Daily Archives: May 3, 2021

Photo: Stephen Meyer, via Discovery Institute.

The New Atheism is dead, or so maverick writer Freddie deBoer argues in his recent provocative Substack essay. But that doesnt mean the New Atheists lost. On the contrary, he thinks they won by losing.

DeBoer explains:

Every day religion recedes a little bit more into the background as ordinary people, religious or not, abstract religious meaning in their lives to the point where its hard to know how you would begin to define why the distinction between believer and nonbeliever actually matters.

DeBoer argues that this receding has, ironically, been hastened by the replacement of New Atheists with voices who are more friendly towards traditional theists, like social psychologist Jonathan Haidt. Unlike Dawkins or Hitchens, Haidt isnt out to take away anyones deeply held religious faith. In fact, hes happy to work together with Jews and Christians, because as he argues in books like The Righteous Mind, in his view religion is a beneficial evolutionary accretion grounded in literal falsehood, of course, but to a pragmatic end.

DeBoer himself is no Christian, or a religious believer of any kind. Far from it: Hes an avowed atheist Marxist! But that of course offends him on the Christians behalf, because he perceives it as a more grievous insult to sincere Christians than Christopher Hitchens could ever come up with. At least Hitchens respected Christians enough to challenge them to a fight, rather than letting them go with a pat on the head.

Stephen Meyer couldnt agree more with Freddie deBoer. In conversation with him, I raised this very sociological question, pointing out that some might argue he is beating an already dead horse by using writers like Dawkins as a foil in Return of the God Hypothesis. Meyer conceded that sociologically, Dawkins may indeed be pass. But the stakes are still just as high. The questions have never gone away, and churlish as he was, like his fellow New Atheists, Dawkins had a knack for asking them well. These guys have the requisite zeal to challenge those beliefs head-on, and therefore, they force the really important discussion about what does the evidence actually say pro or con for theism versus materialism? Meyer is one of those Christians deBoer is irritated for, whod rather go at it hammer and tongs with a Hitchens than engage with materialists who merely condescend to theistic belief, who pat you on the head and say, Well, thats nice for you.

Another name that came up in our conversation was Bret Weinstein, a biology professor who became famous for standing up to a woke mob at Evergreen State College and subsequently becoming a professor in exile. Meyer and I share an admiration for Weinstein, but we find his attempt to save religion lacking in the the same way deBoer finds Jon Haidts attempt lacking. Weinsteins personal coinage is that religion is literally false, but metaphorically true. For example, if an island tribe believes an ancient spirit is stirring the waters to cause a tsunami, they will escape to high ground and survive, which is the really important thing, whether or not the whole ancient spirit business was so much superstitious nonsense.

But was their belief true, though? Well. What is truth?

This is really just Stephen Jay Gould all over again. Gould famously proposed the idea of non-overlapping magisteria, or NOMA, where you can neatly partition your beliefs into the scientific on one side and the religious on the other, and never the twain shall meet. But our friend Freddie is unconvinced that its so easy as all that:

[T]he meaning and rules for life which people so often praise in religion in the abstract stem from the very supernatural elements which people are now so eager to do away with. Yes, religion provides psychic comfort in an unfriendly world, but it does so because it imposes sense on senselessness through the existence of one (or many) who literally determine what sense is. Yes, religion helps guide moral decisions, but it does so because it posits an entity from whom unerring moral precepts flow. Yes, religion helps rescue people from feelings of meaninglessness, but it does so because it tells people that they have a specific moral purpose that is defined by a creature of infinitely greater wisdom than ours. Yes, religion soothes the sick and elderly, but it does so because it tells them that they will soon be joined with a maker who will grant them some sort of eternal reward. You take away the supernatural element, as so many now seem eager to do, and youre kicking two legs out from under a three-legged stool.

Thank you! Just so! Indeed, its all very well to acknowledge, like Haidt does, the Pascalian God-shaped hole in our hearts. Its all very well to say that religion is part of human nature. But as deBoer puts it poignantly in a previous essay, you cant worship a God-shaped hole. If you go to Mass or synagogue looking for nothing more than a vague religious fix, while quietly congratulating yourself that youre not like those silly fundamentalists who dont know how Science works, that fix will only last so long. The journey will be an aimless and likely short one.

It doesnt look like deBoer has plans to climb aboard the God hypothesis train himself any time soon. But at the very least, he recognizes why people should care where that train is going, and why it matters that its not just making an aimless circle. We can certainly shake hands with deBoer on that point, even as we cordially invite him to reconsider the destination for his own journey.

See more here:

Where Steve Meyer Agrees with an Atheist Marxist - Discovery Institute

We heard that the annual National Day of Prayer has also spurred atheists to actionand theyre using the occasion to do good works in their community.

The Atheist Community of Polk County, Florida, for instance,11 is organizing a number of community service events and an awareness campaign to suggest that fellowship doesnt require faith.

Its all part of an annual effort to celebrate a national Secular Week of Action instead of observing the National Day of Prayer, which was set aside in U.S. federal law for people of faith to pray for the nation on the first Thursday in May.

In place of observing a day of thoughts and prayers, secular groups nationwide organize service projects. This years emphasis is on a compassionate response to hunger and homelessness, which were exacerbated due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The nonprofit which covers the metro areas of Lakeland and Winter Haven, runs several ongoing programs to address social issues. They even partnered with a church in a unique food pantry coalition as a direct response to the COVID-19.

Joining the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Lakeland, the project, called It Takes a Village, uses volunteers to deliver food pantry supplies directly to the homes of recipients who may be quarantined or unable to visit the pantry.

INTER-FAITH: Muslim Youth Protect Catholic Church After Deadly Attacks in France: We will protect churches ourselves

These local atheists also run a chapter of Street Warriors to provide hot meals to people experiencing homelessness, and a Backpack Program that supplies weekend groceries for elementary students.

In addition to providing much-needed food to folks throughout the County, the Secular Week of Action includes a litter clean-up of the groups adopted roadway in Haines City on Sunday May 2 at 8:45am.

Their Street Warriors service project will also be meeting on Sunday (4:00 PM to 6:00 PM) in Winter Haven to pack up food, then hit the streets, to feed people experiencing homelessness.

RELATED: Theyve Collected 20 Million Pounds of Food From People Who are MovingAnd Delivered it to Food Banks

Under the slogans Good without God, Community without Church, and Fellowship without Faith, Polk County Atheists Co-founder Sarah Ray says that one of the most important thing her group provides is a sense of community.

We want to let other nonbelievers know that there is a secular community here they can turn to. And we want to challenge the misconceptions and stereotypes about atheists. We are good people, were your neighbors, co-workers, and friends.

They will also be providing a secular invocation at the Polk County Board of County Commissioners Meeting two days before the National Day of Prayer. Providing secular invocations gives us an opportunity to remind elected officials at all levels that nonbelievers exist in their constituency.

Join their weekly ongoing charitable events, with details found on Meetup.comor find an event this week in your area of the U.S. here.

SAY AMEN! And Share the Secular Good News on Social Media

View post:

Atheists Respond to National Day of Prayer This Week With Action to Feed the Hungry and Clean Up Litter - Good News Network

A month ago, Bleeding Cool posted the following Heroes Reborn spoilers or potential spoilers. Heroes Reborn is a new Avengers-focussed event fromJason Aaron running through May and June. How on the ball were we? Well, the first issue is published on Wednesday, so feel free to mark out homework Nothing, I think, that will ruin the comic. But might give you a greater idea of the world that is being created in the first issue with Ed McGuinness.

1. So Where Are The Avengers Then? This is the tease for Heroes Return from Marvel Comics. "Welcome to a world where Tony Stark never built an Iron Man armor. Where Thor is a hard-drinking atheist who despises hammers. Where Wakanda is dismissed as a myth. And where Captain America was never found in the icebecause there were no Avengers to find him." We have a couple of others to add Jennifer Walters never became the She-Hulk, and works as a lawyer. And Carol Danvers is a pilot, well-regarded, but never promoted to Captain and not in receipt of the powers of Captain Mar-Vell. Pietro died, which is how Wanda has his powers as the Silver Witch. And the very existence of the Squadron Supreme stopped the Avengers from needing to be formed. We reckon this is all down to Mephisto but no sign of him yet.

2. What's With Blade, Then? Heroes Reborn #1 states "But why is the Daywalker Blade the one man alive who seems to remember that the entire world has somehow beenreborn?"I have theories for another day, but this is not a place for theories, but a place for spoilers. Because Blade is also the last of the vampires. It is not just a world without Avengers. But a world without vampires. And he is starting to think that this new world is a better one than the one with Avengers and vampires in it. We reckon this is all down to Mephisto Vs Lilith but no sign of them yet.

3. What's Up In Doctor Doom's Grill?Issue 2's solicitations promises that "America's solar-powered, super-sentinel of liberty looks to return his archenemy Victor Von Doom to the Negative Zone". But doesn't Doctor Doom have the might of an entire country behind him? Not any more. Doctor Doom was elected out of Latveria, after the Squadron Supreme forced the country to hold free and fair elections.

4. Who's Got The Venom Suit?We all saw a Venom character with a red Hydra logo. That is The Black Skull, and it is the Red Skull, joined together with a symbiote, in a similar fashion as to how Norman Osborn became the Red Goblin on Earth 616.

5. Stop Being So Negative. Remember that mention of Doom being banished to the Negative Zone? That's what happens to enemies of the state, and we saw in previews that image of Reed Richards and Ben Grimm working at that facility. Others banished to the Negative Zone include Avengers the Hulk, the Star Brand and Ghost Rider

6. Remains Of The Gods.The last of the Asgardians (if you don't count Thor and he doesn't, he's an atheist now) is All-Gog, the final All-Father of Asgard. There will be no more.

HEROES REBORN #1 (OF 7)MARVEL COMICSMAR210497(W) Jason Aaron (A) Ed McGuinness (CA) Leinil Francis YuA WORLD WITHOUT AVENGERS!Welcome to a world where Tony Stark never built an Iron Man armor. Where Thor is a hard-drinking atheist who despises hammers. Where Wakanda is dismissed as a myth. And where Captain America was never found in the ice because there were no Avengers to find him. Instead this world has always been protected by Earth's Mightiest Heroes, the Squadron Supreme of America. And now the Squadron faces an attack from some of their fiercest enemies, like Dr. Juggernaut, the Black Skull, the Silver Witch and Thanos with his Infinity Rings. But why is the Daywalker Blade the one man alive who seems to remember that the entire world has somehow beenreborn?Rated T+In Shops: May 05, 2021 SRP: $5.99

Excerpt from:

Rewind: Five Spoilery Teases For Marvel's Heroes Reborn, Out This Week - Bleeding Cool News

Within days of each other, the Salk Institute in California announced it had successfully implanted human stem cells into a monkey embryo, and Richard Dawkins, the renowned evolutionary biologist and professional atheist, characterized the Catholic belief in the Real Presence as ridiculous. He went as far as couching his dim opinion of the Real Presence in Shakespearean terms: That way madness lies.

The experiment on monkey embryos and human cells which seems more at home in a black and white B-grade science fiction movie of the 1950s and the pronouncement against the fulcrum of Catholic teaching are different forms of the same attack. I realize attack is a strong word, but if one does not understand he is under attack, he is not prepared to defend himself.

Defense of the Real Presence does not need my assistance. The graces I have received from my most recent consumption of it, though, tells me to resist the temptation to go at Richard Dawkins with similar dismissing and cutting words. But thinking I could argue or cajole Dawkins into a belief in it is beyond my pay grade.

I can still try to understand Dawkins by placing him within the context of Scripture (something I think he would also reject outright).

The Real Presence was codified at the Last Supper, but the teaching began earlier in the Gospels and the early returns from the polls were not promising. As usual, Jesus pulls no punches in the sixth chapter of John. His body is real food and his blood real drink. People began to talk.

Soon the murmurs turned into recordable speech. This is a hard saying, who can listen to it? (John 6:60). And then the people started to vote with their feet. They seemed just as sure of the impossibility of what Jesus taught as any degree-wielding modern scientist.

If you have ever seen a YouTube video of Dawkins as he debates people of faith or viewed some of his lectures where he indulges his atheist leanings, you know he does not suffer fools and his contempt for those who rely on bizarre rituals or tribal beliefs of the supernatural are all categorized in his personal fool phylum.

It would not take extrasensory abilities to predict what Dawkins makes of St. Peter and the other apostles who, although they did not fully understand the Real Presence when they first heard it, believed in Jesus enough to know to stay put.

Dawkins faith lies elsewhere, in places like the Salt Institute. It would be logical to assume Dawkins sees these men and women as the embodiment of scientific endeavor, traveling wherever science takes them, even if it is a place they should not go.

Richard Dawkins (Wikipedia)

But without God at the center of things, the Salk Institutes breakthrough of inserting human tissue into nonhuman tissue is a natural progression.

The end goal of the Salk Institute experiment is to create a source of human organs for transplant. It sounds as altruistic as it does cannibalistic. Ironically, this circles back to Dawkins and his opinion of the Real Presence. To Dawkins, the Real Presence represents a logical black hole; he insinuates smugly that a Church that forbids cannibalism but celebrates the Real Presence is schizophrenic at the very least.

The difference that Dawkins will not or cannot accept, and that I am not the man to convince him of, is that cannibalism requires dead flesh, and the Real Presence is the living God who avails himself to us in the most intimate and real way.

A successful Salk Institute experiment, on the other hand, is contemporary cannibalism, and the flesh it will be creating under pristine and antiseptic conditions will eventually fail, as all flesh is prone to do.

The Salk scientists call these hybrid creations chimeras. One of the meanings of chimera is a thing that is hoped for or wished for but in fact is illusory or impossible to achieve.

Is the Real Presence easy to understand? I think we all have a lot more in common with both first-century doubters and modern-day evolutionary biologists than we may be willing to admit. And I have been taking it for granted, so thank you, Dawkins, for the challenge to make me look in the mirror (and open my Bible).

If Jesus meant what he said and said what he meant, then we know the Real Presence is no chimera, but rather supernatural evidence that with God, nothing is impossible.

Read more:

Chimeras, Richard Dawkins, and the madness of Catholicism - Angelus News

Reading the April 4 column, ''Easter is a promise that death is not the end,'' and the April 10 letter, ''Repository's Easter newspaper disappointed,'' compelled me as an atheist to speak out.

I appreciate Charita Goshay's April 4 column mentioning the recent Gallup poll that ''the number of Americans connected to a house of worship has fallen to 47%for the first time in 100 years,'' which I see as good news.People are beginning to realize that you can be moral without attending church, because you don't need religion to tell you that getting along with othersand not hurting themis the right thing to do.

As for the letter complaining about the Repository's Easter page, I thought it was just fine, but it does bring up the question of the paper recognizing no holidays at all, or all holidays from other cultures which would include: Ramadan,Eid al-Fitr, Juneteenth,Diwali, Indigenous Peoples Day(replacing Columbus Day), Hanukkah,and Kwanzaa, to name just a few.I would also add that religion and secular beliefs should be about compassion for all, and tolerance, tolerance for the LGBTQ+ community, reproductive rights, and supporting the separation of church and state, and that if you use religion to justify sexism, homophobia, and anti-choice rhetoric, then your beliefs are hurtful, wrongand immoral.

The cancel culture belongs to those who want everyone to be heterosexual, anti-choice, homophobicand Christian, while the compassion culture recognizes that LGBTQ+ people have rights, support Black Lives Matter, Indigenous people, all people of color, reproductive rights, and support immigrants and refugees.

Keeping religion out of public schools and the government is the right thing to do, because by being secular, were including everyone, and thats what compassion without religious discrimination is really about.

Nancy Dollard,Lake Township

Here is the original post:

Letter to the Editor: By being secular, we include everyone - Canton Repository

The number of marriages celebrated last year more than halved compared to 2019.

Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures show civil marriage ceremonies were the most popular overall.

Just over 9,500 marriages took place in 2020, including 314 same-sex couples.

That is down 53 per cent on the previous year.

The average age for those getting married rose last year, for a groom it was 35.7 years and a bride 37.8 years.

For same-sex couples the age was 40.

Commenting on the report, statistician Carol Anne Hennessy said: There were 9,523 marriages in Ireland in 2020 including 314 same-sex marriages. This equates to a crude (unadjusted) marriage rate of 1.9 per 1,000 population. The number of marriages celebrated in 2020 fell by 53.1 per cent from 2019, reflecting the impact of Covid-19 restrictions.

The timing of weddings may also reflect the impact of Covid-19 restrictions. The cooler month of December was the most popular for opposite-sex weddings, while February was most popular for same-sex marriages. April was the least favoured month to tie the knot for all couples.

Friday and Saturday continue to be the most popular days to tie the knot for opposite-sex couples, while Friday followed by Thursday were the most favoured days to wed for same-sex couples. Sundays and Wednesdays were the least popular days of the week to marry for all couples.

Atheist Ireland has said our laws must catch up with this reality, and stop giving privilege to the Catholic Church," in response to the popularity of civil ceremonies over religious ones.

A statement from the group read: For the first time ever, in 2020, there were more Civil marriages than Catholic marriages in Ireland. 42.1 per cent of marriages were Civil, compared to 34.6 per cent that were Catholic.

Yet most of the children of these couples will have to attend a state-funded school run by the Catholic Church, where they will be taught Catholic doctrine about marriage, including that marriage is only between a man and a woman.

Marriages by all traditional Churches, including Christian and others, are now an overall minority at 43.4 per cent. This includes 42.1 per cent Catholic, 1.2 per cent Church of Ireland, and 7.6 per cent other religions.

Of the other 14.3 per cent of marriages, 7.8 per cent were humanist and 6.7 per cent were spiritualist. Legally, humanist marriages are counted as secular while spiritualist marriages are counted as religious.

Continued here:

Civil ceremonies overtake religious as marriages fall by 53% in 2020 - BreakingNews.ie

.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........

Edward James Olmos, Kathleen Quinlan and George Lopez on the set of Walking with Herb in Las Cruces. (Courtesy of Optimism Entertainment)

Kathleen Quinlan keeps adding to her career highlights.

The Oscar-nominated actress got to work with two actors she has admired for years while on the set of Walking With Herb.

Ive been a fan of Eddie (Edward James Olmos) and George (Lopez) for a long time, Quinlan says. At this stage in my life, Im fortunate to be able to work at all. Then to be able to work with an actor of that caliber. If somebody is really good, I have to work at the same level. Eddie was right, and he pushed me in this role.

................................................................

Quinlan plays Sheila Amable-Amo in the film, which was filmed in Las Cruces and Artesia.

The film follows 65-five-year-old Joe, played by Olmos, who is struggling with his faith as his 3-year-old granddaughter and her father have just died.

While at work, he receives a message from God on his computer screen that tells him he has been chosen to deliver an inspirational message to the world that the seemingly impossible is possible.

God tells Joe, a former amateur golfer, that he is going to play in the World Golf Championship tournament, and that if his faith is strong enough, he will win.

Joe embarks on this spiritual journey along with Gods personal messenger and motorcyclist, Herb, played by Lopez. On the way, he learns that to make a difference he must have confidence in his abilities and commit to God before he can succeed.

Las Crucen Ross Marks directed the film. It is based on the novel of the same name by Las Cruces resident Joe S. Bullock. The screenplay was written by the late Mark Medoff.

The film was in production in September 2018 for about 30 days. It will begin showing in theaters on Friday, April 30. Allen Theatres in Las Cruces will be the only theater chain showing the film in New Mexico. El Paso and Pueblo, Colorado, theaters will also show the film.

Quinlan is looking forward to having an audience see the film.

Its been a pretty dark this last year, Quinlan says. Im looking forward to people walking into a theater and letting the film take them away for a few hours.

Quinlan enjoyed her time in Las Cruces while filming.

She found out about the movie while she was performing in Medoffs last play.

Before she got the script, she was hesitant to join the faith-based film.

What piqued my interest was Edward James Olmos and George Lopez, she says. I have followed their career. Then Mark was involved, so it was on my radar. I happen to be an atheist, and I felt honored that they asked me to do it.

Quinlan had fun with her character.

Sheila is very family-focused and shes very faithful, Quinlan says. Shes really a good person, and she is rooted in something real. She has a steadfastness to her and has great patience. Those are things I continue to work on. She taught me a lot.

Quinlan says playing a religious person was a challenge.

I find all religions interesting, she says. I dont personally believe that God is divisive and full of retribution. Playing Sheila, who is specifically a religious person, was trying for me. But that got turned around.

Quinlan did enjoy her time in the Las Cruces area and felt at home.

The people are lovely, and I really love Mesilla, she says. Everyone was gracious and accommodating. When you see the scenes of us on the golf course, you wouldnt realize it was 30 degrees there. We worked hard to make sure it seemed like it was warm. The joys of acting.

Marks is proud that the film has New Mexicans at the helm.

I wanted to do this project because, at the time, I was looking more into my faith, Marks said. Then I came across Joes book and asked who wrote the script for it. I gave it to Mark just for notes, and he wanted to write the screenplay for it. Its taken about three years to get it to release.

Read the original:

Leap of faith: NM-filmed Walking With Herb follows grieving grandfathers spiritual journey - Albuquerque Journal

The great auteur Satyajit Ray, whose 100th birth anniversary falls on May 2, will always be remembered for his cinematic genius, directorial excellence and futuristic vision conveyed through his films. A filmmaker of Rays calibre cannot be confined to a specific time period. He transcends that. In other words, his works arent periodically slotted. Just like the plays and sonnets of William Shakespeare, Rays films are for all ages and eras. Reason and vision were the embonpoints or celluloid leitmotifs of his films.

Now, when were facing flagellation and fusillades from the pandemic, the political interference and highhandedness of people in the corridors of power and irrational faith overwhelming reason and logic, there are two of his movies that come to mind as metaphors for the times were in: Ganashatru aka 'Enemy of the People (1989) and Devi (1960).

Contaminated water

In Ganashatru, a conscientious small-town physician, Dr Ashok Gupta (Soumitra Chatterjee), suddenly observes unexpected cases of a viral gastro-intestinal disease among the populace. The doctor, being familiar with the town and its civic problems, manages to pin down the source of the epidemic to the ritual holy water served in the local Hindu shrine. He realises that the holy water is contaminated, and the contamination is due to faulty plumbing in the temple.

Keen to stop a potential epidemic from spreading, Gupta urges people to shun the holy water till the epidemic is contained but ends up stirring a hornets nest of civic apathy, corruption, bribery and fanaticism. The people who benefit from the civic corruption, including his brother, turn against the doctor. Overnight, the honest and upright doctor a servant of the people turns into the enemy of the people. Threats are issued, and his home is vandalised by members of the community who label him as the foremost public enemy.

Brave protagonists

Contextualising this with the ongoing pandemic and its ramifications, Professor Indranil Bhattacharya, Screen Studies and Research, FTII, writes, Around the world doctors, media people, scientists, and social workers are fighting against obscurantism, misinformation, and sometimes dangerous instances of blind faith. People who critique official versions on the COVID-19 pandemic, act as whistleblowers, and expose corruption are getting labelled as enemies of the society. The powers that be are coming down on them with a heavy hand, sometimes aided by law. I am reminded of Li Wenliang, the Chinese doctor who first attempted to warn the Peoples Government about the perils of the virus which was first observed in Wuhan in China. Wenliang, who was officially reprimanded by the Chinese government, is the 21st-century version of Ibsen and Rays brave protagonists."

The confrontation between scientism and obscurantism during the ongoing pandemic was brilliantly explored and elucidated by Ray. Ray, it must be mentioned, was a skeptic or an agnostic, if not an outright atheist. He belonged to the Brahmo Samaj founded by Raja Ram Mohan Roy and flowered by Dwarkanath Tagore, Debendranath Tagore and Keshabchandra Sen. Though integral to Hinduism, the monotheistic sub-sect of Brahmo Samaj is based on reason and logic. To make an analogy, Brahmo Samaj is close to the Arya Samaj of northern India.

The questioners

Just like Sahir being terribly moved by the mayhem caused by Partition and becoming a lifelong atheist, the Great Famine of Bengal in 1943 and the sufferings of people had Ray questioning about the arbitrary justice of god and efficacy of divinity. To put things in perspective, Ray was a liberal, with a rationalist view of the world. By his own admission, (in an interview) he termed himself as an agnostic. When quizzed about his spiritual beliefs, he said, One lives and learns. I was born into the Brahmo community but I dislike such labels. Hinduism attracts me, with its coiled cultural layers, only as a rich source of contrasting situations and personalities. Well, I guess Im an agnostic.

Young Ray saw widespread superstitions during the famine and peoples religious gullibility made him question the intrinsic sanity of humans in such testing times. Those experiential imprints were grandfathered into the films Ganashatru and Devi.

The imposed deification and eventually, the disillusionment depicted in Rays Devi is todays pandemic reality. The emergence of new gurus in times of Covid-19 and people pinning their faith on these charlatans reminds a sane person of Sir Carveth Reids telling words in his magnum opus, Man and his Superstitions that, Humans have a psychological proclivity to gravitate towards religiosity and irrationality esp. in times of a widespread disaster. So very true. Rays Ganashatru and Devi underline this collective tendency in an emphatic manner.

Voice of sanity

Being a rationalist and skeptic, Ray knew it well that the masses are driven by religious fervour and when its fervent at a collective level, the voice of sanity goes unheard. One doctors voice of reason was mercilessly hushed up by scores of superstitious people, just like a few voices of reason protesting against election rallies and Kumbh Mela were ignored by the people and politicians.

Therere people (as shown in Rays Ganashatru) who firmly believe that the corona is nemesis or divine justice or retribution. The Somali-Dutch ex-Muslim Ayaan Hirsi Ali termed it Donche Debrium (Dutch for divine attribution to all phenomena) in her extremely polemic memoir, The Infidel: My Story. Rather than a proactive state machinery and a scientific temperament, were still worshipping gods and creating new ones (for example, the emergence of a brand-new corona goddess in the hinterland of Bihar) and believing that god will save us from this predicament.

Opium of the masses

The economically poor India concocted a goddess out of nothing. That deity is courtesy 'Jai Santoshi Maa' (1975). Now even educated women worship this fictional goddess and observe a fast on Fridays! That only science can save us and not shrines is still not an acceptable idea to the religious-minded, credulous masses, not just in India but across the world.

Televangelists in the US are trying to convince people that Satan is doing this (corona) and that Jesus, the ultimate saviour, will save us from it. The conflict between faith and scientific modernity which linked Rays film with its mother text the play En Folkefiend by Ibsen, remain highly prescient even to this date. We must realise that faith, at best, can act as a palliative for the soul. Alas, this blind faith has become mankinds inexorable, as well as ineluctable fate.

To encapsulate, Ray had a broad outlook and a prophetic vision that he infused into his films to make them relevant for the ages to come. In these times of an unexplained virus, his visual depictions and their underlying meanings and messages are all the more striking. His Ganashatru, Devi and even Charulata (The Lonely Wife) - from the perspective of loneliness thats so palpable during the pandemic due to frequent lockdowns - were adumbrative of the times to come.

The writer is a regular contributor to the worlds premier publications and portals in several languages.

More:

Satyajit Ray's 100th birth anniversary falls on May 2. Sumit Paul dwells on the auteur's cinematic relevance in this age of the pandemic, blind faith...