleasure of invitations to dinner, are devised by indigent people with stomachs lean with hunger. The building of temples, houses for water-supply, tanks, wells, resting places, and the like, pleases only travellers, not others. The Agnihotra ritual, the three vedas, the triple staff, the ash-smearing, cures the ways of gaining a livelihood for those who are lacking in intellect and energy. The wise
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should enjoy the pleasures of this world through the more appropriate available means of agriculture, tending cattle, trade, political administration etc.”
Another prominent atheist in India is Goparaju Ramachandra Rao (aka Gora). He was born to a telugu Brahmin family. He and his wife founded the Atheist Centre, in Krishna district and moved to Vijaywada. They spread positive atheism, debunked miracles, education against belief in witchcraft and sorcery, promotes sexual education, campaigned against caste system and idea of karma, worked to abolish child marriages. In 2002 postal department of Govt. of India released a postage stamp of 5 rupee denomination commemorates Gora’s birth centenary. Many prominent people like Baba Amte, Kamal Hassan and RamGopal Varma are atheists. Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carvaka http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irreligion_in_India -Sohe
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Harry Potter, Rajamouli’s Eaga and Religion
Criticisms of the movie “Eaga” (housefly) directed by telugu film director Rajamouli and J.K.Rowling’s novel Harry Potter, reveal a lot about Religion. Many criticize the movie that “eaga”, the protagonist of the film, does things that are utterly impossible for ordinary housefly. For example, the writing of words on the car glass after the accident, travelling many kilometers of distance without any problem, lifting needles etc. Harry Potter is criticized for its use of time travel and other impossible fantasies to straighten the plot. However you cannot criticize them for their irrationality because you have already accepted the core irrational idea of “Eaga” that humans have souls which move from one body to another. Once you suspend your rational thinking and accept an irrational idea for whatever reason, then you have to accept all the nonsense garbage that result from it. Once you accept that an entity called God exist without thinking, then all the superstitions, dogma and nonsense bullshit that result from it have to be accepted. You cannot reject them without rejecting the original irrational idea upon which they all are based. Without rejecting the original idea of
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wizards and magic, you cannot reject other nonsense of Harry Potter. While watching movies, you may enjoy the irrationality because it’s not real and it happens only for a short time. However, if it happens in real life, all the hell breaks loose. Remember, you have only one life. Enjoy. -Sohe Quotes for Freethinkers
‘The only position that leaves me with no cognitive dissonance is atheism. It is not a creed. Death is certain, replacing both the siren song of Paradise and the dread of Hell. Life on this earth, with all its mystery and beauty and pain, is then to be lived far more intensely: we stumble and get up, we are sad, confident, insecure, feel loneliness and joy and love. There is nothing more; but I want nothing more.’ –Christopher Hitchens,American writer and public speaker
‘The President of the United States has claimed, on more than one occasion, to be in dialogue with God. If he said that he was talking to God through his hairdryer, this would precipitate a national emergency. I fail to see how the addition of a hairdryer makes the claim more ridiculous or offensive.’ ‘Atheism is not a philosophy; it is not even a view of the world; it is simply a refusal to deny the obvious… “-Sam Harris, American writer
‘Being an atheist makes someone a clearer thinking, fairer person… Atheists are not doing things to be rewarded in heaven; they’re doing things because they’re right, because they live by a moral code.’-Ricky Gervias, British comedy writer,actor,director.
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Hinduism: Tolerant Religion?
Well, Hinduism is such a tolerant religion that it tolerates witch burning, sati, child marriages, casteism, dowry, human sacrifices and slavery. It’s true that polytheism of Hinduism makes the Hindus tolerant of other gods. However it has never been practiced. The worshippers of shiva and Vishnu fought each others and massacred in millions. Whenever a king who believes in one of the gods wins a war, the followers of other gods will be persecuted, converted and killed, temples of other gods will be looted. Witch burning due to superstitious belief in black magic, mantras and tantras, chetabadi, banamati and whatever stupid names you can remember. Women are tied to a tree and burnt. They are stripped naked and paraded around the village and then burning takes place. This occurs whenever villagers feel that their gods are unhappy because a deadly disease like small pox, cholera spread around the villages. Appeasing gods by burning woman is not tolerance.
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The practice of Sati where a widow should burn along with her husband’s dead body is perhaps most evil. Due to child marriages, girls are married to old men who need a servant to look after. By the time girls come to their youth, their old husband dies. Then these girls are tied to their husband’s dead body and burned. If the girl tries to escape from the pyre, people around her will beat her with sticks and push her into the fire. After making sure that she has the most painful death possible, they will then build a small temple for her and pray. Few widows who escaped will be turned into prostitutes or made into slaves for the family as they are not allowed to remarry. Apparently Hindus cannot tolerate a widow’s face. Even today, many of them stop and abuse if they run into a widow. That’s the idea of tolerance, hinduism proudly displays. Devadasi system where a girl is forcibly married to god and lives in temple is another evil system perpetuated by Hinduism. These girls are nothing but prostitutes. They are married to god without their consent. Temple becomes the home for prostitution at night for that village. This system still exists in the remote parts of India. If you think not, then look at the idols on the ancient temples which are now in ruined state.
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The brutal caste system where a person is forced to be a slave and to be less than other humans is the most racist and intolerant system. The “manusmruti” the stupid book and apparent rubbish like “Brahmins came from the head of god, while sudras came from legs and blah blah blah ..” are the central basis for caste system. Sudras, dalits whatever each caste despised other. Some people(read Brahmins) are representatives of god on earth while others are slaves. If any low caste member even looked or touched directly will be whipped or even killed. Women of low caste are violated and low caste people are bound by divine ruling to suffer because of their past sins. There are punishments if one caste person gets in contact with other castes in terms of marriage or contact. Even the punishments severity depended on caste hierarchy. Even today caste exists(thanks to hindu priests, apologists & politicians). Children are poisoned with this at an early age. The intolerance starts with innocence. What about tolerance of other religions and faith? In Hinduism too, people have different faiths. The cult of Kaali, who pray to kaali and believe in tantras and black magic, regularly killed travellers in northern parts of India. Thousands of people lost their lives. The practitioners of Kaali slained people just like the idol of kaali
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believing themselves to be invincible.These people are brutally crushed by British along with Sati and other cruel practices. Regarding other religions, Hinduism is no better than others. Buddhists are never accepted and were killed as heretics until the Brahmins made the anti-god Buddha into an incarnation of god Vishnu for upholding hindu supremacy. The clashes between hindus and muslims are much worse than you can possibly imagine. In Gujarat, mobs in the number of muslims they killed. In Orissa and Jharkhand, the atrocities against christians are unmentionable. Gang rapes on nuns and destruction of churches, killing of christians are all done to protect Hinduism. From Ayodhya’s incident where mobs fuelled by religious zeal, calling themselves sri ram cena, destroyed a mosque. In Karnataka, violent intimidation is being unleashed against Christians by fascist hindu outfits such as Bajrangdal. Nuns are physicaly abused and churches are ransacked because christians published a book denigrating Hindu religious figures. Tolerance! Since 1970’s Hindu fundamentalist forces (RSS, VHP, BajrangDal, Durga Vahini etc) have been on the rise.
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Hindu outfits like RSS, VHP orchestrated the demolition of Babri Masjid for building temple of rama. How they know the exact location of rama’s birth to be Babri masjid and why they thought god needed a temple is a mystery? They attacked muslims around the area. They carried the masjid’s bricks home proudly. This incident caused inter-communal violence and retaliations followed. The state covered up violence in Gujarat against muslims where more than thousand people were murdered.The recent bodo and muslim clashes in Assam are also example of intolerance. The persecution of MF Hussain is yet another example of intolerance. Hinduism like any other religion is intolerant of breaking its dogma or authority. It pushes its traditions on others by mandating them in government schools and colleges. Trying to make it’s notions of morality as the sole basis of society, hinduism is a threat to an open society just as others religions with its superstitions and stupid values. It’s time for the violence of Hinduism and its authority to be stopped once and forever. -Sohe
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“If you’re going to tell the truth, you’d better make them laugh. Otherwise they’ll kill you.” – George Bernard Shaw
Proofs of god often used by religious people
For proofs often used by religious people visit : http://www.godlessgeeks.com/LINKS/GodProof.htm Following are few(humorous) proofs from hundreds listed at the page. (2) This person was probably not lying. 1. ARGUMENT FROM IDIOCY (3) Therefore, this person was a Christian. (1) I am an idiot. (4) Therefore, Christians do nice things. (2) Even an idiot can see that God exists. (5) Therefore, Christians are moral. (3) Therefore, God exists. (6) Christians believe in the Bible. 2. ARGUMENT FROM CHRISTIAN MORALITY (although it could probably be adapted to just about any religion) (7) Therefore, the Bible is moral.
(1) Somewhere, someone who called himself or herself a (8) The Bible is God's word. It says so. Christian did something nice. (9) Therefore, God is moral.
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(10) (We are just ignoring all the not-nice things that Christians (3) I have seen God. may or may not have done in the past, it's hard to trust history anyway, there are enemies of God working everywhere). (4) Therefore, God exists.
(11) A moral God would be really nice. 6. ARGUMENT FROM BIBLICAL HISTORY (12) Therefore, God exists. (1) Many modern historians think that there probably was 3. ARGUMENT FROM FORMATTING somebody named Jesus, maybe.
(1) Behold, foolish atheists, I present you with an incontrovertible (2) Therefore, God exists. proof of the existence of God.
(2) [Christian posts 10,000 word document without a single 7. BENDER’S ARGUMENT (I) paragraph break.] (1) One day, demons were tap-dancing on my roof. I prayed and (3) [Atheist's eyes implode.] they went away.
(4) I see that nobody can refute (2). (2) Therefore, demons are really good dancers.
(5) Therefore, God exists. (3) Also, God exists.
4. ARGUMENT FROM AGNOSTICISM 8. ARGUMENT FROM KENT HOVIND'S CHALLENGE (1) I don't know and you don't know either. (1) Kent Hovind offers $250,000 (which may or may not exist) to (2) Therefore, God exists. anyone who can demonstrate evolution (defined as a natural, acausal origin of the universe) to a reasonable doubt (meaning 5. PROOF BY ANECDOTE with 100% certainty, allowing for no other possibilities whatsoever) in front of a neutral committee (handpicked by (1) God can be seen by those who believe in Him. Hovind himself) and according to certain criteria (carefully worded so as to rule out any possibility whatsoever of the (2) If the God is seen, then He must exist. challenge ever being met).
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(2) No atheist has ever met this challenge. ....
(3) Therefore, God exists. (37) So now we have used propositions X, X', Y, Y', Z, Z', P, P', Q and Q' to arrive at the obviously valid point R. Agreed? 9. ARGUMENT FROM INSANITY (38) Atheist: Like I said, so far I've only agreed with X. Where is (1) No sane person could have thought up Christianity. this going?
(2) Therefore, it must be true ....
(3) Therefore, God exists. (81) So we now conclude from this that propositions L'', L''' and J'' are true. Agreed? 10. ARGUMENT FROM EXHAUSTION (abridged) (82) I HAVEN'T AGREED WITH ANYTHING YOU'VE SAID (1) Do you agree with the utterly trivial proposition X? SINCE X! WHERE IS THIS GOING?
(2) Atheist: of course. ....
(3) How about the slightly modified proposition X'? (177) ...and it follows that proposition HRV, SHQ'' and BTU' are all obviously valid. Agreed? (4) Atheist: Um, no, not really. (178) [Atheist either faints from overwork or leaves in disgust.] (5) Good. Since we agree, how about Y? Is that true? (179) Therefore, God exists. (6) Atheist: No! And I didn't agree with X'! 11. ARGUMENT FROM LONELINESS (7) With the truths of these clearly established, surely you agree that Z is true as well? (1) Christians say that Jesus is their best friend.
(8) Atheist: No. So far I have only agreed with X! Where is this (2) I'm lonely, and I want a best friend. going, anyway? (3) Therefore, God exists. (9) I'm glad we all agree.....
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12. ARGUMENT FROM ARGUMENTATION (f) The taste of ice cream on a hot day. (1) God exists. (2) Therefore, God exists. (2) [Atheist's counterargument] 14. ARGUMENT FROM INSECURITY (3) Yes he does. (1) We have gone to absolutely berserk lengths to establish that (4) [Atheist's counterargument] atheists are laughable morons.
(5) Yes he does! (1.5) Actually, we did so in the hopes of curing our own insecurities about theism — but there's no chance in hell we'll (6) [Atheist's counterargument] ever admit that.
(7) YES HE DOES!!! (2) Therefore, atheists are laughable morons.
(8) [Atheist gives up and goes home.] (3) Therefore, God exists.
(9) Therefore, God exists. 15. ARGUMENT FROM SUPERIORITY
13. ARGUMENT FROM CREATIVE INTERPRETATION (1) If God does not exist, then I am an inferior being, since I am not "special" in a cosmic sense. (1) God is: (2) But I am superior because I am a Christian. (a) The feeling you have when you look at a newborn baby. (3) Therefore, God exists. (b) The love of a mother for her child. 16. ARGUMENT FROM ABSOLUTE MORAL STANDARDS (c) That little still voice in your heart. (1) If there are absolute moral standards, then God exists. (d) Humankind's potential to overcome their difficulties. (2) Atheists say that there are no absolute moral standards.
(e) How I feel when I look at a sunset.
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(3) But that's because they don't want to admit to being sinners. (5) Therefore, God exists. (4) Therefore, there are absolute moral standards.
Quotes for Freethinkers
‘I am an atheist. I find that people seem to think religion brings morals and appreciation of nature. I actually think it detracts from both. It gives people the excuse to say, ‘Oh, nature was just created’, and so the act of creation is seen to be something miraculous. I appreciate the fact that, ‘Wow, it’s incredible that something like this could have happened in the first place.’ I think we can have morals without getting religion into it, and a lot of bad things have come from organized religion in particular. I actually fear organized religion because it usually leads to misuses of power.’ -Linux Torvalds, who developed linux operating system kernel
‘How many times have religions of the world been damaged by some discovery or other only to move the goalposts and carry on as before as though nothing had happened? They gave Gallileo a hard time for saying the world was round… somehow God seems to have forgotten to tell his ‘flock’ about our planet revolving round the sun and all that. Then there was the theory of evolution – the teaching about which in schools was fought against in a courtroom in the USA and is still disbelieved by a majority of Americans, incredibly. There’s also no mention of dinosaurs in the bible either. Perhaps it’s not inspired by an allknowing being after all and is, after all, just a cracking good work of fiction? No – I’m afraid none of that faith thing holds any water for me. -Captain Sensible ,Singer and musician
I believe in people, I believe in humans, I believe in a car, but I don’t believe something I can’t have absolutely no evidence of for millenniums. And it’s funny – people think analysis or psychiatry is mad, and they go to church. -John Malkovich, American actor,director
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Why I am an Atheist
[Baba Randhir Singh, a freedom fighter, was in Lahore Central Jail in 193031.He was a Godfearing religious man. It pained him to learn that Bhagat Singh was a nonbeliever. He somehow managed to see Bhagat Singh in the condemned cell and tried to convince him about the existence of God, but failed. Baba lost his temper and said tauntingly: "You are giddy with fame and have developed and ago which is standing like a black curtain between you and the God." It was in reply to that remark that Bhagat Singh wrote this article.]
A NEW QUESTION HAS CROPPED UP. Is it due to vanity that I do not believe in the existence of an omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient God? I had never imagined that I would ever have to confront such a question. But conversation with some friends has given me a hint that certain of my friends if I am do not claiming too much in thinking them to be so are inclined to conclude from the brief contact they have had with me, that it was too much on my part to deny the existence of God and that there was a certain amount of vanity that actuated my disbelief. Well, the problem is a serious one. I do not boast to be quite above these human traits. I am a man and nothing more. None can claim to be more. I also have this weakness in me. Vanity does form a part of my nature. Amongst my comrades I was called an
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autocrat. Even my friend Mr. B.K. Dutt sometimes called me so. On certain occasions I was decried as a despot. Some friends do complain, and very seriously too, that involuntarily thrust my opinions upon others and get my proposals accepted. That this is true up to a certain extent, I do not deny. This may amount to egotism. There is vanity in me inasmuch as our cult as opposed to other popular creeds is concerned. But that is not personal. It may be, it is only legitimate pride in our cult and does not amount to vanity. Vanity, or to be more precise "Ahankar", is the excess of undue pride in one's self. Whether it is such an undue pride that has led me to atheism or whether it is after very careful study of the subject and after much consideration that I have come to disbelieve in God, is a question that I intend to discuss here. Let me first make it clear that egotism and vanity are two different things. In the first place, I have altogether failed to comprehend as to how undue pride or vain gloriousness could ever stand in the way of a man in believing in God. I can refuse to recognize the greatness of a really great man, provided I have also achieved a certain amount of popularity without deserving it or without having possessed the qualities really essential or indispensable for the same purpose. That much is conceivable. But in what way can a man believing in God cease believing due to his personal vanity? There are only two ways. The man should either begin to think himself a rival of God or he may begin to believe himself to be God. In neither case can he become a genuine atheist. In the first case he does not even deny the existence
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of his rival. In the second case as well, he admits the existence of a conscious being behind the screen guiding all the movements of nature. It is of no importance to us whether he thinks himself to be that supreme being or whether he thinks the supreme being or whether he thinks the supreme conscious being to be somebody apart from him means an atheist. Well, here I am. I neither belong to the first category nor to the second. I deny the very existence of that Almighty Supreme Being. Why I deny it, shell be dealt with later on. Here I want to clear one thing, that it is not vanity that has actuated me to adopt the doctrines of atheism. I am neither a rival nor an incarnation, nor the Supreme Being Himself. One point is decided, that it is not vanity that has led me to this mode of thinking. Let me examine the facts to disprove this allegation. According to these friends of mine I have grown vainglorious perhaps due to the undue popularity gained during the trials both Delhi Bomb and Lahore Conspiracy Cases. Well, let us see if their premises are correct. My atheism is not of so recent origin. I had stopped believing in God when I was an obscure young man, of whose existence my above mentioned friends were not even aware. At least a college student cannot cherish any short of undue pride which may lead him to atheism. Thought a favourite with some professors and disliked by certain others. I was never an industrious or a studious boy. I could not get any chance of indulging in such feelings as vanity. I was rather a boy with a very shy nature, who had certain pessimistic dispositions about the future career. And in those days, I was not a perfect atheist. My grandfather under whose influence I was brought up is an orthodox
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Arya Samajist. An Arya Samajist is anything but an atheist. After finishing my primary education I joined the D.A.V. School of Lahore and stayed in its Boarding House for full one year. There, apart from morning and evening prayers, I used to recite "Gayatri Mantra" for hours and hours. I was perfect devotee in those days. Later on I began to live with my father He is a liberal in as much as the orthodoxy of religions is concerned. It was through his teachings that I aspired to devote my life to the cause of freedom. But he is not an atheist. He is a firm believer. He used to encourage me for offering prayers daily. So this how I was brought up. In the NonCooperation days I joined the National College. It was there that I began to think liberally and discuss and criticize all the religious problem, even about God. But still I was a devout believer. By that time I had begun to preserve the unshorn and unclipped long hair but I could never believe in the mythology and doctrines of Sikhism or any other religion. But I had a firm faith in God's existence. Later on I joined the revolutionary party. The first leader with whom I came in contact, though not convinced, could not dare to deny the existence of God. On my persistent inquiries about God, he used to say: "Pray whenever you want to." Now this is atheism less courage required for the adoption of that creed. The second leader with whom I came in contact was a firm believer. Let me mention his name respected Comrade Shachindra Nath Sanyal, now undergoing life transportation in connection with the Kakori Conspiracy Case. From the very first page of his famous and only book, Bandi Jivan (or
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Incarcerated Life), the Glory of God is sung vehemently. On the last page of the second part of that beautiful book, his mystic because of vedantism praises showered upon God form a very conspicuous part of his thoughts. "The Revolutionary" distributed throughout India on January 28th, 1925, was according to the prosecution story the result of his intellectual labour. Now, as is inevitable in the secret work the prominent leader expresses his own views which are very dear to his person, and the rest of the workers have to acquiesce in them, in spite of differences which they might have. In that leaflet one full paragraph was devoted to praise the Almighty and His rejoicings and doing. That is all mysticism. What I wanted to point out was that the idea of disbelief had not even germinated in the revolutionary party. The famous Kakori martyrs all four of them passed their last days in prayers. Ram Prasad Bismil was an orthodox Arya Samajist. Despite his wide studies in the field of socialism and communism, Rajen Lahiri could not suppress his desire of reciting hymns of the Upanishads and the Gita. I saw only one man amongst them, who never prayed and used to say: "Philosophy is the outcome of human weakness or limitation of knowledge." He is also undergoing a sentence of transportation for life. But he also never dared to deny the existence of God. Up to that period I was only a romantic idealist revolutionary. Up till then we were to follow. Now come the time to shoulder the whole responsibility. Due to the inevitable reaction for some time the very existence of the party seemed impossible. Enthusiastic comrades nay, leaders began to jeer at us. For some time I was afraid that someday I also might not be
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convinced of the futility of our own programme. That was a turning point in my revolutionary career. "Study" was the cry that reverberated in the corridors of my mind. Study to enable yourself with arguments in favour of your cult. I began to study. My previous faith and convictions underwent methods alone which was so prominent amongst our predecessors, was replaced by serious ideas. No more mysticism, no more blind faith. Realism became our cult. Use of force justifiable when resorted to as a matter of terrible necessity: nonviolence as policy indispensable for all mass movements. So much about methods. The most important thing was the clear conception of the ideal for which we were to fight. As there were no important activities in the field of action I got ample opportunity to study various ideals of the world revolution. I studied Bakunin, the anarchist leader, something of Marx, the father of communism, and much of Lenin, Trotsky and others the men who had successfully carried out a revolution in their country. They were all atheists. Bakunin's God and State, thought only fragmentary, is an interesting study of the subject. Later still I came across a book entitled Common Sense by Nirlamba Swami, It was only a sort of mystic atheism. This subject became of utmost interest to me. By the end of 1926 I had been convinced as to the baselessness of the theory of existence of an almighty supreme being who created, guided and controlled the universe. I had given out this disbelief of mine. I began discussion on the subjects with my friends. I had become a pronounced atheist. But what it meant will presently be discussed.
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In May 1927 I was arrested at Lahore. The arrest was a surprise. I was quite unaware of the fact that the police wanted me. All of a sudden, while passing through a garden, I found myself surrounded by police. To my own surprise, I was very calm at that time. I did not feel any sensation, nor did I experience any excitement. I was taken into police custody. Next day I was taken to the Railway Police lockup where I was to pass full one month. After many day's conversation with the police officials I guessed that they had some information regarding my connection with the Kakori party and my other activities in connection with the revolutionary movement. They told me that I had been to Lucknow while the trial was going on there, that I had negotiated a certain scheme about their rescue, that the after obtaining their approval, we had procured some bombs, that by way of test one of the bombs was thrown in the crowd on the occasion of Dussehra 1926. They further informed me, in my interest, that if I could give any statement throwing some light on the activities of the revolutionary party, I was not to be imprisoned but on the contrary set free and rewarded, even without being produced as an approver in the court. I laughed at the proposal. It was all humbug. People holding ideas like ours do not throw their bombs on innocent people. One fine morning Mr. Newman, the then Senior Superintendent of C.I.D., came to me. And after much sympathetic talk with me,
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imparted to him the extremely sad news that if I did not give any statement as demanded by them, they would be forced to send me up for trial for conspiracy to wage war in connection with Kakari Case and for brutal murders in connection with Dussehra bomb outrage. And he further informed me that they had evidence enough to get me convicted and hanged. In those day I believed through I was quite innocent the police could do it if they desired. That very day certain police officials began to persuade me to offer my prayers to God regularly, both the times. Now I was an atheist. I wanted to settle for myself whether it was in the days of peace and enjoyment alone that I could boast of being an atheist or whether during such hard times as well, I could stick to those principles of mine. After great consideration I decided that I could not lead myself to believe in and pray to God. No, I never did. That was the real test and I came out successful. Never for a moment did I desire to save my neck at the cost of certain other things. So I was a staunch disbeliever; and have ever since been. It was not an easy job to stand that test. 'Belief' softens the hardships, even can make them pleasant. In God man can find very strong consolation and support. Without Him man has to depend upon himself. To stand upon one's own legs amid storms and hurricanes is not a child's play. At such testing moments, vanity if any evaporates and man cannot dare to defy the general beliefs. If he does,
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then we must conclude that he has got certain other strength than mere vanity. This is exactly the situation now. Judgement is already too well known. Within a week it is to be pronounced.What is the consolation with the exception of the idea that I am going to sacrifice my life for a cause? A God believing Hindu might be expecting to be reborn as a king, a Muslim or a Christian might dream of the luxuries to be enjoyed in paradise and the reward he is to get for his suffering and sacrifices. But, what am I to expect? I know the moment under my feet, that will be the final moment that will be the last moment. I, or to be more precise, my soul as interpreted in the metaphysical terminology shall all be finished there. Nothing further. A short life of struggle with no such magnificent end, shall in itself be the reward, if I have the courage to take it in that light. That is all. With no selfish motive or desire to be awarded here or hereafter, quite disinterestedly, have I devoted my life to the cause of independence, because I could not do otherwise. The day we find a great number of men and women with this psychology, who cannot devote themselves to anything else than the service of mankind and emancipation of the suffering humanity, that day shall inaugurate the era of liberty. Not to become a king, nor to gain any other rewards here, or in the next birth or after death in paradise, shall they be inspired to challenge the oppressors, exploiters, and tyrants, but to cast
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off the yoke of serfdom from the neck of humanity and to establish liberty and peace shall they tread this to their individual selves perilous and to their noble selves the only glorious imaginable path. Is the pride in their noble cause to be misinterpreted as vanity? Who dares to utter such an abominable epithet? To him I say either he is a fool or a knave. Let us forgive him for he cannot realize the depth, the emotion, the sentiment and the noble feelings that surge in that heart. His heart is dead as a mere lump of flesh, his eyes are weak, the evils of other interests having been cast over them. Self-reliance is always liable to be interpreted as vanity. It is sad and miserable but there is no help. You go and oppose the prevailing faith, you go and criticize a hero, a great man who is generally believed to be above criticism because he is thought to be infallible, the strength of your argument shall force the multitude to decry you as vainglorious. This is due to the mental stagnation. Criticism and independent thinking are the two indispensable qualities of a revolutionary. Because Mahatamaji is great, therefore none should criticize him. Because he has risen above, therefore everything he says may be in the field of Politics or Religion, Economics or Ethicsis right. Whether you are convinced or not you must say: "Yes, that's true". This mentality does not lead towards progress. It is rather too obviously reactionary. Because our forefathers had set up a faith in some supreme being the Almighty God. Therefore, any man who dares to challenge the validity of that faith, or the very existence of that supreme being, he shall have to be called an apostate, a renegade. If his
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argument are too sound to be refuted by counterarguments and spirit too strong to be cowed down by the threat of misfortunes that may befall him by the wrath of the Almighty, he shall be decried as vain glorious, his spirit to be denominated as vanity. Then, why do waste time in this vain discussion? Why try to argue out the whole thing? This question is coming before the public for the first time, and is being handled in this matter of fact way for the first time, hence this lengthy discussion. As for the first question, I think I have cleared that it is not vanity that has led me to atheism. My way of argument has proved to be convincing or not, that is to be judged by my readers, not me. I know in the present circumstances my faith in God would have made my life easier, my burden lighter, and my disbelief in Him has turned all the circumstances too dry, and the situation may assume too harsh a shape. A little bit of mysticism can make it poetical. But I do not want the help of any intoxication to meet my fate. I am a realist. I have been trying to overpower the instinct in me by the help of reason. I have not always been successful in achieving this end. But man's duty is to try and endeavour, success depends upon chance and environments. As for the second question that if it was not vanity, then there ought to be some reason to disbelieve the old and still prevailing faith of the existence of God. Yes, I come to that now. Reason there is. According to me, any man who has got some
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reasoning power at his command always tries to reason out his environments. Where direct proofs are lacking philosophy occupies the important place. As I have already stated, a certain revolutionary friend used to say that philosophy is the outcome of human weakness. When our ancestors had leisure enough to try to solve out the mystery of this world, its past, present and the future, its whys and wherefores, they having been terribly short of direct proofs, everybody tried to solve the problem in his own way. Hence we find the wide differences in the fundamentals of various religious creeds, which sometimes assume very antagonistic and conflicting shapes. Not only the Oriental and Occidental philosophies differ, there are differences even amongst various schools of thought in each hemisphere. Amongst Oriental religions, the Moslem faith is not at all compatible with Hindu faith. In India alone Buddhism and Jainism are sometimes quite separate from Brahmanism, in which there are again conflicting faiths as Arya Samaj and Sanatan Dharma. Charwak is still another independent thinker of the past ages. He challenged the authority of God in the old times. All these creeds differ from each other on the fundamental question; and everybody considers himself to be on the right. There lies the misfortune. Instead of using the experiments and expressions of the ancient Savants and thinkers as a basis for our future struggle against ignorance and to try to find out a solution to this mysterious problem, we lethargically as we have proved to be, raise the hue and cry of faith, unflinching and unwavering faith to their versions and thus are guilty of stagnation in human progress. Any man who stands for progress has
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to criticize, disbelieve and challenge every item of the old faith. Item by item he has to reason out every nook and corner of the prevailing faith. If after considerable reasoning one is led to believe in any theory or philosophy, his faith is welcomed. His reasoning can be mistaken, wrong, misled, and sometimes fallacious. But he is liable to correction because reason is the guiding star of his life. But mere fait and blind faith is dangerous: it dulls the brain, and makers a man reactionary. A man who claims to be a realist has to challenge the whole of the ancient faith. If it does not stand the onslaught of reason it crumbles down. Then the first thing for him is to shatter the whole down and clear a space for the erection of a new philosophy. This is the negative side. After it begins the positive work in which sometimes some material of the old faith may be used for the purpose of reconstruction. As far as I am concerned, let me admit at the very outset that I have not been able to study much on this pint. I had a great desire to study the Oriental philosophy but I could not get any chance or opportunity to do the same. But so far as the negative study is under discussion, I think I am convinced to the extent of questioning the soundness of the old faith. I have been convinced as to nonexistence of a conscious supreme being who is guiding and directing the movements of nature. We believe in nature and the whole progressive movement aims at the domination of man over nature for his service. There is no conscious power behind it to direct. This is what our philosophy is. As for the negative side, we ask a few question from the 'believers'.
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(1) If, as you believe, there is an almighty, omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent God, who created the earth or world, please let me know why did he create it? This world of woes and miseries, a veritable, eternal combination of numberless tragedies: Not a single soul being perfectly satisfied. Pray, don't say that it is His Law. If he is bound by any law, he is not omnipotent. He is another slave like ourselves. Please don't say that it is his enjoyment. Nero burnt one Rome. He killed a very limited number of people. He created very few tragedies, all to his perfect enjoyment. And, what is his place in History? By what names do the historians mention him? All the venomous epithets are showered upon him. Pages are blackened with invective diatribes condemning Nero, the tyrant, the heartless, the wicked. One Changexkhan sacrificed a few thousand lives to seek pleasure in it and we hate the very name. Then, how are you going to justify your almighty, eternal Nero, who has been, and is still causing numberless tragedies every day, every hour and every minute? How do you think to support his misdoings which surpass those of Changez every single moment? I say why did he create this world a veritable hell, a place of constant and bitter unrest? Why did the Almighty create man when he had the power not to do it? What is the justification for all this? Do you say, to award the innocent sufferers hereafter and to punish the wrongdoers as well? Well, well: How far shall you justify a man who may dare to inflict wounds upon your body to apply a very soft and soothing ointment upon it afterwards? How far the supporters and organizers of the Gladiator institution were justified in throwing men before the half starved furious lions
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to be cared for and well locked after if they could survive and could manage to escape death by the wild beasts? That is why I ask: Why did the conscious supreme being create this world and man in it? To seek pleasure? Where, then, is the difference between him and Nero? You, Mohammadans and Christians: Hindu philosophy shall still linger on to offer another argument. I ask you, what is your answer to the abovementioned question? You don't believe in previous birth. Like Hindus, you cannot advance the argument of previous misdoings of the apparently quite innocent suffers. I ask you, why did the omnipotent labour for six days to create the world though word and each day to say that all was well? Call him today. Show him the past history. Make him study the present situation. Let us see if he dares to say: "All is well." From the dungeons of prisons, from the stores of starvation consuming millions upon millions of human beings in slums and huts, from the exploited labourers, patiently or say apathetically watching the procedure of their blood being sucked by the capitalist vampires, and the wastage of human energy that will make a man with the least common sense shiver with horror, and from the preference of throwing the surplus of production in oceans rather than to distribute amongst the needy producers to the palaces of kings built upon the foundation laid with human bones. . . . let him see all this and let him say: "All is well." Why and wherefore? That is my question. You are silent. Alright then, I proceed.
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Well, you Hindus, you say all the present sufferers belong to the class of sinners of the previous births. Good. You say the present oppressors were saintly people in their previous births, hence they enjoy power. Let me admit that your ancestors were very shrewd people, they tried to find out theories strong enough to hammer down all the efforts of reason and disbelief. But let us analyse how for this argument can really stand. From the point of view of the most famous jurists, punishment can be justified only from three or four ends, to meet which it is inflicted upon the wrongdoer. They are retributive, reformative and deterrent. The retributive theory is now being condemned by all the advanced thinkers. Deterrent theory is also following the same fate. Reformative theory is the only one which is essential and indispensable for human progress. It aims at returning the offender as a most competent and a peace loving citizen to the society. But, what is the nature of punishment inflicted by God upon men, even if we suppose them to be offenders? You say he sends them to be born as a punishments to be 84 lakhs. I ask you: what is its reformative effect upon man? How many men have met you who say that they were born as a donkey in previons birth for having committed any sin? None. Don't quote your Puranas. I have noscope to touch your mythologies. Moreover, do you know that the greatest sin in this world is to be poor? Poverty is a sin, it is a punishment. I ask you how far would you appreciate a criminologist, a jurist or a legislator who proposes such measures of punishment which shall inevitably force men to commit more offences? Had not your God thought of this, or he also had to
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learn these things by experience, but at the cost of untold sufferings to be borne by humanity? What do you think shall be the fate of a man who has been born in a poor and illiterate family of, say, a chamar or a sweeper? He is poor hence he cannot study. He is heated and shunned by his fellow human beings who think themselves to be his superiors having been born in, say, a higher caste. His ignorance, his heart towards society. Suppose he commits a sin, who shall bear the consequences? God, he or the learned ones of the society? What about the punishment of those people who were deliberately kept ignorant by the haughty and egotist Brahmans, and who had to pay the penalty by bearing the stream of being let (not lead) in their ears for having heard a few sentences of your Sacred Books of learning the Vedas? If they committed any offence, who was to be responsible for them and who was to inventions of the privileged ones; they justify their usurped power, riches and superiority by the help of these theories. Yes, it was perhaps Upton Sinclair that wrote at some places that just make a man a believer in immortality and then rob him of all his riches and possessions. He shall help you even in that ungrudgingly. The coalition among the religious preachers and possessors of power brought forth jails, gallows, knouts and these theories. I ask why your omnipotent God does not stop every man when he is committing any sin or offence? He can do it quite easily. Why did he not kill warlords or kill the fury of war in them and thus avoid the catastrophe hurled down on the head of humanity by the Great War? Why does he not just produce a certain sentiment in the mind of the British people to liberate India? Why does he not
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infuse the altruistic enthusiasm in the hearts of all capitalists to forego their rights of personal possessions of means of production and thus redeem the whole laboring community, nay, the whole human society, from the bondage of capitalism? You want to reason out the practicability of socialist theory, I leave it for your almighty to enforce it. People recognise the merits of socialism inasmuch as the general welfare is concerned. They oppose it under the pretext of its being impracticable. Let the Almighty step in and arrange everything in an orderly fashion. Now don't try to advance round about arguments, they are out of order. Let me tell you, British rule is here not because God wills it, but because they possess power and we do not dare to oppose them. Not that it is with the help of God that they are keeping us under their subjection, but it is with the help of guns and rifles, bomb and bullets, police and militia, and our apathy, that they are successfully committing the most deplorable sin against society the ourtrageous exploitation of one nation by another. Where is God? What is he doing? Is he enjoying all these woes of human race? A Nero, a Changez: Down with him. Do you ask me how I explain the origin of this world and origin of man? Alright, I tell you, Charles Darwin has tried to throw some light on the subject. Study him. Read Soham Swami's Common Sense. It shall answer your question to some extent. This is a phenomenon of nature.The accidental mixture of different substances in the shape of nebulace produced this earth. When? Consult history. The same process produced animals and, in the long run, man. Read Darwin's Origin of Species. And all the later progress is due to man's constant conflict with
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nature and his efforts to override it. This is the briefest possible explanation of the phenomenon. You other argument may be just to ask why a child is born blind or lame if not due to his deeds committed in the previous birth? This problem has been explained away by biologists as a mere biological phenomenon. According to them the whole burden rests upon the shoulders of the parents who may be conscious or ignorant of their own deeds which led to mutilation of the child previous to its birth. Naturally, you may ask another question, though it is quite childish in essence. If no god existed, how did the people come to believe in him? My answer is clear and brief. As they came to believe in ghosts and evil spirits; the only difference is that belief in God is almost universal and the philosophy well developed. Unlike certain of the radicals I would not attribute its origin to the ingenuity of the exploiters who wanted to keep the people under their subjection by preaching the existence of a supreme being and then claiming an authority and sanction from him for their privileged positions, though I do not differ with them on the essential point that all faiths, religions, creeds and such other institutions became in turn the mere supporters of the tyrannical and exploiting institutions, men and classes. Rebellion against king is always a sin, according to every religion. As regards the origin of God, my own idea is that having realised the limitation of man, his weaknesses and shortcoming having been taken into consideration, God was brought into imaginary existence to encourage man to face boldly all the trying circumstances, to meet all dangers manfully and to check and restrain his outbursts in prosperity and affluence. God, both will
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his private laws and parental generosity, was imagined and painted in greater details. He was to serve as a deterrent factor when his fury and private laws were discussed, so that man may not become a danger to society. He was to serve as a father, mother, sister and brother, friend and helper, when his parental qualifications were to be explained. So that when man be in great distress, having been betrayed and deserted by all friends, he may find consolation in the idea that an evertrue friend, was still there to help him, to support him and that he was almighty and could do anything. Really that was useful to the society in the primitive age. The idea of God is helpful to main in distress. Society has to fight out this belief as well as was fought the idol worship and the narrow conception of religion. Similarly, when man tries to stand on his own legs and become a realist, he shall have to throw the faith aside, and to face manfully all the distress, trouble, in which the circumstances may throw him. That is exactly my state of affairs. It is not my vanity, my friends. It is my mode of thinking that has made me an atheist. I don't know whether in my case belief in God and offering of daily prayers which I consider to be most selfish and degraded act on the part of man, whether these prayers can prove to be helpful or they shall make my case worse still. I have read of atheists facing all troubles quite boldly; so am I trying to stand like a man with an erect head to the last, even on the gallows. Let us see how I carry on. One friend asked me to pray. When informed of my atheism, he said: "During your last days
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you will begin to believe." I said: "No, dear Sir, it shall not be. I will think that to be an act of degradation and demoralization on my part. For selfish motives I am not going to pray." Readers and friends: Is this "vanity"? If it is, I stand for it. -Bhagat Singh Source: www.shahidbhagatsingh.org/index.asp?link=atheist
Quotes for Freethinkers
Anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the power to make you commit injustices. - Voltaire, 1767
Intellectual honesty is a skill that has to be learned and a virtue that has to be practiced; it often requires you to accept unpleasant conclusions. - J. Hodges
http://www.godlessgeeks.com/LINKS/Debate.html
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Criticism of Islam
Let us check more about the religion of peace -Islam. Criticisms on islam has first done by christians, who were mugged under the islamic caliphate and one such kind of christian is john of damascus and he wrote a book on islamic doctrines and he argued that islamic doctrines or nothing more than a hodgepodge culled from bible. islam is a monotheistic religion and they boasted that allah is the only one god and no other gods exist and every one should obey their rules. If anyone has violated their rules he will be punished by allah and allah will purify the thoughts of the people and he is the protector from satan. Well, if it’s true then why many muslim majority countries are not developed, development means not in terms of economy but in terms of their individual values? If allah is the very powerful god then why he wanted people to do prayers and reciting of koran? Though if you did that what would happen? How is it helpful to you? Can you express your thoughts freely? No, you cannot if you dare enough to do that you will be killed. Let’s have some examples on that. One Bangladesh writer
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Taslima Nasrin has written the book named as Lazza and she questioned the some damn rules of islam. Because of that she was hunted and is now living in exile in India.In democratic countries any one can express their ideas and views but this religion suppresses it and won’t accept all these. People think that islam is a very peaceful religion. Almost all muslims live under delusion. In Thailand, though the Muslims account for a mere 4.6% of population, yet have been spreading fear among the indigenous buddhists of the region, using violence and brutality. They have resorted to the random killing of buddhists, including school teachers and buddhist monks. January in 2011 nine Buddhists have been killed in southern Thailand by Islamic terrorists. In a separate attack four members of Thai armed forces have been killed. Many Buddhists have left their traditional home in southern Thailand in order to escape the ongoing Islamic insurgency. Southern Thailand resembles modern day Afghanistan and Somalia because in both these nations the radical sunni Islamists show their extreme intolerance of other faiths. In addition to buddhists, moderate muslims are also being killed by radical sunni Islamic fanatics of southern Thailand. The methodology of killing is intended to spread fear to all who oppose the Islamization of
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southern Thailand. if allah is the protector from sinners then what is all these??Where is he hiding?? according to islam holy koran (sura 191) these are the very few examples of peace in islam religion. This is not over its the beginning of the damn brutality of islam religion. Who gave the right to kill the people ??allah??Then fuck him. There is no right to take other lives because of their selfishness. islam is the worst religion which gave the very least value to woman. In muslim majority countries there is no rights to woman to express their ideas. Amazingly sex is a sin in that countries if it is true then how all those people engendered?? Did allah created them?? Use your commonsense don’t go blindly. Why people are behaving like this? Oh, may be allah told them to do so, because he is our one and only god right? if allah is present then why all these violence is happening??You know the lowest-ranked country is Yemen, where 55 percent of women are illiterate, 79 percent do not participate in the labor force, and just one woman elected in the 301-personparliament. Horrific news reports about 12-year-old girls dying in childbirth due to child marriages . Instead, demonstrations in support of child marriage outstrip those
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against it, fueled by clerical declarations that opponents of state-sanctioned pedophilia are apostates because the Prophet Mohammed, according to them, married his second wife, Aisha, when she was a child. is this the reason?? Name me an Arab country, and I'll recite a litany of abuses by culture and religion. When more than 90 percent of ever-married women in Egypt have had their genitals cut in the name of modesty. When Egyptian women are subjected to humiliating "virginity tests" merely for speaking out, it's no time for silence. When an article in the Egyptian criminal code says that if a woman has been beaten by her husband "with good intentions" no punitive damages can be obtained, then to hell with political correctness. And what, pray tell, are "good intentions"? They are legally deemed to include any beating that is "not severe" or "directed at the face." What all this means is that when it comes to the status of women in the Middle East, it's not better than you think. It's much, much worse. Even after these more or less considered well with the world as long as women are covered up, anchored to the home, denied the simple mobility of getting into their own cars, forced to get permission from men to travel, and unable to marry without a male guardian's blessing -- or divorce either. This is the situation of
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woman in Islamic countries and other countries like united states is also lagging behind in the matters of woman because they yet to select a female as their president. Now if we consider the education system in islam religion i don’t know why they put their religious things into the schools and they named it as MADARASA. In those schools they brainwash the children and they will not allow them to have right to education. You know it’s very hard to do being as children but they were force to do that, in those schools they just taught about their religion and their religious rules basically which are useless. See education should be in a manner that where we can learn by free thinking and analyzing the nature that will helpful to humans but apart from that religious things will not give any sense to students moreover it kills the commonsense of the people. Consider if you ask any one "How the life evolved in our earth??" they just simply tell that god created us. If really god created the earth then why tsunamis, earthquakes are happening?? Because of the natural disasters lots of lives were losing then what is god doing?? Is he enjoying?? If life of the earth is created by god then what about the evolution theory and other theories which proved that life is not created by anyone it’s
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created by affinity of the nature. Why I said all these means if you tell the same thing in islamic countries they simply torn your body .Basically some of these madarasas are the origin for the terrorism and they named it as JIHAD what it means “A holy war waged by Muslims against infidels” who the hell are they to force us that their god is great. If allah is the only powerful god then what is necessity to fight with others? Does he told them to fight with infidels? The answer is YES the Koran itself told that if you were not a muslim you are the main enemy to them. Best example is one man named Vimal Patak. He is a Bangladeshi hindu and was walking before a mosque. After Friday prayers were over, muslim devotees came and they grabbed him into the mosque and he was beaten to death and they chanted that “KILL THE KHAFIR”.(source:FAITH FREEDOM INTERNATIONAL) Is that fair? Killing the people and forcing the people is not tolerable. TRUTH has no need of faith or belief, you can see it if it exists. If someone forcing to make you believe, then it’s absolutely FALSE. And this is not done with this issue the list is far more than you think. So Just think what is the value given to human life? Don’t do stupid
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things under the mask of the worst religion and it will be grateful if you use your commonsense and accept the truth, Not the god and not the dogmas. Salman Rushdie was hunted for writing a fictional book called “Satanic Verses”. Ayan Hirsi Ali’s friend who directed the movie “Submission” was brutally murdered. All these are examples of how violent islam is. The word peaceful-islam is oxymoron and those who follow islam are morons. This violent religion should be made extinct as soon as possible. -Stark Quotes for Freethinkers
Source : http://www.antireligion.com/
"The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one."
"At present there is not a single credible established religion in the world."
-George Bernard Shaw, Irish-born English playwright (1856-1950)
“Lighthouses are more helpful than churches."
-Benjamin Franklin, American Founding Father, author, and inventor
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"Faith is the commitment of one's consciousness to beliefs for which one has no sensory evidence or rational proof. A mystic is a man who treats his feelings as tools of cognition. Faith is the equation of feeling with knowledge. "
-Ayn Rand, Russian-born American author (1905-1982)
"I'm glad some people have that faith. I don't have that faith. If there is a God, a caring God, then we have to figure he's done an extraordinary job of making a very cruel world."
-Dave Matthews, South African rock musician
"It may be that our role on this planet is not to worship God, but to create him."
"Religion is a byproduct of fear. For much of human history, it may have been a necessary evil, but why was it more evil than necessary? Isn’t killing people in the name of God a pretty good definition of insanity?"
-Arthur C. Clarke, author
From the age of forty he was, to use his own words, a complete dis-believer in Christianity. He professed himself an Agnostic, regarding the problem of the universe as beyond our solution, "For myself," he wrote, "I do not believe in any revelation. As for a future life, every man must judge for himself between conflicting vague probabilities."
"The mystery of the beginning of all things is insoluble by us, and I for one must be content to remain an agnostic."
"It appears to me (whether rightly or wrongly) that direct arguments against christianity and theism produce hardly any effect on the public; and freedom of thought is best promoted by the gradual illumination of men’s minds which follows from the advance of science." -Charles Robert Darwin, English naturalist (1809-1882)
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Daily Kos: What it’s like to be an Atheist
A good humorous article at www.dailykos.com . The author uses Santa as example of God to show how ridiculous religion is.Here are few excerpts: “Imagine that you live in a world where 90% of the people around you sincerely believe in something that appears to you to be downright whacky, if perhaps relatively pleasant on the surface in many respects. Say they believe in Santa Claus; beard, the big red suit, the flying reindeer, the sled loaded with a billion gifts, the North Pole Workshop, Mrs. Claus and the elves; all of it.But in this fantasy world, they're not content merely to believe in Santa Claus, they want you to publicly agree all the time that you also believe in Santa, in their specific version of same, and they pressure everyone else in numerous ways to pretend that they're not strange or childish for believing in this. They don't just limit it at that even, they insist everyone kiss their ass about their Santa belief every damn day of their lives and if you don't humor them at the drop of hat under any circumstances, you're being disrespectful, you're out of line. No matter how much you humor them, they always demand more.” “Imagine that if you even voice the possibility that Santa might be a pleasant legend or some aspects of the story may be more allegorical in nature rather than literal, at the local school board meeting when this issue comes up, you're shouted down, called everything from a Nazi to a demon to a terrorist, exiled from the neighborhood and maybe isolated at work.” You don't understand what's going on, none of this Santa stuff makes any sense and there's zero evidence for it, why can't everyone just admit that? What's the big conspiracy about? Why is everyone pretending there really is a Santa? Then it slowly dawns on you, around age ten or
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eleven ... the chilling, horrible truth: They're Not Pretending. They REALLY Do Believe There Is a Santa Claus. Egads! Holy Shit! You suddenly feel a little bit lonely at age sixteen as you come to realize that you may surrounded by fully grown adults who are delusional incompetents that cannot distinguish fiction from fact and are enthralled by some kind of massive group hysteria! They're most of them all like that! And they all think you're nuts for not buying into their delusion! What the hell is wrong with these fucking people, can't they see how crazy this shit is.”
“…….members of the same group are attacking you in an even louder voice claiming you are trying to ruin or cancel Christmas, and they demand that you be forced to celebrate it and participate in each and every Santa Claus ritual they personally deem requisite. It's pretty clear to you now: These seemingly normal people are not just fucking insane when it comes to Santa, they're incoherent, dangerously unbalanced, demanding mutually exclusive sets of behavior from you that would be impossible to comply with. Now imagine: Just two or three-hundred years ago it was totally SOP to take folks, men, women, children, who didn't believe in a specific version of Santa and stick red-hot steel objects into their rectums and vaginas, boil their limbs, beat them senseless with padded clubs, tear them apart with teams of horses, cut open their stomachs and rip out their intestines while they're still alive in front of their loved ones, or slowly burn them alive in public; all in the name of Santa's good will and often on the mere anonymous allegation from some two-bit ten-year old kid or a crazy deranged nutcase suffering from schizophrenia that you once said you don't believe Santa can really fly. Now imagine that that still goes on in some parts of the world AND there's a whole bunch of people in your country who are clamoring to bring that all back.”
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Criticism of Christianity
Here we are to discuss more about the Christianity and its dogmas. Consider the funniest origin of the humanity in Christian perspective. Jesus(or god or whatever) had created the earth in six days before he took rest. According to them, jesus is the only god and he is very kind and powerful. If he is the powerful god then why he took six days?? This simply says that jesus can’t create earth in less than 6 days and suggests a limit to his power. And this disproves the claim that jesus had unlimited power. Next, he created ADAM& EVE. This would be a rather astonishing ‘creation’, it opposes the scientifically proven ‘evolution’. How does god created the people and why he created? Why he created only two people? Then ‘he’ said not to eat an apple on the knowledge tree but they eventually ate it and had gained knowledge. This simply says that jesus prohibits knowledge. But knowledge is the base of human improvement and thereby implies god simply prohibits human improvement. What kind of god prohibits human improvement? The most horrifying concept is ‘hell’. Hell is a damnation given as the result of a person’ sins(let us suppose real sin). This simply is justice. But jesus preaches love and forgiveness. This is
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simply a proof of what jesus preaches and does. Now Love. Love is a kind of admiration of another s’ values and attitude. We cannot love our enemies because we hate their values, a person cannot love his murderer. But Jesus preaches to love everyone. Loving everyone is a contradiction to the concept of love, even Jesus cannot love Satan. Loving all is equal to loving none. It is said that jesus is our shepherd. This implies that we are sheep and not human and we cannot think and must act according to jesus. This is opposite to the well-known fact that we are “human” and we are the most intellectual creatures on earth(than god, since the concept “god” is for human and not for animals). A person saying that “Lord is my shepherd” indirectly agreeing that he is not human at all and rejecting human knowledge i.e, science.
Brutality against scientists: There were scientists throughout the centuries who opposed the religious beliefs and brutally killed. Some of the theories which oppose the doctrines of Christianity are Charles Darwin human evolution theory, Copernican helio-centric theory. These are scientifically proven theories which increased the human knowledge to a great
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extent. But to Christianity, we are living on a flat earth created 5000 years ago, and our earth is the center of the solar system and universe. Copernicus was killed for his helio-centric theory and Galileo was home arrested until his death for his experiments in science. What kind of god preaches to do all these?
Christian atrocities: The most famous Christian atrocities are Christian colonialism, witch burning and anti-Semitism. Witch hunting is an era from 1484 to 1750 where hundreds of thousands of females were killed. In 15th century Crusades against Hussites, thousands are slain. In 1538, pope Paul III declared Crusade against apostate England and all English as slaves of Church (fortunately had not power to go into action). In 1568, Spanish Inquisition Tribunal ordered extermination of 3 million rebels in (then Spanish) Netherlands. Thousands were actually slain. In 1572, In France about 20,000 Huguenots were killed on command of pope Pius V. Until 17th century 200,000 fled. In 17th century Catholics slay Gaspard de Coligny, a Protestant leader. After murdering him, the Catholic mob mutilated his body, "cutting off his head, his hands, and his genitals... and then
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dumped him into the river [...but] then, deciding that it was not worthy of being food for the fish, they hauled it out again [... and] dragged what was left ... to the gallows of Montfaulcon, 'to be meat and carrion for maggots and crows'." In 17th century Catholics sack the city of Magdeburg/Germany roughly 30,000 Protestants were slain. "In a single church fifty women were found beheaded," reported poet Friedrich Schiller, "and infants still sucking the reasts of their lifeless mothers." 17th century 30 years' war (Catholic vs. rotestant) at least 40% of population decimated, mostly in Germany. In modern times, the persecution of Sanal Edamaruku, a prominent rationalist and atheist in India, because he revealed the so called “miracle” water coming out of catholic statue is nothing but drainage water seeping through capillary action. He has to escape from India. Just like any other religions, Christianity is a curse on society and should be stopped at the earliest. Free society should be free of Christianity. Reference: Notachristian.com -Stark
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Science, Religion and Secularism
Science is based on nature and reason. Religion is based on faith and mysticism. While Science updates itself whenever it is wrong, religion becomes even more adamant when it is found wrong. Religious people think that it is a test of faith to believe in utterly discredited theories and stupid claims of religion in the face of evidence and knowledge produced by science. To protect sane people from the oppression of religion, the government and religion should be separate. This is secularism. Government should never back any religion. The importance of secularism comes to light when we compare freedom and rights enjoyed by people living in secular nations with that of religious countries. The best examples are India and Pakistan respectively. In India you can profess a religion, convert into another religion and will be protected by laws from religious persecution. However, in Pakistan, where Islam is the official religion, minorities are persecuted and Islamic laws are forced on them. When a minister belonging to the Christianity argued for rights of minorities to pray to their own god, he was killed. When a young girl tore a Koran book, angry mobs wanted the girl to be hanged. Unless you convert to Islam, you cannot live peacefully. But even that is doubtful, as two sects of Islam called Shias and Sunnis, fight violently and you too would be a part of it. Whenever a religion is followed by majority of the people or officially accepted by government, then minorities of different faiths and nonbelievers(atheists) will be persecuted, harmed and then genocide will follow if not stopped. In Arab countries like Egypt, the supporters of
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child marriages are more than those opposing it. This is because their prophet mohammad married a 12 year old girl. This type of nonsense can only be stopped when science and secular values are spread widely and freethinkers like atheists counter the religious mobs. The need of atheists need not be stressed. God and religion are utter nonsense and violently oppressive ideas. To break them and free your thoughts from their tyranny requires a lot of effort, will power, knowledge and integrity. The easiest way is to ask yourself why you don’t believe in another religion and then apply it to your own. This will show that all religions are man-made delusions. You should look at science for explanation instead of religion whenever in doubt. From the origin of species to formation of universe, science tries to find the truth. Science is a method of finding evidence, testing them, discarding it if found wrong, and forming knowledge based on what is found to be right. Science updates itself very quickly. Science doesn’t accept authorities. When Einstein opposed quantum physics, scientists didn’t give him any importance because experiments are proving him wrong. Only truth matters in science.Not authority or dogma or tradition. However, since religion is based on faith, it never updates. Take a religion and look at it’s history 50 or 500 years ago. It’s essential principles, dogmas, myths, attitudes don’t change. Any change if occurred is that of secular values like human rights, separation of church and state, freedom of expression backed by freethinkers but almost all religious people will be happy to go back to their dark age. Religion oppresses people and want them to live like slaves fearing god who doesn’t exist. As for charity the religion does, it is mostly sham as even alqueda and other terrorist religious groups use it as a screen to get good will and supporters. Go to any hindu religious centers, you will see
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free food facilities done out of charity. But a quick glance will reveal the discrimination and sham of it as the food is supplied separately based on caste. You will realize the ugly face of religion based stupidity even at the most basic human need – food. Science is universal. It doesn’t care about caste, religion etc. Anyone can use it and enjoy. Secular values are absolutely necessary if science has to spread. Otherwise christian science, jewish science, Islamic education, hindu dharma education and other such non-sense will spread. It is because of free thinkers,who questioned religion, that the scientific facts of evolution are not censored and are still taught to children. Otherwise so called christian science or Intelligent design(which states tht earth is 4000 years old, and an entity made humans and that dinosaurs and humans lived together!) will be taught and people will become hypocrites like those at ISRO who bring a rocket model to Tirupati, a hindu religious center, before the launch. As long as such stupidity exists, freethinkers should continue combating religious superstitions and dogmas and protect secular values like freedom of expression and human rights using science and media. Only then society would be free. For those who are trying to find alternate way or philosophy of life on which they can base their morals, then they can look out for ayn Rand’s Objectivism , Anarchism, Nihilism, Rationalism, Humanism etc., but most freethinkers get morals on their own thinking using reason and science. After all it is your life and you should decide. -Sohe
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Resources
For more information: http://richarddawkins.net www.thereligionofpeace.com http://stop-islamisation-eu.blogspot.com/ http://www.islam-watch.org http://www.memri.org www.jihadwatch.org http://barenakedislam.com www.srai.org http://humanistassociation.org http://therationalistsociety.com http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayaan_Hirsi_Ali http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theo_van_Gogh_(film_direcotor) http://www.theahafoundation.org http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_atheists http://www.argumentsforatheism.com/famous.html http://www.argumentsforatheism.com/famous.html http://www.godlessgeeks.com/JesusExist.htm http://www.godlessgeeks.com/LINKS/Humor.html http://www.infidels.org/org/ http://www.atheistscholar.org/FilmsandBooks/Films.aspx
Carl Sagans simple but analysis of disprovable claims http://www.godlessgeeks.com/LINKS/Dragon.htm for proofs often used by religious people visit : http://www.godlessgeeks.com/LINKS/GodProof.htm Humorous proofs that god doesn’t exist(parody of religious proofs) http://www.tektonics.org/guest/300proof.html http://www.squidoo.com/CelebrityAtheists
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http://www.squidoo.com/AtheistCharacters www.squidoo.com/AtheistMovies http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_atheists_in_film,_radio,_television_and_theater http://atheistmovies.blogspot.com/ http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/27.Notable_Atheist_Books http://commonsenseatheism.com/?p=3545 http://www.booktalk.org/atheism-books.html http://www.amazon.com/Top-25-books-atheism-reason/lm/R2FZ2TV7UAKNGV http://www.amazon.com/Best-Atheist-Books/lm/R1VNSPJQ2IGHGH http://www.amazon.com/atheism-books/lm/FNUAQL42AWHW http://www.amazon.com/Best-Atheist-Books/lm/R1VNSPJQ2IGHGH http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_atheist_and_agnostic_philosophers http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_atheists http://www.scottklarr.com/topic/486/list-of-books-for-atheists-agnostics-and-free-thinkers/ http://www.atheistrev.com/2008/10/atheism-101-reading-list.html http://www.imdb.com/list/prd1p2lMhVU/ http://xkcd.com/ http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=195533 http://therationalistsociety.com http://atheistsunited.org/ www.atheistnexus.org/group/indianatheists www.secular.org/ http://bornatheist.com/organizaitons.html www.atheists-online.com/links.asp http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_secularist_organizations www.atheistalliance.org/ https://atheists.org www.atheists-online.com/links.asp http://www.antireligion.com/
Humorous proofs that god doesnt exist http://www.tektonics.org/guest/300proof.html Why Atheism and Nonsense of Christianity. http://www.godlessgeeks.com/WhyAtheism.htm
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Read: Why I am not a christian by Bertrand Russell God is not great: how religion poisons everything by Christopher Hitchens End of Faith by Sam Harris God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
Movies&Documentaries to watch: Paul(2011) Religulous by bill Maher Monty Python’s life of Brian Slumdog Millionaire Angels & Demons Dasavatharam Water by Deepa Mehta Fire by Deepa Mehta Innocence of Muslims Root of All evil by Richard Dawkins
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CREDITS
Background Image: SID
Logo Design: KRANTI
Remaining images and articles are property of their owners.
Contributors : SOHE, STARK, RAVEN ALAB, ANJI, ROHI PRAVEEN
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Last Words
If you don‟t like any of what is written, it‟s fine. But you don‟t have right to object to our expression just as I don‟t have right to stop you from expressing your views. This is an attempt to help people realize that religion is not everything on which life must depend and that they can live without religion or god. Most of the contents of this magazine are due to freethinkers all over the world who bravely defended reason and freedom of expression against irrational religious idiots. Hope that you enjoyed reading it. If at any time in your life, you get the spark of reason and freedom, then this book is to make sure that the spark is not extinguished. If atleast one person is changed, then the goal of this magazine is reached. -Freethinkers
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