Dear Readers,
Off
late, it is had become more common for people to self-declare themselves, as
Atheists. I tend to hear it more often
among youngsters. I was curious to understand why this shift in pattern of
thought. Is it just a trend? Or is it the excessive reliance in Science and
technology? Or is it just the over confidence of in one’s own self? I was
clueless.
I
made a quick search on google to check some statistics. I was surprised to find, that about 16% of the
world population are Atheists, making them the 3rd largest population,
after Christianity and Islam. What was more alarming to see, was that the
number of Atheists are proportionately increasing year after year. It was a bit
of puzzle to me, because on one side I am able to witness the religious shrines
of all the religions, getting over crowded with devotees, day after day and here
on the other side is a contrasting figure of the number of people choosing to
be non- believers.
So
what does, Atheism mean. The word “Atheism” itself is differently understood by
different people and as such even an Atheist finds it difficult to explain, as
to which classification of Atheism, he/she belongs too. For example, there are
the agnostics, the antagonist, the secular, the non-religious and also a
combination of one or more. The term, “Atheism” originates from the Greek word,
“Atheos” which means “without God”. So, to put it simply, Atheist are people
who don’t feel the need for God. On the contrary, “Theist” are those who
believe that that there is something supreme beyond them to guide them, which
they call God.
So
“Atheists” and “Theists” are two contrasting sects of people, who have
contrasting beliefs. For example:
·
To an atheist, an idol is
just a piece of rock, but to a theist it is an identity of God.
·
To an atheist, it is
absurd to think of God in a human form and give it a name, but a theist finds
it as the best way to personify God.
·
To an atheist, the
universe was formed as a result of the big bang, but to a theist it was a
creation of God.
·
To an atheist, everything
that happens in the world has a Science behind it, but to a theist, there is a
divine force operating beyond it.
There
are so many such contrasting beliefs. In a way, “Atheism” and “Theism” are just
two different forms of spiritual enquiry. While the Theist, starts from the
presupposition that there is God and finds evidence to substantiate his belief,
the Atheist starts from the presupposition that there is no God and finds
evidence to prove there is no God. As it
the nature of the human mind, to see only what it believes, both are right from
their own experiences.
I
have been an atheist myself, at one point of time. I have argued against the
existence of God, but when I came to read and hear about some of the greatest
thinkers, scientists, mathematicians, social workers such as Einstein, Ramanujan
Mahatma Gandhi and many more, I became aware that they were ardent believers of
God. All these people were far more intelligent than the common man and they
belief in something beyond their intellectual comprehension, made me to think,
that I could be wrong. This thought furthermore strengthened, when I became a
member of an organisation called JCI, which had it’s first tenant as follows: “Faith in God, gives
meaning and purpose to human life.” I pondered on this and could relate it as
well.
One
of the senior trainer of JCI, Mr. K.V. Ratnam, once quoted, “Science has an
answer for all the questions. But man has not learned enough Science to know
all the answers. Till then let us believe in God”. This was a new and
interesting perspective.
In
this context, it is pertinent to Everyone thinks differently and therefore
everyone has the right to choose what they want to be, and just because I am an
Theist , I am not against the Atheist ideology. It is just my appeal to
Atheist, to periodically revisit our beliefs, from time to time.
Because,
while there is no hard and fast rule to believe in God, there is nothing we
lose by believing in God.
While
I am not against the Atheist, I
It
is purely our choice to be a Theist or an Atheist. What is more important is
not to mock anyone’s belief. We should learn to respect this difference and
give each other the space and freedom to be themselves, rather than argue and prove
that we are right.
Happy
Reading,
D. Senthil Kannan
Article Dated June 2016
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