Free thinkers Reason-Freedom-Curiosity Free thinkers 1 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. Freethinkers magazine, Issue 1 ,Religious Rampage Free thinkers 2 Dedicated to all freethinkers of past, present and future! Editors: Sohith Dinesh [email protected] [email protected] sohith.wordpress.com Freethinkers magazine, Issue 1 ,Religious Rampage Free thinkers 3 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 Freethinkers magazine, Issue 1 ,Religious Rampage 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! Free thinkers 1 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. Freethinkers magazine, Issue 1 ,Religious Rampage Free thinkers 2 „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 Freethinkers magazine, Issue 1 ,Religious Rampage Free thinkers 3 This page is intentionally NOT left Blank! Freethinkers magazine, Issue 1 ,Religious Rampage Free thinkers 4 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 Freethinkers magazine, Issue 1 ,Religious Rampage Free thinkers 5 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. Freethinkers magazine, Issue 1 ,Religious Rampage Free thinkers 6 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! Freethinkers magazine, Issue 1 ,Religious Rampage Free thinkers 7 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. Freethinkers magazine, Issue 1 ,Religious Rampage Free thinkers 8 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.