The finals week is finally over and I am feeling so relieved, free and bored! I was feeling so bored that I had to watch 5 back-to-back episodes of "Sex and the City" to get myself in the mood....to write. People, specially Indians, often ask me this question "Why don't you believe in god?". My response to this is so big and blunt that most people would get offended and yes, bored. But during past three months, I actually promised at least two friends to compile my thought about this. So here I go.
Lets first warm up a bit! In the following video, you can replace "fool" with "kafirr" if you are a Muslim and with "adharmi" if you are a Hindu. You would be at home, in case you are Christian. Wtch the video to know, what I am talking about.
The next video is really funny and is not for people who feel too strongly about their religion/faith. So don't watch it if you can not take some light hearted humor.
This video is hilarious but in fact, raises some very fundamental and obvious questions about the existence for god. We often overlook these basic questions and start debating (and preaching) on complex topics without addressing the basic premises for these topics.
Although I have so much to write on this issue. But the idea of god seems so much fundamentally flawed to me that I think, I don't need to go into gory details of holy scriptures to present my case strongly. I would like to make just three points to present my thoughts on the subject.
First, I am an atheist because I was born an atheist. In fact everybody is born innocent, lovely and atheist. When we are born we have absolutely no idea about god or religion or our culture or language or world. So why some people become Muslims, some become Christians, some Jews or Hindus. So, instead of "why I am an atheist" the real question should be why have "you" become a Muslim or Christian? Why do most people believe in the religion they believe in? Think about it. You are a Christian Protestant not because you were born a Christian Protestant or liked that belief and got converted, but simply because your parents were Christian Protestants. Because you have been told right from the beginning that it is the only right way. Because you were told not to ask question about it. You must have asked questions like why a table is called a table or why does "B" comes after "A" why not "C". Your parents like my parents would have replied that its the way it is and then we never asked questions about these things. We only ask question in areas where we are allowed to questions or where we expect to get some answers. Our parents didn't know the answers as they never got any answers from their parents. The questions about table and ABC are trivial but the question about god or religion is not. Think about it, my Muslim friends. You believe that Allah is the only God and Muhammad is his messenger. You are deeply religious, pray five times, fast during Ramadan, don't eat pork. Its good. But think, if you would have born in country side in Italy in a orthodox Christian family, you would have been believing in "father, son and holy spirit", would have been praying in Church in front of idols and would argue that Muslims are mistaken people who would go to hell on judgement day because they don't believe that Christ was son of God.
Forget about any irrationalities in the details of your religion. For five minutes, I believe what is written in Koran is true. I am ready to believe in Bible, old testament, new testament, Gita (Hindu scripture) and all other holy books and beliefs. Even in the belief of some tribe living in jungles of Africa, who worship a stone god for rain and food and offer human sacrifice in return. But I can not believe in each of them simultaneously because they all contradict each other and I have no way to choose between them and say that this religion is the only true religion. I would not claim that my religion is the only true religion because everybody is claiming that and I should have something concrete if I claim that too. And everybody is claiming that because they really believe that it is true. But wait, something is wrong here. You could have been arguing in favour of those African tribals with equal zeal if they would you would have born in that tribe. Simple. So you and I have no moral right, whatsoever to proclaim the superiority of our religion or belief. So I have no reason to believe in one religion or the other. Suppose I got ride of my backlog of religious faith imposed by my parents and society, which religion should I choose then. Try to think with open open mind why do you follow you religion and would you have believed in god the same way that you currently believe in if you had born to different parents in a different part of the world? Would you have been wrong then or are you currently wrong. Try to write down the reasons in favour of our answer.
Second, I really miss god. I seriously wish I could believe in god. Life would have been much easier. Before you start preaching from your holy scriptures to save my soul, let me first clarify my stance. People turn to god in their hour of distress and pain. Their belief, even though false, helps them to coup with their troubled lives. If something bad happens, people believe that what happened was their fate and was the divine plan. They go on to the next task without any guilty feeling of the faults they had committed earlier. They would pray to god and would have faith that god is with them and that gives them tremendous confidence. So is this a bad thing? I think, yes. Its like taking drugs to relive the mental pain and provide you that euphoric feeling. This is escapism. This why Marx calls religion "the opium of masses". And at least I don't need opium to live my life. I would like to face life by looking straight into its eyes like a man. If its hard I will face it. If I make mistakes, I would admit them or at least try to learn from them. If I fall flat, I wont put the blame on someone else. If I make a plan, I wont count on god's helping hand in it. Believe me, this make life tough. But I don't have any other option. I am open to the idea of god and spend a lot of my leisure time studying different religions and schools of thoughts. But more deep I look into a religion more ugly it becomes. But please, I am sick of those people who wants to save my soul. I would be more than happy to debate the issue but I don't want to listen the preaching that assumes the existence of god. All this becomes a waste of time because everything scriptures say is based on the very fact that I don't believe in.
Third, What I think, is the real battle? Science vs religion is not the right issue to discuss. Nor is eastern vs western civilization the main conflict point. I don't think there is any fundamental point of difference between Abrahamic religions vs rest. To me, this conflict is basically between irrational blind faith and the modern rational, logical mind. To me, this is a conflict between modernity and anti-modernism. While some people want to go forward, others are trying to go back. It is a conflict between the future and the past, between innovation and tradition, between those who value freedom and those who do not.[1] The real battle is reason vs blind faith, its backwardness vs modernization, its intolerance vs inclusiveness, its extremism vs moderation, its logic of power vs power of logic.
The battle is going on and I am optimistic that forces of reason would prevail. As Bertrand Russell puts it:
"Reason may be a small force, but it is constant and works always in one direction, while the forces of unreason destroy one another in futile strife. Therefore every orgy of unreason in the end strengthens the friends of reason, and shows afresh that they are the only true friends of humanity."
But again, before we become extremist atheists and launch some kind of crusade or witch hunt, there is another unanswered critical question. Is religion in its moderate form really an evil thing? Is even the concept of a personal god really harm full? Should we let people worship stones unless they don't throw these stone at us? I think, religion in its moderate form is still unreasonable, but not that bad. Religion, if treated as a personal issue and is not binding might in fact help the society in some ways. After all, even drugs are beneficial as painkillers, if taken with care and advise. I personally have no problems in going along with people from different faiths and backgrounds and in fact like religion a lot. But as I said before, I cant adopt it. Its just so illogical to me.
But having said that, the concept of religion and god seems too dangerous and primitive to me. Religion is fundamentally based on blind faith and false assumptions. Lack of reason is at its core. This is the prime reason that religious fundamentalists are able to muster support from the moderate masses. That is the reason that rulers have used religion as a tool to suppress masses. Faith is one thing that nobody can reason about because it is fundamentally unreasonable. Every religion has exploited and fooled people in the name of god. And people become fool again and again simply because they ARE fools. They are fools because they believed in false concepts at the first place.
Anyways, we actually don't have a choice. Religion is so much intermingled with our culture, society and value system that we cant really imagine a godless world in the near future. So I like it or not, I will have to learn to live with god in the society and follow its culture. But I would continue to live my life in the rational way. What would happen in the future is hard to predict, but I think, religion would become largely meaningless if not obsolete in the years to come.
I know that I am an ignorant fool in the eyes of most people। I am an infidel and would go to hell. All I would like to say is that:
हाँ वो नहीं खुदा परस्त जाओ वो बेवफ़ा सही,
जिसको हो दीन-ओ-दिल अज़ीज़ उसकी गली में जाये क्यों?
I, too have some unreasonable habits and quoting Ghalib is just one of them.
References:
[1] - Taslima Nasreen on Islamic Fundamentalism http://humanists.net/nasrin/harvard%20lecture.htm"
December 15, 2007 at 8:54 PM
After reading your whole post what came to my mind is that you do believe in GOD(The Real God) !!
I agree with your point that all religions have made a mess with the work "GOD" which is being considered to be a deity or a father that resides in the heaven.
I do not believe in diety nor father in heaven but still I am a theist... See how
I remember the quote which I heard from some saint some 10 years " Sabd hi Brahm hai" ( Words are God ). You might have also heard people saying "Cleanliness is Godliness"
Adding to it I say
"Love is God"
"Brotherhood is God",
"Friendship is God",
"Logic is God" ,
"Helping someone in need is God".
God is in doing your duties with full responsibility , being a good employee/employeer, a good father, husband, daughter .. blah blah ..God is in peace God is in the happiness that you get when you get your first good job, God is in the joy when you meet an old friend,God is in the moment when someone says that he/she truly loves you,God is in being deeply engrossed studying your favourite subject, God is in singing the song you like the most and dancing on its tunes, God is enjoying the first snowfall (which I did today).God is in everything that makes "YOU" happy.
We have been told by our parents that dont hurt any person, dont fight, be clean .. and blah blah ...
You go anywhere in the world be it Africa or America "Love, Care, Friendship, Knowledge, Help" are something which brings smile to every face ... it doesnt ask whether you believe in God or not.
When you help someone then you receive positive vibrations(proven by science) from the person you helped and and it gives
you immense energy to you maybe to accomplish your much awaited task, which we generally define as blessings".
All the above good practises were termed as "GOD" so that people follow them religiously and lead a successful and a happy life.If you believe in living life happily, with all the prosperity and giving meaning to your life then you do believe in God and that is what religion was established for, people have twisted its form for their selfish ends but we are no fools who will keep following the herd.
I strongly believe in the fact that there is some power which controls our life at some point or the other.
If you trust in Astrology it will not be hard for you to believe in that super power. Astrology is nothing but again pure Mathematics and logic .. try unraveling how astrology governs one's life and you might start believing in the super power stuff !!
Looking forward for a new blog on Astrology :)
Cheers ..Keep Blogging
December 16, 2007 at 1:32 AM
{After reading your whole post what came to my mind is that you do believe in GOD(The Real God) !!}
Where did you get that feeling? I deliberately tried not to be blunt in my post. But, I have nowhere stated directly or indirectly That I believe in god. I don't know what do you exactly mean by a "Real God". But, to state it more clearly, I not only do not believe in god, I am anti-religion and anti-god because the whole concept to me seems absurd and extremely dangerous for humankind.
{You go anywhere in the world be it Africa or America "Love, Care, Friendship, Knowledge, Help" are something which brings smile to every face ... it doesnt ask whether you believe in God or not.}
Completely agree with you unless we go into details as perception of good is different for different people.
{When you help someone then you receive positive vibrations(proven by science) from the person you helped and and it gives
you immense energy to you maybe to accomplish your much awaited task, which we generally define as blessings".}
I heard that in Aanand, the movie :). Can you provide some links about vibration theory? Looks interesting.
{All the above good practices were termed as "GOD" so that people follow them religiously and lead a successful and a happy life.If you believe in living life happily, with all the prosperity and giving meaning to your life then you do believe in God and that is what religion was established for, people have twisted its form for their selfish ends but we are no fools who will keep following the herd.}
You might be true. May be we would never know. According to most sources, people who formed religions were no so innocent. Jesus claimed to be son of god and said all should believe it if they don't want to go to hell. Muhammad said that he is the last and final messenger and whoever doest believe him is kafir and should be killed. Krishna claimed that he is the God. Each one of them at least claimed that that they have heard the word of god and are his messenger and everybody else is a lier. Then they defined what god say is good and moral. Holy scriptures are full of "good" things that cant be claimed moral in anyways in todays world. I am not sure when was religion clean and pristine as you claim.
{I strongly believe in the fact that there is some power which controls our life at some point or the other.}
What make you believe that so strongly?
{If you trust in Astrology it will not be hard for you to believe in that super power.}
No I don't.
{Astrology is nothing but again pure Mathematics and logic .. try unraveling how astrology governs one's life and you might start believing in the super power stuff !!}
Can you provide some arguments in favor of your claim. Astrologers are still making calculations based on the assumption that earth is the center of the universe and sun, moon are planets. They have imagined rahu and ketu as planets that our telescopes could never find. By the way, do you remember when was the last time that astrologers predicted some natural disaster or tragedy and saved lives? Or provided any meaningful contribution to the society except to cheat and fool ignorant masses?
{Cheers ..Keep Blogging}
Thanks for the comments. i would try to keep putting my thoughts on the blog.
December 17, 2007 at 2:11 AM
December 17, 2007 at 2:20 AM
nice it was, i would like to say I am simply agree with you on two points
1.we are told like this from very begning of our life by our parents, grand parents, and everybody else in our society NOT only about our "PRESUMED GODs" but also many blind faiths and old illogical customs and stone age practices which are going on and on.. and be following them so blindly ...without knowing the real fact, reasons behind it.. that for what it is ment for and will it work in today's senario
2. yah believing in GOd is relieving yourself from the burden of somthing bad in life(has alreay happened or going to be happen)
me not always .. but yah somtime need the that "unreal , unseen, unheard, support"....for unburden my pains and get some mentaly relief
you may call this stupidness, as me also feel the same, no of times.
December 19, 2007 at 2:13 AM
After reading the above, I came to a conclusion that Athesit don't agree with the Beliefs of any religion or God... as none of them are perfect enough(we say some are 6/10, some 7/10 and some even 5/10)... reason being these religion(set of beliefs) were defined 1000s of year back keeping in mind the people in masses, how they should live their life in future... I will like to compare any religion with the a Design Pattern of life.... but as we very well know that none of the Design Pattern is suffcient enough to solve all the problems...
This fact very well applies to the Religion as well...
Atheist find it difficult to adopt any of them with there limitations... agreed!!
But Atheists must have something in mind that they belive in, which is better than what these relegion preaches... That something better they call it as "modern rational, logical mind"... agreed!!
That why all the Atheist(in the vedio) have invented and discovered some thing ligical that make more sense to some specific community who are > 5/10... but on the other side beliefs of any religion that exists today are very must for the people who are < 5/10 in their life.
Final thought: Both Theist and Atheist will co-exist in this world... as both try to make this world a better place to live applying their "beliefs" and "rational" respectivily.
March 5, 2009 at 2:52 AM
Just chanced upon your blog. Liked it. On reading your post on atheism, couldn’t resist commenting. I am in total agreement with you about Religion making people blind and illogical But that still doesn’t answer mankinds fundamental question – where does life come? Who am i? Is there something beyond death? These and many such similar questions gave birth to religion which attempts to explain these disturbing question with a notion of God - that one powerful entity which is control of EVERYTHING. It is tempting to believe in such a notion because then we get a chance to dump our insecurities, worries, fears, hopes everything on him. Which is rightly summed by you – Religion is opium of masses. More insecured we are, more the need for God and more our obsession with religious activities.
I also understand when you say – you don’t pray for getting success, or when you are worried. The strength of your conviction ( in atheism) will determine how far you can carry on without seeking divine intervention when faced with duress.
But what about the fundamental question which prompted the birth of religion?
Arent unanswered questions on life and death haunting? After all, science has only been able to explain FEATURES of life, but who defines life itself? Or its twin brother death?
May 1, 2009 at 8:28 AM
@Nandini
Thanks a lot for liking my blog and sharing your thoughts about the post.
You are absolutely right in pointing out that science/rational mind does not provide you with all the answers. Religion does give answers to the questions that are very fundamental and important. But, there are some issues. Not only different religions give me different answers but also, these answers conflict with each other. Secondly, no religion tells me the basis of reaching on those answers. Religious text just tells me what the “truth” is. Now, we have no basis to choose one “truth” over others. As you said, these are fundamental questions, so we can’t just roll a dice and decide.
There is no shame in admitting that I don’t know something. I am better in having some questions rather than having all the answers without any basis. Socrates once said that the wisest statement one can make is “I don’t know.”
May 4, 2009 at 2:11 AM
@ Aman,
Thanks for your reply.
I more or less agree with what you have said about religions.
But the futiltiy of religion(s) was not my point.
My concern was about the unanswered questions of life itself.
Since these questions remain unanswered, there will be speculation.
Different religions arose out of that speculation and now they fight
with each other because each has speculated differently.
But, lets leave aside religion...we are still left with the questions.
To that, like you right said - "I dont know", is what we have.
Incidentally, there's a term for them - agnostic.
Agnostic, as opposed to theist or atheist, do not take a stand with respect to
God. They stress on the fact that we dont know.
All of what i had written was my humble attempt to present the agnostics
take on things. As an agnostic, it was nice talking to an atheist.
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