Religion has proved itself repeatedly throughout history to be a deleterious addiction that is no respecter of persons or cultures but impels its crazed junkies to destroy anyone and anything in their path for a fix.
Taslima concerned by `addiction to religion
Kolkata, Sept 11: Expressing concern at the rise in 'addiction to religion' among different communities, Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen has said Muslim countries should embrace secularism and modern values, including in the Madarasa system of education.
Taslima said the 'addiction to religion' could be seen among Muslims, Hindus, Christians and others, and was manifested in the greater number of youths regularly visiting places of worship.
'This shows that youths are becoming conformists, going by conventions, customs and superstitions and not following their own powers of rational reasoning. This does not augur well for a country. One should have the power to debate, to argue, to reason,' she said in an interview.
At the same time, she said, Muslim nations need to embrace secularism and reform their educational systems.
'Muslims countries should embrace secularism, work for instilling modern values among the backward sections and carry out reforms in education, which is mostly centered in Madrasas at present,' Taslima said.
Only by helping the average Muslim to join the mainstream of life could their seclusion be avoided, she said.
Pointing out that she was not against any religion, Taslima said she did not believe in any faith and was a secularist and a humanist who believed in protecting the rights of the oppressed through her writing.
She asserted that she spoke out against the 'pitiable condition' of women in every society, every community - be it Hindu, Muslim or Christian.
Bureau Report
1 comment:
Bravo on a great post. It is heartbreaking to see how religion is used for control and compliance. The woman quoted in the article is a very brave lady and she has my deepest respect. I just wish every person on Earth would rise up against the chains of religion and rebel. It took me years to build up the nerve to break away from the Church, but once I did I found I had zero regrets, that God was not going to instantly kill me, and that I could actually be a lot happier. Maybe religion was useful 13,000 years ago before we had any idea of science, but now it has stayed with us like the appendix. Every time I see a little Jehovah's Witness kid at my front door, in their Sunday best, and accompanied by adults, I want to say, "You don't HAVE to do this. You can be free!." Every time some Mormon comes up to me at the gas station to give me literature, I want to say, "You don't HAVE to do this!" As a teenager, my father would make me drop my drawers and Zebra stripe my legs for skipping church. It was a small price to pay for freedom.
Post a Comment