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[Issue] Religion v/s Rationality

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  • edited September 2016
    Atheism or rationality is the religion of the 21st century. No offence to anyone. But religion and rationality are not disjoint sets as often perceived.
    I wonder if any age in history would have considered itself less modern and unique than how 21st century views itself.
  • No one in past 2-3 years could give me a convincing argument as to why we need the institution of God or organized religion. In 2014 a mahatmaji got me shunted out of Bhagvad Katha congregation in my town for asking a few unorthodox questions. He called me naastik, fallen soul and what not!! Well he wasn't all wrong. I'm openly atheist. By the way, I'm from a middle class thakur family and everyone in my family is a practising Hindu. I personally just don't see any point in it...

    >> I personally take temples, mosques, gurudwaras etc. to be money churning machines which take money from gullible people at a time when they are psychologically the weakest. Talk of ethics!!
    Asaram, Nithyananda, Gurmeet Ram Rahim, Kripalu Maharaj, and a long list of corrupt godmen come tumbling out dozen a dime.

    >> As for astrology, I go a step further and believe that it is pure forgery, criminality of worst sort. I don't mean to offend anyone at all but this is what I've consciously come to believe.

    I believe that institution of organized religion was created by some of our ambitious ancestors to keep the general population spooked and gullible. And I strongly disagree with Marx in believing religion to be opium of masses. I believe it is 'steroid' for masses. Just look at communal riots. Looks more like equestrian steroids!!

    Godmen have actually convinced people that there is a spooky guy in sky with magical powers who watches each and every one of our actions all through our life. 24*7 !! And He can be propitiated by pooja, prayers and MONEY.
    Boy! He needs money. Omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent. But just can't live without money.

    This is called HOLY SHIT !!
    Re read your answer and think if you are describing the god as portrayed by humans or god in the absolute form.. ;) You will have all your answers..
  • I sincerely doubt the existence of a supreme power, which people call God.

    I mean just look around yourself. All this poverty, hunger, unemployment, pestilence, corruption, communal riots, sectarian feuds, sex scandals, rapes, human trafficking, organ trade, automobile accidents, road rages, gang wars, hit jobs, underworld, civil wars, terrorism, ISIS beheadings, deadly weapons, WMDs, biological war, nuclear bombs, holocaust, energy crisis, global warming, rising sea levels, drinking water shortage, population explosion and so on... Does all this look like the work of an all powerful, all knowing, benevolent and loving "creator" to you? Really, think about it. Does it ??
    Looks like a fucked up, random, dysfunctional system to me.

    Perhaps religion and spirituality provides the right amount of glue which keeps this fucked up system together. Saves it from falling apart into utter chaos. Gives a sort of light at the end of the tunnel so that we can slog through our lives in hope for coming 'satyuga'. Has a utilitarian value.

    I keep such ideas to myself and ignore them. Perhaps I'm a borderline atheist. I'll take this thing up later in life.
    Just one line from blood diamond for you.


    https://goo.gl/images/UHhtEB
  • Religions exist because people would rather have a wrong answer than no answer at all.
  • I sincerely doubt the existence of a supreme power, which people call God.

    I mean just look around yourself. All this poverty, hunger, unemployment, pestilence, corruption, communal riots, sectarian feuds, sex scandals, rapes, human trafficking, organ trade, automobile accidents, road rages, gang wars, hit jobs, underworld, civil wars, terrorism, ISIS beheadings, deadly weapons, WMDs, biological war, nuclear bombs, holocaust, energy crisis, global warming, rising sea levels, drinking water shortage, population explosion and so on... Does all this look like the work of an all powerful, all knowing, benevolent and loving "creator" to you? Really, think about it. Does it ??
    Looks like a fucked up, random, dysfunctional system to me.

    Perhaps religion and spirituality provides the right amount of glue which keeps this fucked up system together. Saves it from falling apart into utter chaos. Gives a sort of light at the end of the tunnel so that we can slog through our lives in hope for coming 'satyuga'. Has a utilitarian value.

    I keep such ideas to myself and ignore them. Perhaps I'm a borderline atheist. I'll take this thing up later in life.
    Just one line from blood diamond for you.


    https://goo.gl/images/UHhtEB
    :sunglasses:


  • yes ,is it immoral.let it b
    Faith is a fancy word for wishful thinking. It is the absolute lowest standard of evidence as it requires NO evidence. There is just as much evidence supporting the existence of flying purple fairies that orbit the earth as there is supporting the existence of your god. So if it is irrational to believe that purple fairies are real, it is also irrational to think gods are real and to organize your life around them.

    Religion isn't the root of all evil, but it is the root of MOST evil. It accounts for ALMOST EVERY SINGLE BATTLE BEING FOUGHT. Good people do good things. Bad people do bad things. But if you want to get a good person to do bad things, religion really helps. Religion might make you feel warm and fuzzy. But it is also getting a lot of people killed.

    Religion was created by kings and priests to fool stupid,gullible people who would then later be used as their slaves.Its a shame even in 21st century ,people believe in 1000 gods and messengers.As it is a sensitive issue,i dont want to write about it more.
    but you may have to write about it in mains, or talk about in interview. You would articulate the same sentiment somewhat differently then, I guess.
    Yes,is it immoral?.Let it be.I strongly believe in communism but that could not be expressed in mains or interview.Certainly its not hypocrisy of mine,its their fault to regard people who love communism as terrorists.So,I have no other way then to express my views in a slightly tweaked manner.We could not express every feeling of ours even to our mother,brother or friends as people would judge us according to their own views.So,there is no other way then to wear masks accordingly.After all,that's what society expect from us.
    UPSC Mains answers are all about proving your powers of acquiescence to the values laid down by our political class. That's the whole point of a 'subordinate executive.' Discordant voices would certainly have their scores 'adjusted to reflect the overall performance in the paper, rather than just bring scored on the individual question.' Either you master the art or look at your career alternatives.




    I am a novice to this exam preparation.So,I have never wrote mains before.You mean,we should not express leftist or nihilist view in mains even in a soft manner????????Is marks not dependent on the mindset of the paper setter?I always thought whatever our view, clarity of thought and expression is the most important thing to score mark in mains.Yes,I could write in any manner,i mean like a right winger soaking my words with patriotism ha ha.
  • Atheism or rationality is the religion of the 21st century. No offence to anyone. But religion and rationality are not disjoint sets as often perceived.
    I wonder if any age in history would have considered itself less modern and unique than how 21st century views itself.
    Let me put it this way. Rationality is not the antonym of religion. Reason was born to make us open-minded and be accepting of newer ways of thinking. But if the advocates of rationality claim that it's the only way of thinking, then hasn't it become rigid itself and hence lost its essence. In short, hasn't it become another religion?
  • BC optional me to ye bakchodi padhte hi hain..forum shuru kiya to yahan bhi wahi!!
  • No comments...Mitra sir ne hume sab samjha diya hai!! :D :D


  • Godmen have actually convinced people that there is a spooky guy in sky with magical powers who watches each and every one of our actions all through our life. 24*7 !! And He can be propitiated by pooja, prayers and MONEY.
    Boy! He needs money. Omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent. But just can't live without money.

    This is called HOLY SHIT !!
    Re read your answer and think if you are describing the god as portrayed by humans or god in the absolute form.. ;) You will have all your answers..

    Bhai, the action suggested in ur comment will drag the debate in the realm of 'epistemology'. Deep philosophical core about how knowledge is generated.

    Well, I wud only say as to how someone will come to know what is God in 'absolute form' ?? If I'm not wrong your conceptualization of 'absolute form' of God is again influenced by 'portrayal by a bunch of humans' say Kabir's formless God or Ibn-al-Arabi's monism or Sankara's Vedantic monism. There are only a miniscule number who go out like Buddha or Mahavira to reveal God. Rest take their word for it. Please correct me brother, if I'm wrong in this assertion. And if that is the case ur argument turns on its own head - my conception and ur conception emanate from same episteme.

    The thing is mate, I didn't just woke up one day and decided to be atheist like fashion of the day. I've entered into hundreds of discussions with hundreds of people over this topic. And I've read considerably on this topic. After my second mains, I consciously studied it as 'studying theology' was a hobby in my DAF and I had to defend it before Razni Razdan. I myself was a practicing Hindu in the past and I was religious like hell. You shud've seen me back in the day. Well, until I started asking questions!!

    Let's keep this debate on a more superficial 'Jai Shri Ram', 'atheists are commies' level... As our dearest friend @jambooics leads us...
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