Machettes, fundamentalism and rationalism - what does history tell us? Video of Rafida Ahmed Bonya's presentation at UC Riverside
Within the last year five Bangladeshis who have promoted rationalism and free thought, including authors, bloggers, and their publishers, have been brutally murdered for professing their views. Rafida Ahmed, herself savagely attacked as her husband was murdered, will reflect on issues associated with these murders within the wider context of history of free thinking and the recent rise of religious fundamentalism. She discusses her unique perspective in conversation with Prof. Nigel Hughes of the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of California, Riverside. Click here to see the video presentation.
The absence of religion is not a religion
This reference frame, sort of, sits in the word "atheism" itself. Atheism is defined about theism. It should be the other way round. Let's illustrate this by trying to replace the word "atheism" with a different name, e.g., "freethinker" [2]. If we call all people that are free from religion freethinkers than Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Hinduists, Jews, Shintoists, etc., are afreethinkers or non-freethinkers.