Babu Gogineni’s Response to a Theist. Thou protesteth too much, mein freund! ‘Rabid and frothing and fuming; ad hominenm attacks’ did one say of the Atheists? Is that your experience? One knows not what company one keeps, so I decline the invitation to postulate a general or a special theory to explain your personal experience. In any case, as was said once when the Earth was a few billion years less a few thousand years old, ‘am I my brother’s keeper?’ But, pray, when did the Atheist have the chance to do all that frothing and fuming and be rabid, granting him or her the inclination? Could it have been at the beheading – we should check with Hypatia or the young poet freshly decapitated in Saudi Arabia. Not when at the stake, surely? Bruno died looking the executioner in the eye after they cut his tongue off. Not froth, that must have been blood. Have you heard of that lovely ancient slaughter - all the Carvakas who implored the Just King not to wage war were eliminated. Not when excommunicated, banished or fleeing? Anaxagoras ran for his life after proclaiming that the sun was a fiery ball. Oh, more recently, who changed his name to Joseph Anton and went into hiding? And Taslima Nasrin is still catching her breath. Not when persecuted and prosecuted? See the IHEU Report on Freedom of Thought. It is chilling: in 13 countries you can be killed for being an atheist – by law. Not even then. Dr. Shaikh wrote me a brave letter from blasphemy death row in Pakistan, he is recovering in Europe. Indeed when on Death Row, the martyr for Indian Independence Bhagat Singh wrote ‘Why I am an Atheist’. Rabid? Nah! Read it. The original Taliban did everything possible to the Atheist during the middle ages, and this noble role has been passed on to its successor in tyranny. The new guys have standards to live up to, you know! Fuming Atheist? Maybe when conscripted into Church records at birth or when denied a marriage without a religious ritual, or even access to a burial ground. When denied the chance to become a Member of Parliament because he did not take an oath on the Book, perhaps? When you are denied the chance to be Prime Minister since you do not belong to the State Church or if you are required to have the majority of your cabinet from members of the State Church, maybe? Can an Atheist become King or Queen (yes it is a backward system) in any of the Christian countries of Europe? Perhaps one has to concede a point – surely there would have been some froth for Socrates accused of Atheism. Hemlock does that. I may have to concede another point. We had a black sheep in India, Ajitakesakambali. He was rather impatient and ill-mannered with whatever clashed with common sense. He was robust and intemperate in his criticism - even the Buddha winced. Please allow me to apologise for him, even though it is unlikely you have met him. We Atheists, when we die, we just die. But when we are alive we live for values and fight for them. We promote Human Rights, including yours. We promote the arts and science. We delight in difference. We believe in protection for the vulnerable. We are diligent about democracy so that all can participate in society. We value personal morality. Atheism is just really our conclusion. We are actually Humanists - people with values. Oh Mein Gott, was ist denn los mit deinem Volk? Wittgenstein, bitte, update your status to Wovon man nicht weist, darüber muss man schweigen.
Posted on: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 00:50:28 +0000
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