X-Message-Number: 17754 From: "Gurvinder Bagga" <> Subject: MY ATHEISM AND OUR SCIENCE Date: Sat, 13 Oct 2001 19:30:39 +0530 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_001E_01C1541D.8A88F220 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Hi everyone, Religion for some is very important. But for others like me it is the one of the biggest problems in the world today. The world would be a far better place without it. It is not my ambition to start a movement against religion. But in my own way I have tried to convince the people around me about believing too much in religion. Think about the the consequenses of your actions on others before you invoke YOUR GOD. I was born in a sikh family and therefore had NO CHOICE about my religion at that age. By force I was made a sikh when I could not protest. Now sikh males are supposed to WEAR five thing on themselves. These are kada,kacha,kirpan,kesh and kanga. Kada-metal bangle worn on the right hand, kacha - shorts worn of a special design, kesh - sport long hair, kirpan - carry a long knife, kanga - comb to tidy the long hair. It is FORBIDDEN to cut your hair and shave your beard! That is why you find sikhs looking like afghanis and wearing turbans and sporting long beards. Anyway when I was in the sixth grade my kada(metal bangle) hit a fellow student on the head and the teacher (who was a christian) took objection to it and punished me. I was made to kneel outside the school building under the sun on the road! For being a Sikh! I became an atheist that day!! > The only belief I am against here is the fanatic > certainty that one's own way of thinking is the right way, and all the > ills of the world can be blamed on someone thinking differently Now consider the above. Who took the punishment for being a sikh? I did! For what? Should I forgive the christian teacher for punishing me and continue to remain a sikh so that others will do the same to me again? Shouldn't I learn from my experience that religion leads to pain and suffering and giving it up can be a good way to end some of the problems facing the world. I don't think becoming a hindu or a christian or a buddhist or a muslim would have helped. They face the same problems. Becoming an atheist does seem to be a good start. Does that mean I don't believe in GOD? I DON'T THINK RELIGIOUS PEOPLE HAVE A MONOPOLY OVER BELIEF IN GOD. WHEN THEY IMPLY THAT ATHEISTS ARE FANATICS AND THAT THEIR WAY OF THINKING IS THE RIGHT WAY IT IS TO THE RELIGIOUS PRIESTS (MOSTLY MALE) THAT YOU SELL YOUR SOULS FOR FREE AND SACRIFICE SCIENCE. RELIGION IMPOSES A WAY OF THOUGHT ON YOUNG CHILDREN WHO ARE A DAY OLD AND IT IS AGAINST THESE THAT A FEW LIKE ME RISE AND BECOME ATHEISTS. BY REASON. NOT FAITH. BY OBJECTIVELY UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEM AND NOT HEARSAY. Now l would like to add that I cut my hair and shaved my beard fifteen years ago. I became free from the treacherous control religion has on our lives. Today I am an atheist with a scientific mind. And if I find GOD or if someone else does I will be the first to celebrate. Not before that. Today I am joyful that I can share my experience with others. But a lot of my friends and cousins are not willing to change. They are still trapped under the influence of orthodox thoughts which have little meaning in today's world. I can only pity their plight. Privately some of them have told me that they would love to be free of their misery. BUT THEY ARE AFRAID OF THEIR PARENTS AND THE SOCIETY THAY LIVE IN!! GOOD LUCK TO THEM. What do the people who are so ready to defend religion at the drop of a hat have to advise me on my atheism vis a vis sikhism. SHOULD I BECOME A SIKH AND GIVE UP MY FREEDOM? SHOULD I SPORT A BEARD AND KEEP LONG HAIR? FOR WHOSE SAKE? YOURS? BUT THAT WILL MAKE ME QUOTE SOMETHING..... > The only belief I am against here is the fanatic > certainty that one's own way of thinking is the right way, and all the > ills of the world can be blamed on someone thinking differently Gurvinder ------=_NextPart_000_001E_01C1541D.8A88F220 Content-Type: text/html; [ AUTOMATICALLY SKIPPING HTML ENCODING! ] Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=17754