Mario writes: "Nice try, Sandeep. After calling him some kind of moron, now you want to make up presumptions out of whole cloth to get him off the hook:-))"
My response: Wrong. I have made my presumptions on the basis of what he has consistently written over the years, about God in different forums. I would not let even God off the hook if I knew he/she was wrong. From his perspective, Samir is perfectly right and I could go on and on with countless illustrations to prove that. Whether you may like to hear it or not, God and religion in their present forms are inherently divisive concepts; and a lot irrational too. Here in Goa, just look at the number of illegal religious shrines built on the roads which are creating traffic hazards. Or the loudspeakers used by temples and Mosques playing loud sermons and music. God may or may not suck, but the manner in which the believers interpret God definitely does. Mario writes: "However, if you read his opening post on this clearly moronic subject: http://lists.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet-goanet.org/2008-December/085637.html - you will see no hint of anything but an insulting attitude towards God and, by extension, those who believe in God." My response: So what's the problem in that? Those who propagate religious ideologies constantly hurt the scientific and rational sentiments of the atheists and the non-believers. Will the preachers stop propagating their beliefs on a Science Day? If they have the freedom of speech and free expression to propagate their bizarre, illogical, irrational and even evil ideas, why can't the atheists freely air their own thoughts? Samir has not done anything wrong and there is no need for him to go on the defensive. One of the directive principles of the Indian Constitution is to spread scientific temper and rational thoughts in the society. He is doing just that. Mario writes: "Besides, where did you get the idea that it is only the concept of God that has brought a lot of misery and destruction to humankind? Some of the worst tyrants in history had rejected the notion of God and then went on to account for the deaths and destruction of millions of innocent victims, for social or political reasons." My response: I never said that the concept of God is the only divisive concept. There may be a lot others too. But God is one such divisive concept, from Samir's perspective and from the perspective of many other thinkers like Bertrand Russell. Let them have their say. Period! Cheers Sandeep
