5th January 2018
5 Jan 2018
Musings.......
Atheism, is in the broadest sense, the absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is the rejection of belief that any deities exist. In the even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities.
It is contrasted with theism, which in the most general form, is the belief that at least one deity exist.
The actual term atheism emerged in the 16th century with the spread of freethought,sceptical enquiry and subsequent increase in the criticism of religion.
The first atheist lived in the 18th century during the Age of Enlightenment. The French Revolution witnessed the first major political movement in history to advocate for the supremacy of reason.
Arguments for atheism range from philosophical to social and historical approaches. Their arguments include lack of empirical evidence, the problem of evil, the argument from inconsistent revelation, the rejection of concepts that cannot be falsified, and the argument from non belief. Atheists argue that theirs is a parsimonious position than theism which they say is the position in which everyone is born and so the burden of proof lies not on the atheist to disprove the existence of god but on the theist to prove the existence of God.
Classifications range from implicit or weak atheism to explicit or strong atheism. There is controversy over the definition of atheism arising from the difficulty in reaching a consensus on the definition of words like God and deity. This arises from the fact that people have wildly different conceptions on God. The ancient Romans accusing the Christians of being atheists for not worshipping the pagan deities is an apt example here.
Atheism may counter anything from the existence of a deity, to the existence of any spiritual, supernatural, or transcendental concepts such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism.
The initial ideas of Rationalism can be easily reflected in the roots of Communism where rationalistic thought processes dominate.
Marxist-Leninist scientific atheism purports criticism of the origin of religion. Karl Marx argued that religious belief had been invented as a reaction against the suffering and injustice of the world. In his views the poor and oppressed were the original creators of religion and they used it as a way to reassure themselves that they would have a better life in the future after death, and hence served as "opium" or a way to escape the harsh realities of the world.
Friedrich Engels considered religion as a false consciousness and believed humanities control over its existence would eliminate these fantasies created as a result of human desperation. In his thoughts speculative philosophy and rational theology became obsolete in light of scientific advancements.
The website pewreasearch tells us that the number of people who identify themselves as atheists have doubled in the past several years. They generally tend to align with political liberalism and they overwhelmingly favour same sex marriage and legal abortion. Virtually no atheists turn to God for guidance on question of right or wrong, but turn to science.
Agnostic is another interesting term. Coined by the famous English Biologist TH Huxley, who argued that since neither of those beliefs ( ) is adequately supported by evidence, the judgment on the issue of whether or not there is God should hence be suspended.
Was Gandhiji an atheist? Gandhiji was a firm believer in God. He once said " I am a super atheist ". He did not mean those words literally. He felt an atheist was accusing of him being superstitious, hence he replied that he was above atheism.
Gandhi once said God is beyond human comprehension.
On a personal note, I am an ardent believer in God. Rationalistic thoughts do not impress me. When in distress the belief that someone is watching you over is a relief as well as a deterrent.
Coming to the Indian context, we live in a land of Gods. Even Nature is worshipped here. Animals are worshipped and revered by a section. There was a time when Atheism was in vogue in India but that time is past. People choose to believe in God.
Why suddenly bring up this topic is something which I cannot explain. We are living in times of Right wing dominance in the Indian political landscape. They even want the word Secular to be removed from the Indian Constitution.
Unnecessary intrusion into someone's belief is not a good thing for any outfit. The false claim by our Prime Minister on Haj concerning Muslim women is mostly ignored by the paid media. Fake news seems to be the norm rather than an aberration. Triple Talak bill does not pass the Parliament. Is this government moving towards a Uniform civil code is anybody's guess.
The Congress party tagging a soft hindutva line is something to watch out for. In my belief Indian National Congress has its roots in strong secular principles which it should never let go. Along with it it should become a torchbearer and an uniting force of the Majority Hindu community and an alternative to the divisive right wing forces which forms the Hindi heartland if it aspires for a comeback.
In the international arena, the world watched with horror the childish exchanges between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un on who has got a bigger Nuclear button.
Pakistan keeps Kulbhushan Jadhavs wife's slippers as memorabilia showing their true colours when it comes to diplomacy. Kulbhushan Jadhav is an Indian citizen arrested and imprisoned in Pakistan.
Coming back to Kerala, in a surprise statement CM Pinarayi Vijayan commends North Korean regime in successfully defending US pressure. North Korea is one of the most oppressive regimes presently in the world with ample human rights violations and blatant disregard towards its own citizens with stories of horrific malnutrition deaths along with extravagant lifestyle of its leader coming out in the recent past. Hope the Left Government gets back to its senses and work according to the Mandate that they have received in the previous state election rather than live in fools paradise.
Bought a new recliner couch and an Exercise Cycle this week. Will I be able to redefine the phrase couch potato this new year ?
Food for Thought.......
RC
Musings.......
Atheism, is in the broadest sense, the absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is the rejection of belief that any deities exist. In the even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities.
It is contrasted with theism, which in the most general form, is the belief that at least one deity exist.
The actual term atheism emerged in the 16th century with the spread of freethought,sceptical enquiry and subsequent increase in the criticism of religion.
The first atheist lived in the 18th century during the Age of Enlightenment. The French Revolution witnessed the first major political movement in history to advocate for the supremacy of reason.
Arguments for atheism range from philosophical to social and historical approaches. Their arguments include lack of empirical evidence, the problem of evil, the argument from inconsistent revelation, the rejection of concepts that cannot be falsified, and the argument from non belief. Atheists argue that theirs is a parsimonious position than theism which they say is the position in which everyone is born and so the burden of proof lies not on the atheist to disprove the existence of god but on the theist to prove the existence of God.
Classifications range from implicit or weak atheism to explicit or strong atheism. There is controversy over the definition of atheism arising from the difficulty in reaching a consensus on the definition of words like God and deity. This arises from the fact that people have wildly different conceptions on God. The ancient Romans accusing the Christians of being atheists for not worshipping the pagan deities is an apt example here.
Atheism may counter anything from the existence of a deity, to the existence of any spiritual, supernatural, or transcendental concepts such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism.
The initial ideas of Rationalism can be easily reflected in the roots of Communism where rationalistic thought processes dominate.
Marxist-Leninist scientific atheism purports criticism of the origin of religion. Karl Marx argued that religious belief had been invented as a reaction against the suffering and injustice of the world. In his views the poor and oppressed were the original creators of religion and they used it as a way to reassure themselves that they would have a better life in the future after death, and hence served as "opium" or a way to escape the harsh realities of the world.
Friedrich Engels considered religion as a false consciousness and believed humanities control over its existence would eliminate these fantasies created as a result of human desperation. In his thoughts speculative philosophy and rational theology became obsolete in light of scientific advancements.
The website pewreasearch tells us that the number of people who identify themselves as atheists have doubled in the past several years. They generally tend to align with political liberalism and they overwhelmingly favour same sex marriage and legal abortion. Virtually no atheists turn to God for guidance on question of right or wrong, but turn to science.
Agnostic is another interesting term. Coined by the famous English Biologist TH Huxley, who argued that since neither of those beliefs ( ) is adequately supported by evidence, the judgment on the issue of whether or not there is God should hence be suspended.
Was Gandhiji an atheist? Gandhiji was a firm believer in God. He once said " I am a super atheist ". He did not mean those words literally. He felt an atheist was accusing of him being superstitious, hence he replied that he was above atheism.
Gandhi once said God is beyond human comprehension.
On a personal note, I am an ardent believer in God. Rationalistic thoughts do not impress me. When in distress the belief that someone is watching you over is a relief as well as a deterrent.
Coming to the Indian context, we live in a land of Gods. Even Nature is worshipped here. Animals are worshipped and revered by a section. There was a time when Atheism was in vogue in India but that time is past. People choose to believe in God.
Why suddenly bring up this topic is something which I cannot explain. We are living in times of Right wing dominance in the Indian political landscape. They even want the word Secular to be removed from the Indian Constitution.
Unnecessary intrusion into someone's belief is not a good thing for any outfit. The false claim by our Prime Minister on Haj concerning Muslim women is mostly ignored by the paid media. Fake news seems to be the norm rather than an aberration. Triple Talak bill does not pass the Parliament. Is this government moving towards a Uniform civil code is anybody's guess.
The Congress party tagging a soft hindutva line is something to watch out for. In my belief Indian National Congress has its roots in strong secular principles which it should never let go. Along with it it should become a torchbearer and an uniting force of the Majority Hindu community and an alternative to the divisive right wing forces which forms the Hindi heartland if it aspires for a comeback.
In the international arena, the world watched with horror the childish exchanges between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un on who has got a bigger Nuclear button.
Pakistan keeps Kulbhushan Jadhavs wife's slippers as memorabilia showing their true colours when it comes to diplomacy. Kulbhushan Jadhav is an Indian citizen arrested and imprisoned in Pakistan.
Coming back to Kerala, in a surprise statement CM Pinarayi Vijayan commends North Korean regime in successfully defending US pressure. North Korea is one of the most oppressive regimes presently in the world with ample human rights violations and blatant disregard towards its own citizens with stories of horrific malnutrition deaths along with extravagant lifestyle of its leader coming out in the recent past. Hope the Left Government gets back to its senses and work according to the Mandate that they have received in the previous state election rather than live in fools paradise.
Bought a new recliner couch and an Exercise Cycle this week. Will I be able to redefine the phrase couch potato this new year ?
Food for Thought.......
RC
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