I received the sad news of Niloy Neel's death today. He had lived in fear of his life since three of his compatriots (Avijit Roy, Washiqur
Rahman, and Ananta Bijoy Das) were killed for speaking out about their secular views, against extremism and for the rights of minorities. He makes it the fourth secular Bangladeshi blogger killed this year. No one has been convicted. I am honoured to be in this illustrious company, even though the worst I have suffered for my views on religion is being fired from a job and facing serious flak from my family. It is a small price to pay compared to the ultimate sacrifice that these brave men have made.
It looks like the news is running in parallel with my blog posts as it was only yesterday I talked about how religious persons are reluctant to ask questions about their beliefs. I must have forgotten to add that they are also intolerant of these same questions from others, especially those who do not share their beliefs. The murder of the 'Bangladeshi 4' is a grim reminder of this intolerance and the deadliness of religious dogma.
People tend to ignore such incidences, but let us not forget too quickly that the atrocities of World War II began as a result of the isolated persecution of Jews, which eventually led to the death of more than 60 million people and untold costs in infrastructural damage. This war brought to the fore the infinite capacity of human beings for evil; but let us remember that we also have that same capacity for good and we have used this to advance our society to what we have today. This dual capability for evil and for good is at the centre of human nature, and religion has been unable to successfully throw a leash on it. The time to explore another option is so long overdue. That option is secularity and an end to religion.
We have shown the capability to structure our societies into an interconnected and interdependent entity. Why do we allow religion to continue to tell us that we are incapable of living without it? The silence of governments, in the name of political correctness, in the face of the growing menace of religion is deafening and can no longer be ignored. Religion, like governments everywhere, seeks to control. But this control is not by extant secular laws; it is by the dictatorial and murderous laws of the gods of the bible and the koran which has over 3.8 billion persons in its chokehold.
Secularism/humanism/atheism is here for the long haul. It is the hydra headed monster of religious dogma and cutting of one head guarantees another ten growing to take its place. and religion will have no Heracles to this onslaught. We are fighting back and we are gaining ground. And we shall be victorious. Mark my words.
It looks like the news is running in parallel with my blog posts as it was only yesterday I talked about how religious persons are reluctant to ask questions about their beliefs. I must have forgotten to add that they are also intolerant of these same questions from others, especially those who do not share their beliefs. The murder of the 'Bangladeshi 4' is a grim reminder of this intolerance and the deadliness of religious dogma.
People tend to ignore such incidences, but let us not forget too quickly that the atrocities of World War II began as a result of the isolated persecution of Jews, which eventually led to the death of more than 60 million people and untold costs in infrastructural damage. This war brought to the fore the infinite capacity of human beings for evil; but let us remember that we also have that same capacity for good and we have used this to advance our society to what we have today. This dual capability for evil and for good is at the centre of human nature, and religion has been unable to successfully throw a leash on it. The time to explore another option is so long overdue. That option is secularity and an end to religion.
We have shown the capability to structure our societies into an interconnected and interdependent entity. Why do we allow religion to continue to tell us that we are incapable of living without it? The silence of governments, in the name of political correctness, in the face of the growing menace of religion is deafening and can no longer be ignored. Religion, like governments everywhere, seeks to control. But this control is not by extant secular laws; it is by the dictatorial and murderous laws of the gods of the bible and the koran which has over 3.8 billion persons in its chokehold.
Secularism/humanism/atheism is here for the long haul. It is the hydra headed monster of religious dogma and cutting of one head guarantees another ten growing to take its place. and religion will have no Heracles to this onslaught. We are fighting back and we are gaining ground. And we shall be victorious. Mark my words.
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