Bhagat Singh was a Socialist from India who died in 1931 at the age of 23. Despite his youth, he wrote an essay called “Why I am an atheist” that still resonates today. I’m not kidding. While the wording isn’t necessarily modern, the ideas are no different from the ones we debate to this day.
In a new video from the YouTube channel Epified, portions of that essay are read aloud and animated:
… All these faiths differ on many fundamental questions, but each of them claims to be the only true religion. This is the root of the evil. Instead of developing the ideas and experiments of ancient thinkers, thus providing ourselves with the ideological weapon for the future struggle, — lethargic, idle, fanatical as we are — we cling to orthodox religion and in this way reduce human awakening to a stagnant pool.
…
The idea of God is helpful to a man in distress.
…
One of my friends asked me to pray. When informed of my atheism, he said, “When your last days come, you will begin to believe.” I said, “No, dear sir, Never shall it happen. I consider it to be an act of degradation and demoralisation. For such petty selfish motives, I shall never pray.”
Take that, “New” Atheism.
(via Epified)
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