Some Facts About Atheism In India

Atheism in India has a long and complex history, intertwined with the country’s rich cultural, philosophical, and religious diversity. Here are some key facts about atheism in India:

1. Historical Roots
Ancient Atheistic Philosophies: India has a tradition of atheistic and non-theistic thought, dating back to ancient times. The Charvaka school of philosophy (6th century BCE) is one of the earliest known systems that rejected the existence of gods and an afterlife. Charvaka philosophy was materialistic and skeptical of religious authority.

2. Buddhism and Jainism: Both Buddhism and Jainism, which emerged in India, have elements of atheism. While not explicitly atheistic, these religions do not emphasize the worship of gods. Jainism rejects the idea of a creator god, and while Buddhism is agnostic regarding gods, it focuses more on human suffering and enlightenment.

3. Atheist Leaders and Thinkers : Periyar E.V. Ramasamy: A prominent Indian social activist and politician, Periyar was a leading figure in promoting rationalism and atheism, particularly in Tamil Nadu. He founded the Self-Respect Movement, which encouraged a rejection of superstition, caste discrimination, and religious orthodoxy.
Bhagat Singh: The revolutionary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh wrote an essay titled “Why I am an Atheist,” which is often cited by Indian atheists for its rational and secular arguments.
Narendra Dabholkar: A noted rationalist and anti-superstition activist, Dabholkar founded the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (Anti-Superstition Organization) and was assassinated in 2013 due to his efforts to curb superstition and promote scientific thinking.

4. Current Social Context : Growing Atheism: While India remains a predominantly religious country, there is a small but growing number of people who identify as atheists, agnostics, or non-religious. Urbanization, education, and the rise of digital media have contributed to more people questioning traditional religious beliefs.

Challenges: Atheists in India may face societal pressures, especially in rural areas where religious practices and identities are tightly woven into community life. In some cases, atheists may experience ostracization from their families or communities.

5. Atheist Organizations : There are several organizations in India that promote rationalism, atheism, and scientific temper, such as the Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations (FIRA), Indian Atheists, and Akhil Bharatiya Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti.

World Atheist Day, 2023

Annually observed on March 23, Atheist Day is a celebration of those who do not believe in deity. More than 400 years ago, the term “atheism” arose in medieval Europe to describe those who rejected the concept of a higher power. There are reportedly over 4,000 religions in the world today, and nearly all of them have associated festivals and observances. Despite the fact that atheists do not believe in God, they also desired a special day to be observed, thus the establishment of Atheist Day. This is an attempt to recognize the struggle of atheists to live authentic lives in many parts of the world, the struggle to openly affirm one’s atheism.

The share of Americans who identify as atheists has increased modestly but significantly in the past decade. Pew Research Center telephone surveys conducted in 2018 and 2019 show that 4% of American adults say they are atheists when asked about their religious identity, up from 2% in 2009. An additional 5% of Americans call themselves agnostics, up from 3% a decade ago.

The literal definition of “atheist” is “a person who does not believe in the existence of a god or any gods,” according to Merriam-Webster. And the vast majority of U.S. atheists fit this description: 81% say they do not believe in God or a higher power or in a spiritual force of any kind. (Overall, 10% of American adults share this view.) At the same time, roughly one-in-five self-described atheists (18%) say they do believe in some kind of higher power. None of the atheists we surveyed, however, say they believe in “God as described in the Bible.”

Atheists make up a larger share of the population in many European countries than they do in the U.S. In Western Europe, where Pew Research Center surveyed 15 countries in 2017, nearly one-in-five Belgians (19%) identify as atheists, as do 16% in Denmark, 15% in France and 14% in the Netherlands and Sweden. But the European country with perhaps the biggest share of atheists is the Czech Republic, where a quarter of adults identify that way. In neighboring Slovakia, 15% identify as atheists, although in the rest of Central and Eastern Europe, atheists have a smaller presence, despite the historical influence of the officially atheist Soviet Union. Like Americans, Europeans in many countries are more likely to say they do not believe in God than they are to identify as atheists, including two-thirds of Czechs and at least half of Swedish (60%), Belgian (54%) and Dutch adults (53%) who say they do not believe in God. In other regions surveyed by the Center, including Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa, atheists generally are much rarer.

A declining share of Canadians identify as Christians, while an increasing share say they have no religion – similar to trends in the United States and Western Europe. Our most recent survey in Canada, conducted in 2018, found that a slim majority of Canadian adults (55%) say they are Christian, including 29% who are Catholic and 18% who are Protestant. Slightlu over than three-in-ten Canadians –  34.6% of Canadians declare no religious affiliation, which is up from 23.9% in the 2011 Canadian census and 16.5% in the 2001 Canadian census. Among those estimated 4.9 million Canadians of no religion, an estimated 1.9 million would specify atheist, 1.8 million would specify agnostic, and 1.2 million humanist.

In many cases, being an atheist isn’t just about personally rejecting religious labels and beliefs – most atheists also express negative views when asked about the role of religion in society. For example, seven-in-ten U.S. atheists say religion’s influence is declining in American public life, and that this is a good thing (71%), according to a 2019 survey. Fewer than one-in-five U.S. adults overall (17%) share this view. A majority of atheists (70%) also say churches and other religious organizations do more harm than good in society, and an even larger share (93%) say religious institutions have too much influence in U.S. politics.

Atheistic traditions have played a significant part in Asian cultures for millennia. While Buddhism is a tradition focused on spiritual liberation, it is not a theistic religion. The Buddha himself rejected the idea of a creator god, and Buddhist philosophers have even argued that belief in an eternal god is nothing but a distraction for humans seeking enlightenment. A similar form of functional atheism can also be found in the ancient Asian religion of Jainism, a tradition that emphasizes non-violence toward all living beings, non-attachment to worldly possessions and ascetic practice.

While the Hindu tradition of India embraces the belief in many gods and goddesses – 330 million of them, according to some sources – there are also atheistic strands of thought found within Hinduism. The Samkhya school of Hindu philosophy is one such example. It believes that humans can achieve liberation for themselves by freeing their own spirit from the realm of matter. Another example is the Mimamsa school. This school also rejects the idea of a creator God.

The Rig Veda, the oldest of the Vedas, deals with significant skepticism around the fundamental question of a creator God and the creation of the universe. It does not, at many instances, categorically accept the existence of a creator God. Nasadiya Sukta (Creation Hymn) in the tenth chapter of the Rig Veda states:

Whence was it produced? Whence is this creation?
The gods came afterwards, with the creation of this universe.

3 Questions On Quora About Atheism & My Answers

Q. Atheists, if you were taking a walk and suddenly heard a voice from the clouds that said “the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel,” how would you react? Would you have a heart attack on the spot?
A. Heart attack? No. I will wonder “Oh no! Not another nutjob Christian fundy trying to push his/her religion onto us.”

Q. If all of us turn atheist, will we celebrate any festivals?
A. Yeah! Totally. And we will make up some new ones that have real meaning and it will be awesome. Dedicated to science, the arts, music, Star Trek etc. Festivus would ofcourse be the main one.

Q. What percentage of Indians are atheists?
A. It is very difficult to get a correct answer. There are many Hindus, Muslims & Christians in India who do not believe but bow to family pressure. I have a couple in my family. Among my first cousins I am the only open atheist but I know for a fact, from our discussions, that two others are atheists too but they have never spoken out. I do have second cousins who are atheists.

Similarly I know folks from the Muslim community who do not believe but they are scared of being ostracized by their family & community. Some Christians too. But it has been changing a lot in the last few years. While I only knew a handful of atheists in my home state 20 years ago, now it’s in the 100s personally.

Someday it will be much easier to come out as atheist in this country and then you will know a proper number.

That Which Cannot Be Proven By Science?

If all atheists only believe in things which are scientifically proven, then will they (atheists) agree those that not (yet) proven scientifically doesn’t exist, even, regardless of limitation in human ability to discover everything?

I can’t speak for all atheists. There is nothing mandatory for an atheist to believe in. Most of us will agree on some subjects and disagree on a lot more. That is because the only criteria for being an atheist is if the answer to the question “Do you believe in a god or gods?” is NO. Or even I don’t know. If it is the latter than you can’t say that you are a theist anyway.

Alright now to your question. Ofcourse not all atheists will believe in things that can only be scientifically proven. But it is better to believe in things that are proven to be true. Otherwise you could get taken for a ride. Some of them non-proven things are harmless and even fun. In my mind sometimes I am captaining the starship USS Enterprise.

For instance, I believe that there could be alien life out there on various planets and star systems. Is that scientifically proven? No. But I just can’t bring myself to be arrogant enough to think that in this wide, wide universe will millions and millions of planets and moons we are the only planet with life. It would be a shame and waste of space. I highly doubt we will prove it in my life time but it is fun to imagine what life is like out there amongst the stars.

Prompt from Quora.com

Question Found On Quora On Atheism – 1

Is atheism just the mere belief that there is no god, or is it in actuality the assertion that there is no god?

Atheism is in itself a lack of belief in the god claims. Meaning atheists aren’t convinced of the gods being real.

Having said that:

  1. You will find atheists who say that they believe that there is no god.
  2. You will find atheists who aren’t convinced but think it is highly unlikely that there is a god (not necessarily one that has been proposed but any kind of god)
  3. And you will find atheists who say for sure there is no god.

I fall under the second bracket, I don’t claim that there is one. But I don’t believe in your gods. Any of them. And I think it is highly unlikely that there is one but it is a vast, vast universe.

How Do Atheists Celebrate Diwali?

We don’t. This is what I did this Diwali; the same thing I do most Diwalis. I have the day off, so I slept in a little. Woke up and had coffee and then made breakfast. Watched a lot of Youtube and played music. Sang along with some of my rock n metal favourites. I check for any good deals on Flipkart/Amazon. I then watched movies and relaxed at home.

It’s another day for us on the calender like any other day, only with a lot of noise outside due to various crackers and fireworks (although it has been less this year) being set off. No God in mind, no Ramayana  or Mahabharata to be believed in. Just another day perhaps with a lot more light around you. How do other atheists in India mark this day? By spending good quality time with the family. Eating a dangerous amounts of sweets. And doing rest of the deewali stuff.

It’s just another day. But I am glad that we get the day off from work. We can always use more days off. Let’s get more holidays on the calendar people. Let’s not pick religion for that – Star Trek Day, Stargate Day, Superman/Batman/The Flash/Deadpool day? Let’s give the day off for everyone.

A Project I Would Like To Be Involved In

One of the ideas that I have that I want to do as a project is to start a podcast or Youtube channel based around atheism and the effects of religion. This is something that I have discussed with my 2nd cousin who is also an atheist. It sounds very interesting and I would really like to see if we can get it off the ground.

You see I enjoy the atheist call in talk shows and discussions. Some of the stuff is fascinating and it is weird how come most believers can’t see that this makes a lot of sense and they too need to start questioning and doing their own research. Some of the ideas I thought my cousin and I could talk about and discuss are :

  • Atheist characters and themes in fiction.
  • Growing up in a religious or non-religious household.
  • Science and religion: enemies or strangers?
  • Does religion fulfill any human needs?
  • Why are atheists so focused on Christianity (or are they)? What about other major religions, and minor religions?
  • Religion vs queer and trans people
  • “Sinning” and other models of morality
  • Consciousness and the afterlife (are people agnostic or opposed?)
  • Dealing with your family as an atheist
  • Are you “out” as an atheist?
  • How is life like for an Atheist in India/Hinduism?
  • Silly questions that we get asked in India by believers when they find out we are atheists.

Other than those I suppose we could always look at interesting topics from the world of religion, Indian specific stuff and the things that are hot in the news right now. It would be interesting for us to do that. I am not sure if we will but it’s a thought.

Most topics taken from 30 atheist discussion topics

Advantages Of Being An Atheist

To be clear: Atheism is not a disbelief in gods or a denial of gods; it is a lack of belief in gods.

Advantages of being an Atheist:

1. INTELLIGENCE : Atheists tend to have higher IQs and have been shown to generally be more intelligent than religious people. Intelligent people also tend to spend more time in school, which in turn leads to greater success professionally.

2. BETTER JOBS : This follows from the previous reason – more intelligent people tend to do better in the workplace. The same studies that have shown higher levels of IQs for atheists also equated that with getting higher-level jobs and higher pay.

3. SELF-ESTEEM & SELF-RELIANCE : These are two sides of the same coin. Atheists are not being told that they are guilty and sinful, as is the case with many religious teachings. This leads to higher self-esteem and a feeling of control over life’s events. As atheists do not expect a deity to help them solve a problem, they will address it personally and directly. The increased self-reliance can have a positive effect on their own lives, but also on the lives of others. When there’s no wheel of life, reincarnation, heaven, or hell, the responsibility for made choices lies with individuals.

4. HEALTH : Atheists believe in science and would not stand in the way of medical treatments on religious grounds. While there have been studies that showed the mental and physical health benefits of being a believer, there have also been recent studies that showed no significant difference in the mental health of religious and non-religious people. In fact, it can be argued that having strong self-esteem and better economic status would make atheists more healthy.

5. PROGRESS : Atheists tend to value scientific discovery more and are less likely to stand in the way of scientific progress as has often happened for religious reasons. An atheistic society is more rational and science-oriented.

6. PEACEFULNESS : Atheists do not start wars or commit acts of terrorism for religious reasons, just to prove their deity is the correct one. On the other hand, Marxist-Leninist atheism at the core of communism has certainly given atheism a bad name, but it’s not necessarily an argument that it was atheism itself that led to the repressions and killings. There were complex historical, social, and economic reasons for that. Atheists tend to not kill others for the sake of atheism.

6. SCEPTICISM : Atheists are generally skeptical and tend to look at issues from a rational, often scientific standpoint that demands proof. For an atheist, elements of reality are observable and can be tested.

7. SOCIAL ISSUES : Atheists tend to be very involved in social justice issues. They do not believe in some higher power or order that could have pre-ordained a human’s lot in life. Everything is of this material universe and can be improved upon.

Found on Quora & Big Think’s : 10 Reasons Atheists Do It Better

Losing Or Gaining faith – Losing My Religion

Having grow up in a Hindu family I blindly accepted the gods of Hinduism as a kid because…well of indoctrination. Hindu families will start indoctrinating their kids or grandkids fairly early on, even before said kids can start talking proper sentences. Having the mother or grandmother taking the toddler to the pooja room and making them fold their hands in front of Krishna and making the kid try to say “protect me, oh Krishna” (in Malayalam) is a common sight in the morning after said toddler has had a bath or just as the lamp is lit.

So yes I was a believer until, I reached the age of 13. I can’t say that I became an atheist at the age of 13 but that age is when I started my questioning and the stories of the gods weren’t enough to make me blindly believe. I remember thinking about certain things and asking a few questions and even though I got some answers, none of them were convincing in the least. I stopped going to temples by the age of 14 but did attend a couple of religious poojas because I was still a teen. But my parents never pushed me to do anything religious against my wishes.

Soon most of my extended family understood that I didn’t like going to temples and wasn’t a believer. I went if weddings were held in a temple but that’s about it. By the age of 19 I understood that I was an atheist and what that label meant and I was comfortable in telling people that’s what I was/am. I haven’t been in a temple since then except for weddings. A lot of people on learning that I am an atheist, will start talking some silly stuff about why I should believe and that really irritates me and sometimes I say things back but without proper scientific evidence, you have no chance of converting this one. Also, most of your gods sound like assholes who I would never worship even if in the unlikely event that they were real, anyways!

Prompt from Topic Ideas For A Personal Narrative Essay

Atheist Footballer : Riccardo Montolivia

I always find it funny and odd and even a bit arrogant when a sports person  or persons thank god for their achievement. I mean, sometimes it’s because the winning athlete or team is better prepares or skilled and sometimes it could that luck favoured them. But to think that this almighty creator, all powerful being who can do anything and sees everything chose to help you win a trophy yet cannot save starving kid or someone from being raped or murdered – why? Because you are so special?

Sports & religiousness seemed to go hand it hand. Just as some athletes have noteworthy celebration dances or pre-game rituals, many athletes give thanks to God or whatever religious entity they believe in, either to bring their focus to the task at hand or to show gratitude for a goal or point. What happens when both teams pray – is it always a draw? No, we usually have a winner. Anyways my post, and soon to be series is to highlight athletes who are also atheists.

The Italian Riccardo Montolivia, who played as a midfielder,  was captain of AC Milan, one of the largest clubs in Italy, and he played for the Azzurri 66 times, including at the 2010 World Cup. He has a German mother and an Italian father. While his country is predominantly Catholic, Riccardo is decidedly not. Riccard Montolivo has publicly confirmed that he is an atheist. A versatile and creative player, Montolivo began his career with Atalanta in 2003 before joining Fiorentina in 2005.

He went on to make more than 250 appearances for the club in seven years. In 2012, he signed for Milan on a free transfer and, following the departure of Massimo Ambrosini, served as the team’s captain from 2013 until 2017, winning the 2016 Supercoppa Italiana. He left the club in the summer of 2019, before retiring later that year. On 22 May 2014, Montolivo married the Florentine model and presenter Cristina De Pin, with whom he had been engaged since 2007. The couple has two children, Mariam, born on 12 May 2016, and Mathias, born 20 October 2018.

Worship Not These False Gods

2000 years from now or maybe 4000 to 5000 years from now, your gods will probably no longer be worshiped. Rama, Krishna, Allah, Jesus & Yahweh – will become forgotten memories or chapters in history books. At best they will be shown in movies of that time.

Or perhaps Marvel will make them superheroes or villains. Humanity may invent new gods to take their place at this time or perhaps humanity may have finally let go of these ghosts and moved on for the better. Whether or not there are still these holy ghosts – we don’t know.

But there will always be skeptics & atheists!

Rowing Across The Lake

A Jew, A Catholic, and an atheist are rowing in Lake Erie when their boat springs a huge leak.

The Jew looks skyward, and says “Oh, Adonai, if you save me, I promise I’ll sail to Israel and spend the rest of my days trying to reclaim the land you gave us”.

The Catholic looks skyward, and says, “Oh, Jesus, if you save me, I promise I’ll fly to the Vatican and spend the rest of my days singing your praises”.

The atheist says, “Oh, guys, if you pass me that one life preserver, I promise I’ll swim to Cleveland”.

“And how will you spend the rest of your days?” the Jew and the Catholic ask.

“Well,” says the atheist, “I’m not sure, but I can tell you one thing: I’ll never go rowing with other atheists”…

The 7 Tenets Of The Satanic Temple

The Satanic Temple has seven fundamental tenets:

  1. One should strive to act with compassion and empathy towards all creatures in accordance with reason.
  2. The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions.
  3. One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.
  4. The freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend. To willfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forgo your own.
  5. Beliefs should conform to our best scientific understanding of the world. We should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit our beliefs.
  6. People are fallible. If we make a mistake, we should do our best to rectify it and resolve any harm that may have been caused.
  7. Every tenet is a guiding principle designed to inspire nobility in action and thought. The spirit of compassion, wisdom, and justice should always prevail over the written or spoken word.

3 More Atheist Jokes

As the storm raged,the captain realized his ship was sinking fast.

So he shouted out, “Anyone here know how to pray?”

Just one guy stepped forward and said, “Aye, captain,I know how to pray.”

“Good,” said the captain, “You pray while the rest of us put on our life jackets – we’re one short.”

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An atheist commits suicide and is surprised to find himself in heaven.

“Wow,” he says to God, “you know I didn’t expect to be here. I’m an atheist and on top of that I thought you’re not supposed to go to heaven if you kill yourself.”

“No, it’s okay,” says God. “I’ve thought about suicide myself.”

“Really?” asks the man. “Why?”

“Well,” God says, “What if this is all there is?”

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God said, “Thou shall not kill.”

And then he wiped out the entire human race with a global flood just because people didn’t take it seriously.

3 Atheists Jokes

Q: How many atheists does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Two. One to actually change the bulb, and the other to videotape the job so fundamentalists won’t claim that god did it.

Q: What do you get if you cross an atheist with a Jehovah’s witness?
A: Someone who knocks on your door for no reason at all.

A young teacher explains to her class of third graders that she is a born-again Christian. She asks the class if any of them are born-again Christians too. Not really knowing what it means to be born-again, but wanting to please and impress their teacher, many little hands suddenly shot up into the air.

There’s just one girl who doesn’t raise her hand. So the teacher asks her why she has decided to be different.

The girl says, “Because I’m not a Christian.”
The teacher asks, “So what are you then? ”
The girl replies, “I’m an atheist.”
The teacher’s a little perturbed now, her face slightly red.

She asks the girl why she’s an atheist.
The girl says, “It’s just that my family isn’t religious. My Mom’s atheist, and my Dad’s atheist, so I’m atheist.” The teacher is now angry.
“That’s no reason.” she says loudly. “What if your Mom was a moron, and your Dad was a moron. What would you be then?”
“Then,” says the girl, “I’d be a born-again Christian.”

Some Atheist Jokes

Q: How many atheists does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: None. They’re already enlightened.

Q: What is the biggest problem for an atheist?
A: No one to talk to during orgasm.

Q: Why did the Atheist cross the road?
A: He thought there might be a street on the other side, but he wouldn’t believe it until he tested his hypothesis.

Q: What do you call an intelligent American?
A: Atheist Atheism and Religion are but two sides of the same coin. One prefers to use its head, while the other relies on tales.

Q: How many atheists does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Two. One to actually change the bulb, and the other to videotape the job so fundamentalists won’t claim that god did it.

5 Reasons Why Atheists Are Good For The World

As you probably know, I am an atheist. Quite frankly, though, I couldn’t care less whether you are an atheist or religious. There’s no reason why a contrast in belief systems should ever stop two people from getting along.

One thing I will say, though, is that atheists are good for the world. And I don’t think you can argue that even if you are deeply religious. Here are just five reasons that prove the world is a better place for having people that do not believe in a higher being.

#1. Scientific & technological advancements

Science and technology are two key components in human evolution. Our species would have still progressed without atheism, but there is no doubt that atheists have played a major role in the developments.

Atheists don’t merely accept the hand that is dealt by nature. Experts explain here how genetically modified humans are possible thanks to tech and science. Meanwhile, there are many other aspects of medical science and discovery that may not have occurred without atheists.

#2. Intelligence

There are several studies that show a positive correlation between atheism and intelligence. While I’m probably not the greatest example of that, I assure you it does exist.

That’s not to suggest atheists are actually smarter. However, atheists are perhaps more inquisitive as they pose existential questions. Contesting the notion that “God just made it happen” certainly has an impact.

#3. Peacekeeping and integration

It would be far too simplistic to state that all wars are caused by religion. Still, it’s impossible to ignore that it is a common factor. Atheists are more likely to integrate with people from other walks of life. Marxist views show that atheists have been guilty of atrocities too. Atheists tend no to kill others in the name of atheism. The fact that terrorism is very rare in Scandinavia and non-religious regions gives further credence to the argument.

#4. Belief system makeup

Many people view the failure to believe in a higher power as an unnatural perspective. On the contrary, this study shows that it is just as natural as religious beliefs. After all, they are all (including atheism) ideologies that have been passed down.

If a society can exist with different cultures that believe in varying gods, there’s no reason non-believers can’t be involved too.

#5. Human choice

While I don’t believe in any religious script, I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that I could be wrong. Still, the scripts were all produced many years ago. As such, many of the teachings simply don’t match up with modern life.

Atheists are often behind the fight for equality relating to sexuality, race, and other key human issues. Without them, there’s a strong chance that religion would still be playing catch up. The fact that people are able to live more freely can only be a positive – even if you disagree with their decisions.

One last note – I do believe that the world is a better place thanks to religion too.