Thread by @gauravsabnis

This was a 2 step process for me

1. Babri 92 got me questioning religion, god, and pretty quickly turning atheist.

2. Distancing myself from Hinduism was a long term process. Not until my late 20s when I started reading Ambedkar did I explicitly distance myself from Hinduism.

https://twitter.com/HiAinwe/status/1456850318356926474

BTW atheism was common and acceptable in the 90s in Pune in general and my family in particular. I got zero pushback from my deeply religious dad when I said I'm not doing shubhamkaroti anymore.

It feels like today's Pune has gotten more orthodox, like harkening to Peshwai.

Until a few years ago, I saw no contradiction in the term "Hindu atheist" because I had bought into the big tent version sold on the surface by our society. Charvaka was often cited.

But once your eyes open to how integral caste is to Hinduism/sanatanism/brahminism, you can't.

Yeah, this. The "old school" sanghism was rooted more in cultural identity, casteism, and of course their core tenet - hating Muslims. It wasn't as explicitly "religious" and ritualistic. It didn't wear "dharma" on its sleeve like it does now.

https://twitter.com/FarziLogic/status/1456903738405187584?t=U9U4AfeVLFsuZZMdg96nLw&s=19

I think one more step in my complete and utter solidification as an atheist was in my late 20s when I started reading and thinking and seeing in detail how science and philosophy are enough to explain morality. That it's an evolutionary construct, not a religious one.

An epiphany happened during a debate with a religious friend.

Him: All over the world, all religions teach basically the same thing. Morality. Don't lie, steal, kill etc.

Me: But then the morality is universal, biological, and religion is just the packaging!

Him: .....

Convincing myself that morality, empathy, and all the things that make a good person and good society come from evolution and can be fully explained by evolution, that took many years. Much thinking and reading.

BTW most mammals are mostly chill with each other. Without religion

Other than mating contests and territorial disputes, mammals and in fact most species get along with other members of their species. Many species have elements of morality and that basic sense of fairness. Especially primates. They have a code, a society, no religion.

All you basically need is philosophy and math, and then everything else, even science, falls into place.

Sadly, because the modern education system was designed by and put in place to primarily serve the industrial revolution, we don't teach too much philosophy in our schools. Just the absolute basics. When it should take up huge chunks of schooling. From kindergarten.

Religious schools teach their own narrow philosophies and dogma. But secular schools are more about training kids to get jobs than making them good people. Not that there's anything wrong with it. Can't contemplate Kierkegaard on an empty stomach. But just saying.

I'm not saying have first graders read Kant. But Aesop is philosophy. I remember we had a chapter in Class 4 English from Les Mis, where Jean Valjean steals the candlesticks. Our teacher went into the philosophy so beautifully. I still remember the class.

https://twitter.com/sethrishi/status/1456910820852391944?t=eH3is9YeiEEEq10d8941Dg&s=19

I went to a private school full of white collar mostly brahmin people. Right next to us was (still is) a government school. (Named after a sanghi BTW. It's Pune after all).

Students there were exclusively from low income and/or bahujan community. Wide disparity in means.

Teacher asked

"If you are having tiffin at recess and your classmate asks for a taste, will you give it?"

"What if someone from Deendayal walks over and asks for a taste?"

"What if they haven't eaten in days?"

"What if they snatch it from you?"

I was 9. I still remember.

P.S. is Kierkegaard the most common name brought up when someone wants to mention a random philosopher in the passing, just to impress people by showing you can spell Kierkegaard? 😂😂😂

You know, I rejected the very concept of god so early in life (13-14 or so) that I have absolutely no memory left of how I personally thought of god when I did go along with that myth in my childhood years. I wish there were a way to access those memory files.

TLDR - If more people read, study, understand evolution, we won't need religion at all. And maybe that's why religious leaders are so opposed to teaching evolution in schools.