The world still has its handful of superstitions and mystical, pre-Enlightenment religious beliefs do still hold sway in society. In some Asian cultures the vast number and the disturbing depth
Month: July 2014
Richard Dawkins on Fairy Tales
Ian JohnstonProfessor Richard Dawkins has questioned whether telling children fairy tales could be harmful because they “inculcate a view of the world which includes supernaturalism”. The evolutionary biologist, a leading atheist
Self-style godman arrested for duping woman
Pune: Despite spending lakhs of rupees on pujas and medicines for the last five years, when a Pimpri-based woman could not conceive, she approached the cops against the self-styled godman,
‘Matted hair isn’t sign of godliness’
Chaitraly DeshmukhDespite living in twentieth century, we still fall pray to superstitions. Here is an example, where parents of a 16-year-old-girl wanted to surrender their girl to a temple, after she
‘Promote Scientific Temper’
Ramesh SusarlaInterview with G. Vijayam of Atheist Centre, Vijayawada. The foundations of the rationalist movement in Andhra Pradesh were laid by Kumaragiri Vema Reddy, popularly known as Vemana, through his verses
Schools are not Battlegrounds for Religions!
Babu GogineniI received today a communication on FB, shrieking that it was unjust for the authorities to consider suspension of a teacher who made students shout ‘Jai Shri Ram’ or ‘Hail
Astrology Flops Again!
Narendra NayakWe have been inviting all those who claim supernatural powers of prediction to come forward and show their efficiency but forecasting the results for the elections from many decades. The
So called Accurate Predictions Failed!
Prabhakar NanawatyPrior to actual voting of Parliamentary Election 2014, Shri Nandkishor Jakatdar, President Brihan-Maharashtra Jotish Mandal held a press conference on 5 Apr 2014. During the press conference he boasted that
Retrograde Movement, Shani Dosham, Mangliks and Science
V RaghunathanImagine that you are ensconced comfortably in a luxury car, stuck in traffic, when your car begins to slide forward ever so gently, without your realising it. The movement is
The Sex Lives of Godmen
Mihir SrivastavaAsaram Bapu is no longer on Aastha channel, his sermons on which had become something of a morning ritual for many Indians over the past few years. He is now
India’s Superstition Industry
Meera NandaAt one level, the arrest of Asaram is a rather humdrum, same-old story. One more godman has fallen from grace. So, what is new under the sun? Aren’t we used
Cosmopolitan Secular Humanism with an Indian Blend
Dr. Floris van den BergLiving with values is the autobiography of Indian humanist philosopher and human rights activist Narisetti Innaiah (b. 1937). Historian of ideas Bill Cooke writes in his book A Wealth of
A Short History of Evolution: Morality
Carl CoonOur “short history” outlines the case for the scientific view that life and human civilization evolved without divine intervention. With evolution as our central theme, we identified a chain of