Why am I a rational atheist?

The question has been on my mind for a long time. A very long time, in fact. In this essay, I would like to reason out my rationality. And at the very outset, I would like to say my argument is with the God, as perceived by most people in this world. Overwhelming majority of the population, irrespective of the religion they belong to, see God as someone who created this whole universe, including our planet, all forms of life and has absolute control over what happens in our lives, oversees our deeds (good or bad), answers to our prayers and defines our destinies, all absolutely for no apparent reason!

The question of belief in God has been discussed by so many great people, both theist and atheist. Most of the atheists, at least most of who I have read have been westerners. There have been a few exceptions. A brilliantly reasoned out essay by the great Indian freedom fighter revolutionary Bhagath Singh and another superbly thought out Kannada book titled “Devaru” by an English professor, who lived all of 102 years and remained a happy atheist till the very end, are some that I have read.

Let me start by contemplating, briefly, what I could have otherwise become – a Hindu, lingayat by caste and a believer. And that would have been only because my parents are exactly that. That has never been a strong enough reason for me to do anything, not just being religious.

So, what god to believe in - Hindu (one or other of the innumerable gods of the Hindu pantheon) or Buddha or Jesus or Yahweh or Allah or some other? All of them, in the way perceived by most people in the world, are mutually exclusive. Not withstanding what a few magnanimously claim – that those are the various paths to that same destination, you cannot believe in one and also truly believe in another. If one is true, other has to be lesser truth, if not completely false.

Let's for a moment assume that there is one (whatever religion) God, who has absolute control over what happens in the universe and more so in our lives on earth. Even an ardent super religious person accepts that not all is well on the face of the earth. There is abject poverty, human suffering, exploitation and injustice. Why is the omnipotent almighty not doing a thing about it? By sheer will, it should be easy for the God to set right everything that is wrong on this planet. We often get to hear that we don't understand the ways of God. That argument (that we don't understand the ways of God) should only be as much valid or true, if not less, as perhaps there are no set ways of God at all! Isn't it just a logical extension that people are scared to make?

While I was young, when I used to visit temples with my parents, I used to wonder, what do I do, closing my eyes? What was I supposed to say while praying? If I said thanks for all the comforts that I had in my life, am I not being unreasonable? For, I knew there were many without two square meals a day? And favor is one thing I could never ask for from anybody, let alone God!!

Let's look at religions and God from yet another angle. What is the view of all the religions on the cosmos? Why is that none of the religions of the world talk about size of the universe or the number of galaxies? It is about 20 years since Hubble telescope was launched and it has already made ground breaking discoveries such as - black holes existence and defining the age of the universe. It has also proved (or theorized?) the existence of something no one has seen and yet is verifiable by means of science - dark energy! In comparison, all that the religions of the world are actively concerned about is - building worship places, breaking others', battling homosexuality, protesting abortion rights and when free, indulging in meaningless rituals.

Most recently, with the advances in the field of quantum physics, many experts claim that science and God (in abstract form) have moved closer. But, it should be noted that advancements in science are a result of years of research and subject to repeatable verifications. So, even if mysticism of religion appears (to people who see everything in jaundiced eyes of religion) like abstract quantum physics, the path taken by science is truly transparent and honest. Science can reveal the mysteries of life to anyone who is willing to question even the axioms, unlike religion which appears to reveal only to the chosen people - seers and priestly class!

And finally, if one wants to define God as a destination of a quest to explain how things work in this universe, it is evident that all the religious paths are at an equidistant, light years away from the truth and are not even oriented in the direction of truth! Only science has the highest probability of reaching that goal. And that's why I am a rational atheist!