A Shout-out to Freethinkers in Bangalore and the World!

“Rick Santorum said that more than 60% of kids who enter college committed to religious faith graduate without the same commitment. Translation: There is an inverse relationship between knowledge and superstition.”- Bill Maher


BEANTOWN FREETHINKERS

Let’s not let imaginary friends get in the way of real friendships

Greetings,

If you are a freethinker/rationalist/atheist/humanist living in Bangalore and want to meet like-minded people, then you have come to the right place.

WE MEET EVERY SUNDAY 11 AM at Jaaga (www.jaaga.in)

No 68, KH Double Road

Opp. Corporation Bank

Next to the K H Road Bus Stand

Bangalore – 560027, INDIA

 

Are you a freethinker in Bangalore?

Are you sick of airhead politicians running a system based on myth and superstition?

Do you wish they would do away with the 11:30 deadline?

Are you tired of restrictive customs and traditions that curtail your freedom of choice?

Do you wish to break free from the constraints of society and live life on your own terms without anyone telling you what to do?

Do you wish to hang out with other Bangalore freethinkers who think just like you?

Welcome to Beantown Freethinkers – a group of rationalists, freethinkers, humanists and atheists in Bangalore who believe that one should not let irrational fears stemming from religion and superstition get in the way of realizing your full potential and living your life to the fullest. Life comes only once in a lifetime. Live it!

It is tough being a rationalist in Bangalore. It is unfortunate that superstition is the basis for most of our social practices – marriage, rituals, births, deaths, initiation ceremonies – an atheist in Bangalore has to put up with all this. Most of them are coerced by society and family to join in these rituals. It is an unfortunate part of Indian culture and mentality that most of the things we do are done not because we want to do them, but because we have to do them. Question – Who says we have to do those things? What happens if you don’t? Will the sky fall apart? Will a chasm open up under your feet? Will you vaporize instantly? There are people living in other parts of the world who are not following these customs and traditions and rituals. They seem to be doing fine. Nothing’s happening to them. These are the kind of questions that compelled freethinkers in Bangalore to start this support group.

JUST BECAUSE YOU’RE BORN IN A PARTICULAR PLACE DOESN’T MEAN YOU ARE UNDER OBLIGATION TO FOLLOW THOSE CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS. YOU HAVE THE FREEDOM TO MAKE YOUR OWN CHOICES.

Bangalore rationalists strive to get rid of unfortunate and unfair traditions and systems like:

  • Rituals of questionable nature that could leave a person physically and emotionally scarred
  • Second class citizen like treatment to the girl-child because of the belief that a woman’s ultimate aim is to be just a wife, daughter-in-law, mother and home-maker
  • Important life decisions are made based not on logic and reasoning but on astrology and other superstitions
  • Children being forced to pick a career as either a doctor or engineer just because these titles command more dowry in the marriage market
  • Violence against women and children that is unfortunately part of Indian psyche
  • The convenient and very dangerous assumption that elders are always right
  • People being forced to do certain things just because of the question – “What will society say?”
  • Ghetto mentality that says certain groups of people should stick to their own kind
  • Forced marriages
  • Moral policing

This is a grave violation of our government-given right of freedom of choice and most of the above mentioned events are crimes under our constitution. We, after all, live in a secular country and the government is not a theocratic one. But most rationalists in Bangalore have to get themselves involved in activities that their conscience that does not agree with. This is more due to fear of isolation than due to coercion. So how can the police and the government help if the people are not willing to help themselves? But if Bangalore atheists can unite, we can build a community of our own and have the freedom to live life on our own terms.

Being a humanist in Bangalore – a city located in the most religious country on earth – you are of course a part of a minority. But don’t let the word minority make you think that there are only a handful of Humanists in Bangalore.

Chew on these numbers…

The population of Bangalore is around 9 million. Even if a very modest 1% of this population is non-religious that means there are around 90,000 rationalists in Bangalore! There are of course labels like anti-theist and skeptic and many more, but we all have the same basic idea – to build a society based on the values of humanism where no person has to undergo humiliation and subjugation at the hand of so-called community leaders and moral guardians.

Just because they say they are wiser than you doesn’t necessarily mean they are!!! You don’t have to listen to them, use your brain!