Theist v/s Atheist: Does God Exist

An atheist professor of philosophy speaks to his class on the problem science has with God, The Almighty.
He asks one of his new students to stand and…..

Prof: So you believe in God?

Student: Absolutely, sir.

Prof: Is God good?

Student: Sure.

Prof: Is God all-powerful?

Student: Yes..

Prof: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to God to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But God didn’t. How is this God good then? Hmm?
(Student is silent.)

Prof: You can’t answer, can you? Let’s start again, young fella. Is God good?

Student: Yes.

Prof: Is Satan good?

Student: No.

Prof: Where does Satan come from?

Student: From….God…

Prof: That’s right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?

Student: Yes.

Prof: Evil is everywhere, isn’t it? And God did make everything. Correct?

Student: Yes.

Prof: So who created evil?
(Student does not answer.)

Prof: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don’t they?

Student: Yes, sir.

Prof: So, who created them?
(Student has no answer.)

Prof: Science says you have 5 senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son…Have you ever seen God?

Student: No, sir.

Prof: Tell us if you have ever heard your God?

Student: No, sir.

Prof: Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God, smelt your God? Have you ever had any sensory perception of God for that matter?

Student: No, sir. I’m afraid I haven’t.

Prof: Yet you still believe in Him?

Student: Yes.

Prof: According to empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your GOD doesn’t exist.
What do you say to that, son?

Student: Nothing. I only have my faith.

Prof: Yes. Faith. And that is the problem science has.

Student: Professor, is there such a thing as heat?

Prof: Yes.

Student: And is there such a thing as cold?

Prof: Yes.

Student: No sir. There isn’t.
(The lecture the after becomes very quiet with this turn of events.)

Student: Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat..
But we don’t have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it .
(There is pin-drop silence in the lecture theatre.)

Student: What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?

Prof: Yes. What is night if there isn’t darkness?

Student : You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright
light, flashing light…..But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and it’s called darkness, isn’t it? In reality, darkness isn’t. If it were you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you?

Prof: So what is the point you are making, young man?

Student: Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.

Prof: Flawed? Can you explain how?

Student: Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can’t even explain a thought.. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one.To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is
not the opposite of life: just the absence of it.
Now tell me, Professor.Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?

Prof: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.

Student: Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?
(The Professor shakes his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument is going.)

Student: Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher? (The class is in uproar.)

Student: Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor’s brain?
(The class breaks out into laughter.)

Student : Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor’s brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain,sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?
(The room is silent. The professor stares at the student, his face unfathomable.)

Prof: I guess you’ll have to take them on faith, son.

Student: That is it sir… The link between man & god is FAITH . That is all that keeps things moving & alive.

I believe you have enjoyed the conversation…and if so…you’ll probably want your friends/colleagues to enjoy the same…won’t you?….this is a true story, and the

student was none other than …….
APJ Abdul Kalam, the former President of India

I have read it at so many places on net, but I do not know authenticity. However for argument's shake it is damn good. Shows ancient India's shashtrartha (debate on philosophy) heritage. 

Position Of Women In Indian Society

Women are very important part of any society since prehistoric time and they play an important role in the development of any society. Once the societies are developed and progressed from nomadic stage to settled stage of culture then treatment of women differ a lot. While in middle east Asia and particularly after arrival of Islam women were reduced to "things" and property. There have been societies where women have been of chief of family in the same area where Islam dominates now. Similarly in European society, although they were not reduced to things or property but their position was not very strong. When it comes to Asian societies like India and China their position was much more better if we look in modern perspective. There used to be queen mother in all kingdoms and in some instances they were more powerful than kings themselves. Indian perspective is even more interesting because this have been all encompassing civilization and have seen almost all kind of changes and turmoils in its long history.

During Harappan period we find evidence that women had very important position in the life of family and society. We find proof of mother goddess and some historian say it was linked to goddess of fertility. There is some evidence which suggest that society might have been matriarchal rather than patriarchal. Now we do not have any data to prove if the society was matriarchal or not but we have strong evidence that position of women was very strong in the society. In fact at the same time or just after that we find proof of societies living in south India which were matriarchal. In fact even today we have this practice in some of the tribal groups across south India to Andman and Nicobar islands.

After Harappan period came the Vedic period in Indian sub-continents. People of Vedic culture are considered to be following the patriarchal pattern of the society. And its true also. If we consider the evidence that is available to us as of now, scholars seems to agree that it had to be this way only, because they were mostly nomads. Having said that we should not misunderstand that it was a society where women were treated badly; on the contrary they had very important part to play in the society. No yagna ( याज्ञ ) could be completed without women. Women were responsible for the household and they took all the decision within the house, and of course in consultation with their husbands. In fact as the society progressed and became more settled importance of women increased. Chances are that Aryans adopted the customs of existing civilization of Sindhu valley (and we see this happening again and again in course of our history where Indians assimilate most of the newcomers) and improved position of women in the society was result of that. In fact later Vedic period was golden era for women as far as position of women in the society is concerned. Because when we see feelings like "Janani Janma-bhoomi-scha Swargadapi Gariyasi" (जननी जन्मभूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसी meaning "mother and motherland are greater than heaven") then definitely it points towards very good position of women in society. 

In Budhdha and Jain period we see the that position of women remained more or less same. They were allowed to participate even in monastic life. They were allowed to take sanyas and there was nothing (perhaps apart from the war) which women could not do. And foundation of this were laid in our ancient culture and texts, which emphasize so many time on the role of women for a prosperous society. Of course it was not same everywhere. Problems like "sati (furning on funeral pyre of husband)" were there in society but that was voluntary and not forced upon anybody. Dowry was there but it was not for the price of groom as it has degenerated in present system. Dowry was actually empowerment of women so that she can live in prosperity after marriage and can start her new household with resources provided by parents (since she did not have participation in paternal property). hence it was a safeguard for the position of women in the society.

Meanwhile lot many people came and went some of them settled in this country and mixed with us and thus lost individual identity. India has truly been a melting pot of culture throughout the history. Saka, Kushan, Greeks, Scythians everybody came here but position of women in the Indian society remained same.

Then came the Arabians and in 500 years starting with 712 AD they conquered whole of north India. With this women lost their position in the society. Although they were not degraded to the level of "being the property" but still they lost their freedom. Veil was introduced in the society. Slowly their freedom outside the house was also limited. Effects were so much so that when the main character of Ramayana (Lord Ram) is supposed to have said  "अपि स्वर्णमयी लङ्का न मे लक्ष्मण रोचते जननी जन्मभूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसी" (Lakshmana, even this golden Lanka does not appeal to me, mother and motherland are greater than heaven.); writing Ramcharita in 16th Century says, "Dhol, bail, shudra, pashu, naari; ye sab tadan ke adhikari"  (Drum, animal, low castes and women, tehy all deserve to be beaten). 

After this period problem of sati became severe. Education of women vanished altogether, since women could not go outside and their status in society degraded. However in the same period and even today condition of women have been better in south India. There they got more or less equal treatment to men. That was possible because Arabian influence did not reach the south. Vijaynagar Empire stood in the way of conquest of south India. 

During British period condition of women improved in the society. Yoke of religious rule was removed. Once aagain country was under more or less secular rule. With all its shortcomings, British rule was better for women. Some of the reforms were carried out. Sati was abolished, steps were taken again towards the education of women. Slowly things started changing.

After independence in 1947 AD we gave equal rights to women, while most of the western world was still under the spell of feminism and women were fighting for their rights. Inheritance was given to them in family property in 1956. So we can say that condition is improving. It will of course take some time to remove the prejudices created in the society over thousands of years. Thanks to our deep rooted culture we still see image of goddesses in women. We love and respect them and their role in upholding the social values can not be denied. Still task is far from finished. We still have scores of cases of dowry death and female foeticide. In law we have given equal status but for society to change it will take education.        

Hinduism Is Misnomer

Hinduism in itself is a misnomer for what it pretend to describe. Actually there not a religion called Hinduism. Its the collective culture of the Indian subcontinent with all its diversity and its ancient values. Hence any person living in the Indian subcontinent is Hindu. The word Hindu itself is very recent in its origin. As any student of the history knows that word Hindu originate from Indus. Basic root of the word is Sindh and the country acros the Indus rever was came to be known as India over the period of time in Europian languages and Hindustan (Country of Hind, where Hind itself is modified form of Sindh). Before the arrival of Arabs who brought their religion of only one book (Islam) nobody in this ancient country knew that there is something called religion. They were simple people for them religion was righteousness. There were no rigid rule of righteousness also as such. There was the tradition of Shashtrartha (interpretation of edicts and ancient knowledge). Hence if you can prove your point and your principles in the widely accepted principles of time you are righteous. In this sense Indian society was very dynamic and not stagnated as the societies based on one single book. Here everything that was humane and righteous was accepted and respected. Sentiments of the people were respected. Wherever anybody was persecuted in the world they fled to India and our great ancestor gave them shelter and living space and enriching their own culture in the process by taking their fine points of culture and ideas.

If you still want to give a name to the religion of these people that is Sanatan Dharma (eternal religion). This eternal religion was very dynamic and ever changing. They were not the people bound by some one book or one single philosophy. They respected knowledgeable people with all philosophies as long as these philosophies were in broader human interest.

Now we talk about human rights and equality in this world, in India these are the basic principles of life that made the foundation of life itself. This society gave birth to great philosophers like Buddha and Mahavir. Now many people think that Jainism and Buddhism are separate religions but they are not. These were social reform movements to free the country from the clutches of the upper section of society dominated by Brahamins, who had made the caste system hereditary thing rather than normal division of labour.

Time and again this country and society have seen so many changes and kept on evolving over the period of time. Now time have come that we need another renaissance. We need to revive our glory as a society and that can happen only through education and self respect. People must learn to respect themselves and their ancient values and at the same time do away with the baggage of the things which have become obsolete over the period of time.

People must understand their eternal religion and should not be confined to some vague guidelines. We must again learn to respect all the alternative philosophies, we must learn the healthy debates that used to be there in the society over the righteous path.