October 2nd 2011 – Payyanur – Kannur – Kerala

The more scientifically literate, intellectually honest and objectively sceptical a person is, the more likely they are to disbelieve in anything supernatural, including god. This is a compilation of some of the best examples of such individuals with their thoughts on the divine. They include in order of appearance:

Professor Stephen Hawking is an English theoretical physicist and cosmologist, and was Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge for 30 years.

Lord Martin Rees is the Astronomer Royal and Master of Trinity College, Cambridge. He was President of the Royal Society between 2005 and 2010.

Dr Sam Harris is an American author, neuroscientist and CEO of Project Reason. He holds a PhD in neuroscience from UCLA, and a BA in philosophy from Stanford University.

Professor Richard Feynman was an American physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965.

Professor Noam Chomsky is an Institute Professor and professor emeritus of linguistics at MIT and well known as one of the fathers of modern linguistics.

Stephen Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director.

Professor Leonard Susskind is Professor of Theoretical Physics at Stanford University, and widely regarded as one of the fathers of string theory.

Sir Bertrand Russell was an English philosopher who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1950. He is considered one of the founders of analytic philosophy and is widely held to be one of the 20th century’s premier logicians.

Dr Richard Carrier is an American historian who received his PhD in ancient history from Columbia University.

Sir David Attenborough is a broadcaster and naturalist. He studied Natural Sciences at Cambridge, and his distinguished career in broadcasting now spans more than 50 years.

Professor Neil deGrasse Tyson is an American astrophysicist, the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History and Visiting Research Scientist and Lecturer at Princeton University. He attended Harvard College (B.A), University of Texas (M.A.) and Columbia University (M.Phil.), (Ph.D.).

Professor Vilayanur Ramachandran is a neuroscientist, Director of the Center for Brain and Cognition, and Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Neurosciences Graduate Program at the University of California, San Diego. He obtained his PhD from Trinity College, Cambridge.

Professor Sir Harold Kroto is a British chemist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1996.

Steven Pinker is Professor in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University, known for his advocacy of evolutionary psychology and the computational theory of mind.

John Smythies is a neuropsychiatrist and neuroscientist. He is Professor Emeritus of Psychiatric Research at the University of Alabama Medical Center.

Sir Richard Friend is Cavendish Professor at the University of Cambridge. His research concerns the physics and engineering of carbon-based semiconductors.

Peter Atkins is a British Chemist and was Professor of Chemistry at the University of Oxford. He is a prolific writer of popular chemistry textbooks.

Marcus du Sautoy OBE is the Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science and a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford.

Sir Patrick Bateson is an English biologist and science writer. Bateson is emeritus professor of ethology at Cambridge University and president of the Zoological Society of London since 2004.

Professor AC Grayling is a British philosopher, supernumerary fellow of St Anne’s College, Oxford, and first master of New College of the Humanities in London. He was previously Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London.

Brian Cox OBE is a British particle physicist, a Royal Society University Research Fellow and a professor at the University of Manchester. He works on the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN.

Alan Macfarlane is a renowned social anthropologist and a Professor Emeritus of King’s College, Cambridge. He is the author or editor of 20 books and numerous articles on the anthropology and history of England, Nepal, Japan and China.

Alan Dershowitz is an American lawyer, jurist, and political commentator. He has spent most of his career at Harvard Law School where, at the age of 28, he became the youngest full professor of law in its history.

Quentin Skinner is Professor of the Humanities at Queen Mary, University of London, and was previously Professor of Modern History at the University of Cambridge. The author or co-author of more than 20 books, his works have been very widely translated.

A banner / Billboard put up by atheists of Florida served to spark positive, meaningful conversations.

Atheists of Florida President Rob Curry

Public discussion with residents of Lakeland, Florida, and others who came on Monday, 11/23, to voice their concerns or questions related to the billboard ad placed by Atheists of Florida on November first

11. Is it not a mistake of Creator not placing devotional interest in the minds of creations like sexual interest?

This question has been put forward by a Saint to make us think on the subject and so please answer it seriously.
All people are attracted towards the opposite sex without any compulsion from parents or priests, without going to any coaching classes, without a pray in Churches/ Mosques/ Temples, that we know. If all were blessed with such a strong interest in devotion also, what were wrong?

12. Do you think that chanting God’s names will give you benefit? Please tell me how it works?

In every Religion, we see chanting OR holy bath OR pilgrimage OR fasting as a custom. But we know frogs are also chanting something. What is the difference? The people living nearby holy river Ganga take bath everyday in it. Are they benefited? We see people die in accidents while they attend pilgrimage. We see beggars fasting almost every day. Are they also be benefited?

13. Life is not Christian, not Muslim, not Hindu. Body also has no religions, then why do we fight for religion?

God has not given anything special physically to identify a Christian from a Hindu or a Muslim from a Buddhist. He was able to do that if he desires so. He has given a trunk to the Elephant, wings to the birds etc. to differentiate them from other species. But see people all over the world quarrelling each other claiming that their religion is good and other religions are small. What nonsense?

14. What is the difference between the life of a theist and that of an atheist?

We see good & kind hearted people leading a peaceful life among non believers and rough & worried people among believers, and vice-versa. Can we tell any specialty or achievement in a believer? He spends more time and money for his rituals but what he gets in return?

15. Do the departed souls need food to survive & shelter to live in peace? If so, how they receive our offerings?

In death anniversaries of parents, people offer some food believing that souls will receive it. Since the souls have no physical body, do they really need food? It is a known fact that if we offer food by chanting some slogans, even our living father sitting nearby, is neither getting it nor his hunger being stopped. Then how his soul will get it in the sky after his death?

16. Who was ruling this Universe before the existence of your God?

If you believe in Karma theory, how it is possible to take birth in the first time, since there was no Karma in the previous birth!

17. What were the hobbies of your God before he starts creation?

Unnecessarily creating people, not providing sufficient infrastructure and killing them at the end, that is his hobby after the creation. But can you explain what was he doing before the creation?

18. How can we believe that we can influence God? Is it fair to influence him?

Please help to clear my doubt. I don’t know even to influence my Chief Minister or Chief Justice. Then how can I believe that I can influence God by doing some rituals? Moreover is it fair on my part?

19. ‘One caste, one religion, one God’- What is the one cast? What is the one religion? What is the one God? Is it yours or mine?

Narayana Guru’s above teaching was criticised by Brahmananda Swami Sivayogi. Do you agree with Sivayogi?

20. How the 18 chapters of Gita were finished before the short interval of war? Was the war stopped for 1 or 2 days for teaching Gita?

I am surprised how Lord Krishna explains all those hard philosophies to Arjuna in the middle of kurukshtra war. Anybody thinking like me will get the answer please?

1. We select everything by checking them good or bad. But why did we select Religion without a check?

2. Is God having a necessity for the creation?
Creation starts when necessity arises. But God is Almighty, religion says. He has no necessity for anything. Then why did he create the Universe? Is he Mad? Or is he a fool?
3. Why should we pray to God?
How much long we pray, God will never come and take us to the other side. It is our duty to walk and reach the other side. God will never come and brush our teeth. It is also our duty to clean our teeth and mind. Then why should one pray?
4. God didn’t help Jesus or Arjuna in trouble, then how can He help us?
Jesus Cried of pain when he was punished in the holy cross- “Oh! God, help, help”. But God didn’t answer his pray.
In Hindu Mythology also Krishna didn’t help Arjuna in his last hours.
Then how can we believe that God will help us?
5. How Nishkama karma possible as mentioned in Gita? Can there be an action without a wish?
There will not be a Karma(action) without a Kama(wish). If one pours water on an inverted pot, we call him Mad. Even a Mother’s love to her child had a wish behind that is to get happiness out of it. We are taking breath unknowingly, but sill it has a Kama ‘to live’. Similarly, to every action there will be a wish behind. Then, how did Krishna, the Hindu God advice Arjuna to do the war without thinking the result? He was cheating Arjuna, actually. Krishna had a wish behind the war. That was to make the Pandavas ruling the Kingdom, Hastinapura. What nonsense! Krishna can have a wish but others cannot! Any scholars of Gita can give me the answer to this?
6. What is meant by liberation? And who needs it, the Body, Mind or the Soul?
From the books of Vedanta, I could understand that Liberation is Mukti. But Mukti is from what? Please note that I do not believe in Rebirth. Also, the Vedanta says Body is not eternal, it is Naswara. Mind is also Anatma according to the theory of Vedanta. And the Soul is always liberated. So I am confused. Please help me to know which of the three needs liberation?
7. Why did Jesus, Allah, Vishnu or any Gods could not invent a Computer, Mobile phone, Train or an atom Bomb?

8. How the sacrifice can please God? Is He a sadist?
Almost in all Religions, sacrifice has an important roll. Christ, Mohammed, Budha, Rama are examples. Fasting is a common sacrifice in Hindu and Muslim Religions. Is it not a Ragging? Smashing ones own head also can please God?
9. Which Religion can convert an Atheist into a believer?
Friends, I am an Atheist. I could not follow blind beliefs. Someone help me to convince me logically or by their prayers that there is a Creator God. Atleast they help me to shift the black mole in my left arm to my right arm by their prayers. I heard their God can do such miracles. I will be thankful to them and am ready to accept their religion.
10. Why the Omnipotent God needs a prophet, son or incarnation to save people?
Why can’t he change the world by a fractional thought?
Why can’t he make the world free from all sins?
If he did either of these two, then he need not take pain to send his son, prophet or take different incarnations again and again.
Shall we conclude that God is not omnipotent?