Is The Virgin Mary Shedding Tears? Rationalists Investigate An Alleged Miracle in Kerala, India

Is The Virgin Mary Shedding Tears? Rationalists Investigate An Alleged Miracle in Kerala, India

Narendra Nayak, president of FIRA, reports on the results of an investigation into the alleged miracle involving a flex-print of the holy virgin Mary shedding tears in a church in Kerala.

Nirmukta Radio Podcast Episode #4: Interview - Blair Scott, Affiliate Director for American Atheists

Nirmukta Radio Podcast Episode #4: Interview - Blair Scott, Affiliate Director for American Atheists

Click here to listen or subscribe to the podcast feed.

First Meeting Of The Karnataka Rationalist Association in Bangalore on the 14th of March, 2010.

First Meeting Of The Karnataka Rationalist Association in Bangalore on the 14th of March, 2010.

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In Defence of Rationalism

In Defence of Rationalism

A brief essay that nails down the essentials of the Rationalist Movement.

Biocentrism Demystified: A Response to Deepak Chopra and Robert Lanza’s Notion of a Conscious Universe

Biocentrism Demystified: A Response to Deepak Chopra and Robert Lanza’s Notion of a Conscious Universe

Biocentrism is a mystical idea that the universe is created by the act of conscious observation. This idea is based on a misrepresentation of several scientifically testable truths.

God And The Gospel Of Globalisation: Against All Hope, Secularism Remains A Myth

God And The Gospel Of Globalisation: Against All Hope, Secularism Remains A Myth

10 March 2010, by Meera Nanda

Religions have adapted well to the new free-market paradigm, both in India and abroad. Meera Nanda restates the central argument of her latest book, The God Market, and argues that if we look past communal violence the new global economy has been great for religion in all its superstitious and pseudoscientific glory.

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Posted in Culture, General News, God Watch, Meera Nanda, PseudoscienceComments (0)

I That I Protect : A Poem by Nalini Hebbar

I That I Protect : A Poem by Nalini Hebbar

07 March 2010, by Nalini Hebbar

Alone into this world I am born/ With no name to call my very own/ The womb that fatefully shaped me/ And the eyes that lovingly peer at me/ Are the ones that give me my identity/ The ‘I’ that I so protectively preserve.

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Posted in Creative Arts, Nalini HebbarComments (0)

Freethought News: Weeping Mary (Mathavu) to be Investigated by Rationalists (Video)

Freethought News: Weeping Mary (Mathavu) to be Investigated by Rationalists (Video)

04 March 2010, by Editor

Rationalists from the Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations, headed by president professor Narendra Nayak, will be testing the veracity of the claim that the image of the Catholic religious figure is shedding tears. The Bishop of a Church has invited the Rationalists to make sure that this phenomenon being hailed by locals as a miracle is not a scam.

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Posted in Debunked, General News, Secular EventsComments (3)

Freethought Activism In The Tribal Areas Of Madhya Pradesh

Freethought Activism In The Tribal Areas Of Madhya Pradesh

02 March 2010, by Narendra Nayak

Narendra Nayak writes about some recent training programs and demonstrations in the tribal areas of Madhya Pradesh. He recounts his experiences with the Dalits and Adivasis, and addresses the challenges these folks face in getting rid of existing superstitions without replacing them with new ones.

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Posted in Debunked, Narendra Nayak, ParanormalComments (6)

The God of Gods Battles Brahmanism: Vaasudeva, Krishna and the Bhagavata Revolution

The God of Gods Battles Brahmanism: Vaasudeva, Krishna and the Bhagavata Revolution

01 March 2010, by Prabhakar Kamath

Today, in thousands of temples across India, Brahmanic loyalists worship Krishna with ostentatious Brahmanic rituals clueless that the Bhagavatas appointed Vaasudeva-Krishna as God of Gods in the Bhagavad Gita to end these very rituals symbolic of decadent Brahmanism!

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Posted in Debunked, God Watch, K.P.S. KamathComments (2)

COMPLEXITY EXPLAINED: 15. Evolution of Cultural Complexity

COMPLEXITY EXPLAINED: 15. Evolution of Cultural Complexity

26 February 2010, by Vinod K. Wadhawan

In this part of Dr. Wadhawan's series on complexity, he offers us a unique perspective on the evolution of language, speech and culture. He relates these to human intelligence and the brain, finishing with a discussion on the how it is complexity that evolves in these systems, and how the new physics of complexity can help in thinking about cultural evolution.

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Posted in Culture, God Watch, Naturalism, Vinod Kumar WadhawanComments (2)

Annual Conference: The Science & Rationalists Association Of India- Celebrating 25 Years On March 6-7, 2010

Annual Conference: The Science & Rationalists Association Of India- Celebrating 25 Years On March 6-7, 2010

22 February 2010, by Sumitra Padmanavan

The Bharatiya Bigyan O Yuktibadi Samity, based in Kolkota, will be celebrating its 25th year anniversary on the 6th and 7th on March, 2010. This event is being combined with the annual conference of the Association which will include a seminar, workshop and interactive session.

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Posted in General News, Prabir Ghosh, Secular Events, Sumitra PadmanavanComments (0)

Reaching Out To The Younger Generation Of Rationalists

Reaching Out To The Younger Generation Of Rationalists

19 February 2010, by Narendra Nayak

Professor Narendra Nayak talks about the need to reach out to and train young rationalists. The report also contains a summary of his most recent tour. He lists encounters that are a testament to the success of his training programs, as well as a reminder of the work that is yet to be done.

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Posted in General News, Narendra Nayak, Secular EventsComments (3)

The Gita Becomes The Battlefield For The Great Sectarian War

The Gita Becomes The Battlefield For The Great Sectarian War

17 February 2010, by Prabhakar Kamath

In this article, Dr. Prabhakar Kamath describes the last stage of the Upanishadic revolution and how the Gita became the battlefield on which Brahmins on one side and the Upanishadists and Bhagavathas on the other fought a great Sectarian War for the Soul of Sanatana Dharma.

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Posted in God Watch, K.P.S. KamathComments (0)

Announcement Of Schedule For Prof. Narendra Nayak’s Rationalism Tour: Feb 13th to March 7th

Announcement Of Schedule For Prof. Narendra Nayak’s Rationalism Tour: Feb 13th to March 7th

12 February 2010, by Narendra Nayak

Professor Narendra Nayak has embarked on another rationalism tour in India. This time he focuses his efforts around the Maharashtra and Karnataka regions covering large cities like Mumbai to tribal regions like Itarsi. This tour begins its first event on Feb 13th and ends on March 7th

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Posted in General News, Narendra Nayak, Secular EventsComments (2)

Ambiguity : A Poem by Nalini Hebbar

Ambiguity : A Poem by Nalini Hebbar

10 February 2010, by Nalini Hebbar

The universe is and will be No mystery lurks in far away places Wisdom changes, it changes you You see different, you see new All that’s there is here right now Here and within deep inside A mind it is that wanders beyond Into the world and space without A lonely journey amid shadows Finds and fosters unseen [...]

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Posted in Creative Arts, Nalini HebbarComments (1)

Interview: Dr. Prabhakar Kamath On His Consumer Rights Activism in India

Interview: Dr. Prabhakar Kamath On His Consumer Rights Activism in India

07 February 2010, by Ajita Kamal

After years of practicing psychiatry in the United States, Dr. Prabhakar Kamath moved back to India and founded the consumer rights movement, the first of its kind in the country. This interview gives us a peek into the life of this great man.

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Posted in Ajita KamalComments (5)

COMPLEXITY EXPLAINED: 14. Biological Complexity at the Edge of Chaos

COMPLEXITY EXPLAINED: 14. Biological Complexity at the Edge of Chaos

02 February 2010, by Vinod K. Wadhawan

Biological and other kinds of complexity thrive best at the 'edge of chaos,' and this is where evolutionary forces usually operate. The dynamics of complexity around the edge of chaos is ideally suited for evolution that does not destroy self-organization.

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Posted in Naturalism, Vinod Kumar WadhawanComments (0)

Upanishadists Create A New God To Beat Back Brahmanism

Upanishadists Create A New God To Beat Back Brahmanism

31 January 2010, by Prabhakar Kamath

In this article Dr. Kamath presents an analysis on how the Upanishadists consolidated their revolution after overthrowing Brahmanism. This is the 10th article in Dr. Kamath's series on the evolution of religious thought in India.

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Posted in God Watch, K.P.S. KamathComments (4)

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This is a video of Basava Premanand, founder of the Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations and Indian CSICOP which published Indian Skeptic magazine. Premanand has been featured in many documentaries, notably ones by the BBC.

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Nirmukta Shoutbox

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  • Siddharth Singh : Prove it, Guest_1770.
  • Guest_1770 : god is real
  • Ajita Kamal : Not a good format for serious conversation. Perfect for drive by shootings..
  • Siddharth Singh : Hey 3360.. glad to have you around. Maybe you can register for this site (see below) and we can have the conversation going. Cheers.
  • Guest_3360 : guess not...
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  • Guest_3360 : wow a shout box! awesome!!!
  • Ajita Kamal : Sid, my faith in Cheesecake gives my life meaning... You cannot prove it, you must experience the holy Cheesecake
  • Siddharth Singh : Ajita, you blasphemer! Cheescake is a false god.
  • Ajita Kamal : Cheesecake is my god.
  • amit waghmode : gagangiri baba is my god
  • Guest_3120 : I meant, "the onus of proof".
  • Guest_3120 : Deepak, please do a google search for "Russell's Teapot". The onus of belief is always on the believer.
  • deepak : please answer this simple question.How can you prove God does not exist
  • deepak : just like if someone only keeps looking at crows and tells that there are no swans existing on this earth, his whole observation is completely wrong. there is no basis for it.
  • deepak : just by looking at some fake relegionists we cannot say there are no real ones.
  • deepak : you all have told you are a disbeliever in God
  • Ajita Kamal : OK, let's bring that up at one of our meetings.
  • Siddharth Singh : Ajita, I think he means we should have a form to discuss rationalist books. We have that on the cards.
  • Ajita Kamal : @Last commentator: What exactly do you mean? Please use contact page!
  • emailtoid.net/i/31 : Exchanging information about intersting rational books
  • emailtoid.net/i/31 : I am thinking rational books forum in this site.
  • Samrat : Great Work Ajitha..
  • Ajita Kamal : Check home page for Nirmukta organization proposal!
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  • tate : great work guys !!! keep it up
  • Guest_2879 : 456513
  • Ajita Kamal : 6 panelists!
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  • Siddharth Singh : Chris, it is at January 23, 2010, at 16:00 GMT (21:30 New Delhi, 11:00 New York)
  • Chris : Has the discussion date been fixed?
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  • Ajita Kamal : Yeah, Qualiasoup rocks! I've found out he actually has a site

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