Many great figures — Einstein, Stephen Hawking, Richard Dawkins, Abraham T. Kovoor, Periyar E.V. Ramasamy — have said that "religious belief turns a person into a fool." This country's Prime Minister, along with several Union ministers, has proven that statement true. There is no harm or danger that comes from not following any religion or not praying to any god. There are countless examples of this.
Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, and Jains, who do not follow Hinduism, face no danger from Hindu gods. Similarly, Hindus, Muslims, and people of other faiths who do not believe in Christianity face no danger or loss from the Christian God. Nor do people of other faiths who do not believe in Allah have anything to fear from him. All of this pertains purely to belief. That is why there are no real dangers that arise from a lack of religious belief — and no real benefits that arise from having it. Beliefs without proof, and illusions, hold no real value.
When someone points out that science keeps advancing with new discoveries, a certain religious believer got angry and asked, "Have religions fallen behind, then? Aren't they inventing new gods too?" That's actually a fair point. Only human beings follow religions. They convert from one religion to another. Not only that — they change their gods too. Didn't Muslims and Christians emerge, in a sense, by breaking away from Yahweh, the God of the Jews? Didn't Hindus, finding some of the Buddha's teachings appealing, incorporate him as one of the ten avatars?
Wasn't Shirdi Sai Baba — who lived an extremely humble life in society — attributed powers he never claimed, adorned with silver and gold crowns, and turned into a Hindu god? Priests now perform rituals for him with Sanskrit chants. As evening falls, there is aarti, devotional singing, and money collected in donation boxes — the whole thing has become a business, complete with live broadcasts on television channels. It's clear that religious conversion happens not just among people, but among gods too. In other words, all of this represents the ever-evolving, ever-renewing developments within religions themselves!
There are some misguided people who claim, with clever words, that there is some connection between science and religion, or between science and spirituality. In truth, there is no such connection — the two are complete opposites. Science does not keep people trapped in imagination or illusion. It does not divide people. When science produces a new vaccine or a new invention, it becomes available to all of humanity — it does not seek to restrict itself to people of a particular country, region, religion, or caste. Science does not ignite hatred among people. Unlike religious conflicts, no "science conflicts" have ever been recorded in history — nor are any happening before our eyes today.
No scientist has ever claimed that science needs religion. And yet, there are many religious gurus, preachers, self-styled "sadgurus," babas, heads of religious institutions (peethadhipatis), spiritual "mothers," and discourse-givers who, while outwardly accepting science, sideline its core principles and spirit — using science fully for their own convenience while propagating their own superstitions. Some of them speak polished English while promoting Manuvadi ideology.
Others speak like great progressives, praising science even while reinforcing belief in the existence of God. Such people are far more dangerous to society than ordinary religious believers. The public must learn to recognize the hidden intent and deception embedded in their speeches. Such people are visible all around us today. They are especially eager to influence society through social media — and, due to the lack of regulation, it is precisely these people who are polluting social media with religious propaganda!
Just as society contains both good and bad, it contains both science and religion. In mathematics, there is a plus sign and a minus sign. In physics, there is positive electric charge and negative electric charge. Put simply: science is the plus sign, religion is the minus sign. A bank account has credits and debits — those with abundant credit become wealthy, while those with excessive debits go bankrupt. If science functions like credit in human life, then religion functions like debit. Here, "credit" and "debit" are not about money — they represent human values!
All living beings in creation live without any concept of divinity. Only humans have gotten stuck at the irrational belief that they are somehow special enough for gods to exist for them. But in this modern era, humanity has begun to recognize this too — and is moving in the direction of correcting it. Man — one among countless billions of living beings, who through sheer intellect has achieved dominance over this "blue planet," who now probes the depths of the universe — is beginning to recognize his own errors. This process may take time, but he will certainly cast off his outdated, cobweb-covered beliefs — and will raise future generations free from them.
Today, science offers answers to virtually every mystery of nature. Will humanity set all of that aside and instead continue blindly worshipping the gods and religious beliefs invented by ancient ancestors long ago? Will it give priority to the imaginative tales of primitive humans who could not understand the mysteries of nature? Absolutely not. It will give priority only to human values. The modern person, who understands that the spirit of questioning is the very essence of science — and that this spirit drives new discoveries — will nurture that questioning spirit rather than suppress it. Because if questioning is suppressed, a civilization cannot progress. The comforts available to an ordinary person today were not even available to emperors of the past — and this has been made possible, without question, entirely because of science!
Since independence, poverty and corruption have not been eliminated from this country, nor has full literacy been achieved. Still, we have made significant progress in certain areas. But the current government, which came to power a few years ago through grand propaganda, has placed the nation into the hands of a select few wealthy individuals. With Pakistan next door proudly proclaiming itself an Islamic state, this government appears determined to turn this country into a Hindu state — and has therefore chosen a regressive path.
It absurdly argues that the scientific achievements we continue to receive from other nations are useless, claiming instead that sages and yogis on this very soil had already discovered them long ago. It blurs the line between mythological fiction and historical fact, presenting fantasy as reality. Since this government has no respect for the Constitution or for the judiciary, it has systematically dismantled institutions. Most troublingly, over the past two or three years, National Science Congress conferences have, in alignment with the central government's agenda, given prominent platforms to unscientific ideas and folk tales — a truly disgraceful development! A blatant conspiracy to undermine the scientific temper is unfolding openly.
Even a supposedly righteous man engages in corruption. The very protector or ruler meant to safeguard the people instead exploits — or punishes — them. The very person expected to help others instead kills them. The very person expected to respect women instead sexually assaults and brutally murders them. Meanwhile, some people dedicate their entire lives to research, making great sacrifices to offer new discoveries to humanity — while others, who fully enjoy the fruits of those discoveries, remain sunk in the superstition of "religion and God," shamelessly spreading that same superstition among the public. This benefits only them — it offers no benefit whatsoever to society.
The public that honors such people should also reflect: are they truly honoring those who are dragging them back into thousand-year-old, useless ideologies? If people begin to think rationally, the "businesses" of such individuals will shut down on their own. It is essential that we recognize and honor the efforts of the scientists, teachers, science activists, and writers who have brought this society into the twenty-first century! This is the eternal struggle between the plus and minus within humanity — the clash between positive and negative charge — the fierce, ongoing battle between science and religion!!
— Dr. Devaraju Maharaju
Renowned litterateur and biologist
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