atheism | Confessions of a Disquisitive Writer

What if you’re wrong?

August 4, 2013 1 Comment

I am often asked this question by believers when talking about belief in God, “what if you’re wrong?” I do admit that it is definitely a fair question and so it deserves a fair and honest answer.

My answer is:
I believe in humanity, happiness, fairness, justice, equality, honesty and humility. I would like to see everyone to be happy and treated fairly, irrespective of their gender, religious beliefs, sexual orientations, caste and color amongst other things. And more importantly, I believe that everybody should be allowed their fundamental rights to say what they want, live the way they want and whoever they want to live with. All these are important and real issues and principals of humanism. These matter. Not having a blind belief in a God allows me to hold these very real principles as sacred and in a way devoid of any prejudices against any groups of people who might be different from me and hold principles different from mine.
If I am wrong about the God question, then it doesn’t really matter because I have still lived for real causes, real people, real happiness, real fundamental rights, real freedom from oppression. And these would have still remained equally important whether god existed or not because if he did, and he is half as good as you claim him to be, then I can be sure that I would be okay in his eyes because I still advocated for very real issues which were of a more pressing concern in my world than taking time out to worship an omnipotent and omniscient ultimate entity – something that simple logic definition becomes needless – or spending my energy on persecuting people who held different beliefs from me or had a sexual inclination that I did not approve of.
So, if I were wrong, I wouldn’t have lost out much in life anyway because I would still have been the same person as I am today. And if there turned out to be a god who’d still punish me for not worshipping him, then I submit that we would already be living under a supernatural dictatorship – an anarchy if you will – the nature of which would in itself indicate doom for humanity and the universe.
But you, a believer, have lived and dedicated your entire life to an assumed entity that you had no way of knowing for sure. And you don’t possess any special mental and physical faculties that I don’t so you cannot claim to have a way to know that I cannot. And because of your belief in that assumed supernatural entity, you have decided to live by a code which is based on compulsory love and extreme fear of the same entity and which makes some of you do really really horrible things to really really sweet and innocent people -things which someone with secular mindset could never even dream of. What about the sufferings you could cause in the world by following religious dogmas that persecuted people because of their beliefs, sexual inclinations and who they loved.
So, now i ask you the believer, what if you’re wrong? Haven’t you missed out on the most important things in life itself while thinking only for something that didn’t even exist?

Filed under Atheism, Religion Tagged with atheism, atheist, Belief, Disbelief, faith, god, Religion, secularism

Ridicule of religion

August 1, 2013 3 Comments

Why is it that when Charles Darwin, the genius who changed the world with his discovery of the concept of evolution, is made into a cartoon by attaching his head to the body of a monkey and when jokes are made and repeated by people in religious authority, nobody from the scientific community or science “followers” gets angry or violent or even remotely offended? But at the same time, utter anything against a religious figure, such as even a self-proclaimed godman, and you can be sure that people are going to get deeply offended, become violent, damage public property and even kill other people.

I think the difference here is what your belief system teaches you. Publicly, religion says it teaches tolerance and that without this tolerance the world wouldn’t survive. But privately, what it really teaches is to tolerate people only as long as they do exactly what you would like them doing and stray no further. Since birth, people are taught to revere their religious beliefs, which they don’t even understand properly, and blindly follow everything that is told to them.

For instance, if any other person proclaims himself to be highly religious or a godman, then everything he says must be taken as words of perfect wisdom. It doesn’t matter who these godmen are, how many times their acts of con are exposed (as in the case of Sathya Sai Baba), how low their educational and intellectual levels are (such as ISKCON’s Srila Prabhupad). The moment you mention examples of their ignorance, religious people get deeply offended and shut their ears but their dedication to such ungodly people continues despite what you say.

But have you ever heard a scientist or an atheist pelting a single stone towards any of these con-men despite their horrendous world-views?

You know why?

Because education gives you the maturity to ignore when people deserve your ignorance and pit evidence of all sides against each other and dismiss that which cannot hold its ground. No need to get angry if the same godman as above is making a fool out of themselves by saying that the “…moon is above, 200,000 yojanas above the sun… Above the sun. How they’ll go? [laughter] They are going to the wrong… bluffing only. I am repeatedly saying, they have never gone, simply bluff.”

Well, I only take offense to one thing in the above dialog. And that is that the laughter belongs to the listener and not the speaker.

And I challenge any religious followers to tell me I am wrong in laughing at the ignorance of such statements and the people who make them.

Filed under Atheism, Pseudoscience, Religion Tagged with atheism, Belief, faith, fraud, godmen, ISKCON, prabhupada, pseudoscience, Religion, sathya sai baba

Thank God or else…

July 27, 2013 2 Comments

When some people thank (their) God for giving them what they wanted – happiness, money, health, etc. – and claim the greatness and lovingness of God because of their own personal experiences, isn’t it unfair to those who are supposedly given the opposite of that – disease, disability, grief and a life of immense and eternal suffering?

Consider a state that does everything for the rich but neglects the poor and takes away even their basic rights as humans – right to health, education, food, water, justice, etc. Wouldn’t it be unfair to the unfortunate for these few lucky people to praise that state endlessly because of what it does for them?

And, what if the state declares that it will only take care of the people who vote for it again and again and that those who don’t, must be punished forever or at least until they also fall in line? Wouldn’t you call that state an evil state? Of course you will. Then how dare anyone ever say that in order to get the love of God, you must pray and worship endlessly and have complete faith otherwise you would be subjected to eternal damnation even after you are dead? Sounds equally evil to me.

How would you explain the lovingness and generosity of God when a child is born with a permanent disability, is going to live in suffering for its entire lifetime (long or short) and is marked to die with it? When I see someone suffering immensely, wouldn’t it be a corruption of my mind and morals if I should still praise God?

As Epicurus famously quoted:

Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?

Filed under Atheism, Philosophy, Religion Tagged with atheism, Disbelief, evil, faith, god, Life, Religion, suffering, worship

Moon further from Earth than Sun: Godman

July 9, 2013 3 Comments

I recently came across this website (http://www.prabhupadanugas.eu/?p=9315), dedicated to Late Srila Prabhupada, anchor of the Hare Krishna Movement of the ISKCON fame, and I couldn’t make up my mind regarding whether they are serious or is this all some sort of a joke.

You wonder why I say this?

Because, though this website is supposed to increase the Godman’s followers even post-humously and add strength to the movement, it makes the mistake of actually and shamelessly publishing a lot of junk that he has preached which no sane person can dare to utter and another dare to hear without breaking out into a fit of laughter and ridicule.

Sample this. The Swami says that man has not landed on the moon (http://www.prabhupadanugas.eu/?p=9315) and explains it in a conversation that becomes absolutely non-sensical after the first 5-6 sentences itself:

They have not gone to the moon (excerpt from conversation with disciples, Perth, May 12, 1975)

Prabhupada: They have not gone to the moon planet .
Paramahamsa: Really?
Prabhupada: Yes. It is far, far away. Their calculation is wrong. They are going to a wrong planet.

Paramahamsa: It must be the Rahu planet.
Prabhupada: Yes, or something else. Not moon planet.

Well, as everyone clearly knows, there is NO Rahu planet. Yet, the godman seems to be unaware of modern (or even medieval) astronomy. Anyway, after this bit, the conversation drifts into looney calculation territory which is mind boggling even for a class 6 student because the swami and the other person keep tying themselves up in knots. Suffice to say that they end up concluding that the moon is further than the sun and then he says it is above the sun (another crackpot conclusion). And then he says:

Prabhupada: Above the sun. How they’ll go? [laughter] They are going to the wrong… bluffing only. I am repeatedly saying, they have never gone, simply bluff. How it is that they brought some dust? So brilliant, it is blazing, full. There is fire blazing.

Another conversation on the same page:

Guru krpa: How is the moon behind the sun?
Prabhupada: Not behind, above.
(ACBSP. 27th May 1975. Morning Walk in Honolulu, Hawaii.)

The moon is really above the Sun? Am sure this is going to piss Newton off because if defies his theory of gravitation completely. And I wonder how an eclipse is caused then. Oh, well, but wait… he has answered that important question also in an equally looney way:

Amogha: Is that Rahu planet closer than the moon to the earth?
Prabhupada : Rahu planet orbit is in between moon and sun. So when it comes in between moon and sun there is eclipse . At night it is eclipse in the moon, and daytime it is eclipse in the sun.

Eclipse in the moon and eclipse in the Sun? I have never heard such preposterous claims in my life and I was shocked to the core. I could not understand if I should simply laugh at everything and let it be. But then I realized that it is extremely sad to know that ISKCON has a huge following world over and this is what they must be preaching to their innocent unquestioning followers, so this is tragic news for humanity.

I really think that all the followers should now attend ISKCON sessions but only for fun and entertainment and not for science anyway.

Oh, and by the way, this is how that webpage concluded considering all the arguments against (none in favour, mind you) man landing on moon:

So as ISKCON devotees we are left with various possibilities :

1) Astronauts did indeed land on the moon, but they did not perceive the world of the demigods (Candraloka) because it is invisible to gross sense perception.

2) The astronauts were deluded by the demigods at some stage in their journey and diverted to the planet Rahu. (SB 4. 29. 69p)

3) The entire moon-landing story is a complete conspiracy, which has fooled millions of people all over the world for over 30 years. (Some say that they filmed the “moon’s surface” in a place in America known as Area 51, according to the TV program.)

So even those concluding from it were nuts? They gave so much thought to the Swami’s arguments that they perhaps didn’t consider a fourth more obvious conclusion:

4) The man was crazy.

P.S. I know all ISKCON followers would be fuming by now reading this blog. But please stop here one minute and think and answer one second. Don’t you think it is grossly unfair of you to get angry when everything I’ve state here is the truth substantiated by Prabhupada’s own webpages? And do you really believe that the moon is further from the Sun?

Come on.. You know he was wrong.

Filed under Astronomy, Atheism, Pseudoscience, Religion, Science Tagged with Astronomy, atheism, Belief, faith, fraud, hare krishna, hinduism, hoax, ISKCON, prabhupada, Religion

The Quotable Atheist

June 29, 2013 3 Comments

“Religion has 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 list of ten specific things he doesn’t want you to do. And if you do any of these things, he will send you to a special place, of burning and fire and smoke and torture and anguish for you to live forever, and suffer, and suffer, and burn, and scream, until the end of time. But he loves you. He loves you. He loves you and he needs money.”
― George Carlin

“Isn’t it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?”
― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens

“All thinking men are atheists.”
― Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

“Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.”
― Voltaire

Filed under Atheism, Quotes Tagged with atheism, atheist, Belief, Disbelief, Enlightenment, faith, Quotes, Religion, skepticism

Unintelligent Comments

May 27, 2013 Leave a comment

I find it most amusing to read comments made by readers of the news website timesofindia.com on its various news reports. I am only singling out TOI because I haven’t been reading news on any other website and so it might appear that I am only talking about TOI, but my point is not the news site but the intellectual level of the readers in general (myself excluded hopefully).

So, I would like to present a few examples of comments left by readers of some news articles which sometimes have NO RELATION whatsoever to the actual piece of news and even if there is a relation, the arguments are mostly nonsensical. It makes me wonder about the incredibly funny ways in which some people interpret what is being reported and how little they really understand speech and how narrowly their minds respond to intellectual stimulus. And, in all these cases, you will find the complete lack of intellect whatesoever, to the point of being outright idiotic.

As an example, there was a news item today that said that the latest Global Index of Religiosity and Atheism has found that the number of non religious people in India as well as the world has risen over the last 6-8 years and then goes on to give some stats. There is no judging these results, only pure stats. And now, look at what some people’s comments have been:

“THIS IS BECAUSE OF UP WALAS AND BIHARIS THEY MAKE YOUR LIFE HELL YOU STOP BELEIVING IN GOD I KNOW SOME PEOPLE IN DELHI WHO ABUSE GOD TOO THEY GONE MAD IN PITAMPURA AND WAZIRPUR INDUSTRIAL AREA“
“My stomach is full, had been everywhere, enjoyed too much, had beautiful wife & children, Having decent settled living. Now , I am looking for perfect bliss somewhere in temple or church under saddguru. Maharaj ! Now teach me what is religion? Show me the way to happiness. The donkey phase of life I just finished.”
“Just become Western slave instead–is it?”
“God will born, when believing % touch 100.”
“Effect of congress rule… Law didn’t punished but why God not punishing corrupt??? If god existed he should have punished all corrupts by now… corrupt die natural death till then he enjoys…. its simple god doesn’t exist…”
“If you don’t believe in one god then you will not feel accountable, which will lead to destruction of the society. How can anyone deny existence of god? Anyway atheists are mindless people.“
“The person who call himself an atheist is biggest believer of god. They many not attached to any religion. Because many of the religion has become corrupt because of self styled godman. So called atheist believe in helping the needy in time of distress and helping the society in their own way. They don’t go to the temple or mask or church to please god. They do there work silently without creating divide among the people in the name of god. For me they are true believer of god. They don’t identify themselves with any religion or God.”

Does it just show the depths to which the average intellectual level has fallen?

Filed under Reflections, Society Tagged with atheism, Comments, Funny, Idiots, Intelligence, News, Religion, Stupid, Unintelligent

Argument of God vs Evil

May 20, 2013 2 Comments

What displeases me about arguing with creationists is that in order to challenge the existence of an imaginary being (i.e. God), we must first assume the existence of another imaginary being/force (i.e. Evil) and from there start arguing backwards. Of course, just as concept of God is flawed, the concept of there being an Evil is also equally flawed because we again end up dividing good happenings and bad happenings as effects of a supernatural phenomenon, rather than using the most simple and logical explanation: That human beings behave differently and some of us do good while others do bad. Natural things happen according to the laws of nature and these laws do not presuppose the existance of a special species such as Humans. However, to creationists, the idea of assuming more and more imaginary entities is nothing of concern. Once you say Yes to religion, you can go on believing anything that you like. Even that Elvis is still alive.

Filed under Atheism, Religion Tagged with atheism, Belief, Disbelief, evil, faith, god, Religion

Blessings from God Via Facebook

May 16, 2013 Leave a comment

Is it just me or does anyone else think it equally absurd that there are apps on Facebook that pretend to send you blessings from a God of your choice? I mean, look at the picture below and tell me how does Sai Baba (who lived like a zillion years alo) send blessings to families of people who subscribe to his app on FB?

Not only that, if you go ahead and click on any link from this notification, it forwards you to a page where Sai Baba – and this is what I find most incredible – actually asks your persmission to access your public profile!!!

Now now, some will tell me that I shouldn’t make fun of people’s religious sentiments and beliefs and that everybody has a right to look like a fool, blah blah blah. But hey.. look I am just saying that I find it absolutely amusing that a God is trying to connect to me (Ok, not me but SOMEONE) via Facebook. And that he needs my permission to access their public profile?

Well, just really ticks me off everytime I see it.

Well then, I am sure a lot of people will hate me for writing this, because some do not have a sense of humor, but you’ve got to give me this – that seeing on your News Feeds that a certain someone has just received blessings from a God via facebook is actually funny.

Imagine my timeline showing that I received a Law of Nature from Einstein today. Most people would look at that piece of news and say… Duh!

Filed under Religion Tagged with atheism, Blessings, Facebook, god, Humor, Humour, Religion, Sai Baba, Shirdi

Dawkins debating a creationist

April 16, 2013 Leave a comment

I have always found this quite amusing. Creationists themselves have no evidence except, “I believe so,” but when it comes to talking about evolution, they close their eyes to all the physical evidence and say there’s no evidence.

Watch the complete interview here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFjoEgYOgRo

Filed under Uncategorized Tagged with atheism, Belief, biology, Creationism, debate, evidence, Evolution, fossils, Richard Dawkins, wendy wright

The Quotable Hitchens – 2

March 2, 2013 Leave a comment

“I have tried for much of my life to write as if I was composing my sentences to be read posthumously.”

“I learned that very often the most intolerant and narrow-minded people are the ones who congratulate themselves on their tolerance and open-mindedness.”

“I’ve proved to be as difficult to convert as I am to hypnotize.”

“My own view is that this planet is used as a penal colony, lunatic asylum and dumping ground by a superior civilisation, to get rid of the undesirable and unfit. I can’t prove it, but you can’t disprove it either.”

“Religion is not going to come up with any new arguments.”

“The totalitarian, to me, is the enemy – the one that’s absolute, the one that wants control over the inside of your head, not just your actions and your taxes.”

“The suicide-bombing community is not absolutely 100 percent religious, but it is pretty nearly 100 percent religious.”

“There are all kinds of stupid people that annoy me but what annoys me most is a lazy argument.”

“To terrify children with the image of hell… to consider women an inferior creation. Is that good for the world?”

“To the dumb question, ‘Why me?’ the cosmos barely bothers to return the reply, ‘Why not?'”

“Trust is not the same as faith. A friend is someone you trust. Putting faith in anyone is a mistake.”

“Well, to the people who pray for me to not only have an agonising death, but then be reborn to have an agonising and horrible eternal life of torture, I say, ‘Well, good on you. See you there.'”