The year 2009 is celebrated as the Year of Science the world over. The goal of this celebration is to engage the public in science and improve public understanding about how science works, why it matters and who scientists are. Nothing can be apter than paying tribute to the great rationalist and popularizer of science, Sri Abraham Thomas Kovoor (Apr 10, 1898 – Sep 18, 1978). Kovoor was born in Tiruvalla in Kerala and migrated to Sri Lanka while being employed there as a professor. He devoted his time for dispelling superstition and belief in sorcerers and exorcists from the public mind. His works have been published by Indian Atheist Publishers in various languages. The following essay is translated by me from the book “Kovoorinte Sampoorna Krithikal” compiled by Edamaruku. RATIONALISTS’ MISSION
Some people tell me that it is not fair to question belief in god and that I should be content with opposing superstitions. This opinion was expressed in a note in ‘Ceylon Daily News’ by a Sinhalese writer, Mr. Karuppaiah and in letters to editor of Janayugam magazine. These people seem to believe that ‘Trust in God’ is scientific. The divinities of each religion differs. Some people consider air, fire, tree, rain or sky as God, and there is no unity among Gods like Bhagwathi, Subrahmania, Shiva, Vishnu, Jehovah and Allah. For those who pray to Jehovah, the others are mere superstition. A Muslim who believes in Allah as the only true God, can’t recognize the existence of other godheads. Many people deny 99% of the Gods and consider their own deity as the true one. They assimilate 1% of superstition and reject the others. For a rationalist, all godheads are offsprings of superstition. Rationalists oppose belief in god because that is the most prominent among all superstitions.
Some people try to denigrate rationalism by claiming that they have no mission other than oppose god. This is only their stratagem not to oppose belief in god. We are against all superstitions like god, religion, prayer, religious offerings, divine chants, black magic (Koodothram) and astrology to aim for the happiness and progress of all humanity. There is not a trace of selfishness here. A rationalist doesn’t expect reward for his social service. On the other hand, believers give alms only to be suitably compensated in heaven. Their good deeds are only an insurance for a safe after-life. Priests and religious leaders cheat those toiling hard for a living in the name of a non-existent god and an imaginary heaven. That is the greatest exploitation among all. That’s why rationalists are against religious belief.
Often, priests put forward outlandish arguments to establish belief in god. One of them is that God created the world. They claim that every object requires a creator and that God is the architect of the universe. If everything needs a creator, obviously God is also created by someone or something. Some others argue differently. They assert that everything has a reason for being and that the universe’s reason for existence is God. But in that case, there must be some reason for God’s being too. One of our religions profess that the earth is situated on the shoulders of an elephant. That elephant is standing on top of a tortoise. The man who fabricated this strange tale couldn’t find a place for the tortoise to stand! Ask those who say that God created the world: Where was this creator before the beginning of space, earth and time?
Rationalists know that there is no beginning or end to matter, energy, space or time. That’s why they don’t need a creator to create something which were not created at all in the first place! Those who understands chemical transmutations of life or evolution need not go in the vain search for a creator.
Another point of accusation against non-believers is that they have loose morals than believers. History negates the validity of such a statement. More people have been killed in holy wars for religion or god than in natural disasters, pandemics or political battles. Healthy public opinion, rule of law and the sense of belonging help to keep morality up in us. We can readily see from criminal statistics in various countries that a great majority of them are believers. According to the information compiled by J B S Haldane, an eminent scientist, most of the felons in Europe belong to Roman Catholicism. And there’s a reason for this! They believe that all their sins will be remitted if they confess it in front of a priest. They ascertain that God can be pleased by prayer, offerings and charity. All religions which display undue enthusiasm to excommunicate rationalists and agnostics from their fold have never expelled a murderer, rapist or pick pocket. The religious leaders will never do it. It is exactly these people who pay more genereously to churches, temples or mosques.
The love, compassion and social service performed by eminent rationalists like Bertrand Russell, Julian Huxley, Bernard Shaw, H G Wells, Jean Paul Sartre, Robert Ingersoll, Sigmund Freud, J B S Haldane, Charles Darwin and others were not for any reward to be gained in the after-life. Even staunch believers won’t accuse these great leaders of immorality.
Even I have experienced that children of atheists display higher morals, sense of duty and compassion than those reared in a religious background. I was born and brought up in an orthodox Christian homestead, whereas my son, Aries, in an atheistic background. His dedication in guiding students from France and Cuba in scientific research has astonished even myself. And this holds good for many others atheists too.
Weren’t the American administration which unhesitatingly ordered bombs to be hurled on the innocent men and women of Vietnam, the ambassadors of ‘Christian love’? On the other hand, the people who helped form world opinion against the war were Bertrand Russell and Sartre, the world famous rationalists.
Religions aim for maintaining exploitation instead of human welfare. Believers perform charitable work to reap the rewards in heaven, whereas rationalists carry out selfless service to humanity.
