Why I am an Atheist

by Bhagat Singh

I used to recite "Gayatri Mantra" for hours and hours.

Philosophy is the outcome of human weakness or limitation of knowledge".

'Belief' softens the hardships, even can make them pleasant. In God man can find very strong consolation and support. Without Him, the man has to depend upon himself.

With no selfish motive, or desire to be awarded here or hereafter, quite disinterestedly have I devoted my life to the cause of independence, because I could not do otherwise.

The day we find a great number of men and women with this psychology who cannot devote themselves to anything else than the service of mankind and emancipation of the suffering humanity; that day shall inaugurate the era of liberty.

Self-reliance is always liable to be interpreted as vanity. It is sad and miserable but there is no help.

Criticism and independent thinking are the two indispensable qualities of a revolutionary.

Any man who stands for progress has to criticize, disbelieve and challenge every item of the old faith. Item by item he has to reason out every nook and corner of the prevailing faith. If after considerable reasoning one is led to believe in any theory or philosophy, his faith is welcomed. His reasoning can be mistaken, wrong, misled and sometimes fallacious. But he is liable to correction because reason is the guiding star of his life. But mere faith and blind faith is dangerous: it dulls the brain, and makes a man reactionary.

Moreover do you know that the greatest sin in this world is to be poor? Poverty is a sin, it is a punishment.

Why does he not just produce a certain sentiment in the mind of the British people to liberate India? Why does he not infuse the altruistic enthusiasm in the hearts of all capitalists to forgo their rights of personal possessions of means of production and thus redeem the whole laboring community – nay the whole human society from the bondage of Capitalism.

Let me tell you, British rule is here not because God wills it but because they possess power and we do not dare to oppose them.

Where is God? What is he doing? Is he enjoying all I these woes of human race? A Nero: A Changez: Down with him.