The Maharashtra Assembly has passed an ordinance promulgating a so called Anti-Superstition bill. I contend that in fact it is a anti Hindu terrorism special. But then the facts first:-
The text of the ordinance
After
a long and gruelling campaign by ANS for the past eight years to enact a
Law against Superstition which harm the citizens, the Maharashtra State
Government under the leadership of the then new Chief Minister
Sushilkumar Shinde has passed in their Cabinet meeting such a law and
sent it to the Central Government for their approval.
As human civilisation grew, more acceptable rules and regulations became necessary. These rules or laws, which regulated life of human societies, need to be modified when ever necessary from time to time.
In our part of the world, a large segment of the present society requires appropriate laws to protect them from such members who use misinformation and misguidance to cheat and harm them.
To be more precise, superstitions exist in a very large extent in the majority of uneducated as well as educated strata of society. It is also a fact that their exist large number of people whose main means of livelihood is to exploit these superstitious beliefs and fill their own coffers.
If societies have to be more civilised, this situation has to change. Hence it is imperative to enact a law that protect the people from such unscrupulous members of society.
Need for the LawQuestions are always posed as to whether society changes simply by enactment of rules and laws? The ineffectiveness of laws for prohibition of dowry and prohibition of alcohol consumption are cited to prove that society dose not change. But this is not the full truth.
Even if we accept, that enactments of laws alone, does not compel the society to change, historical evidence in the cases of prohibition of practice of Sati, and other such uncivilised practices, proves that enactment of laws has helped society to give up such evil, uncivilised practices.
Moreover, if there is an active social agitation going on in the society, against some undesirable belief systems and if a large section of society is actively participating in eradicating harmful superstitious beliefs, and then the enactment of such a law will certainly accelerate this process. Moreover, people, social reformers and well-wishers desire that in the interest of the community, their representatives should ratify such an act as early as possible.
Draft Bill
The novelty of this draft law is that it does not get entrapped in the argument of defining faith and blind faith. Hence at this point of time, what is to be considered as blind faith is given in a separate schedule. This list can be periodically updated.
Hence the impediment for the enactment of this law has been overcome. The list is quite really exhaustive and includes most common superstitions prevailing in Maharashtra.
The list includes
To perform Karni, Bhanamati,
To perform magical rites in the name of supernatural power,
To offer ash, talisman, charms etc. for the purpose of exorcism and to drive out evil spirits or ghosts,
To claim possession of supernatural powers and to advertise this claim,
To defame, disgrace the names of erstwhile Saints/ Gods, by claiming to be there reincarnation and thus cheating the gullible and God-fearing simple folks.
To claim to be possessed by divine power or evil power and then perform miracles in the name of such powers.
To punish and to beat mentally ill patients in the belief that they are possessed by evil spirits.
To perform Aghori rites.
To perform so called black magic and spread fear in society.
To perform "Gopal Santan Vidhi" to beget a male offspring.
To oppose scientific medical treatment and to coerce to adopt Aghori treatment.
To sell or deal in so-called magic stones, talisman, bracelets, charms.
To become possessed by supernatural powers and then pretend to give answers to any questions in this mental state.
To sacrifice innocent animals for the appeasement of gods or spirits.
To dispense magical remedies for curing rabies and snake bites.
To dispense medical remedies with claims of assured fertility.
Source: http://www.antisuperstition.orgI copied this entire document from
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/1877221/report-full-text-of-the-draft-anti-superstition-law-proposed-by-narendra-dabholkar
Go through the text of the bill carefully and then read through a small list of events from the recent past of happenings in India that I post below:-
1)
This is from http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/south/10/01/mother.teresa.saint/
I wrote an article on it for the Richard Dawkins site. Currently it is hosted at:-
http://old.richarddawkins.net/discussions/643489-if-the-mother-teresa-cancer-miracle-were-true
I am reproducing the full text below:-
On 5th September 1998, it was advertised to credulous world (fairly credulous) that a photograph of Mother Teresa beamed light at a woman who had a cancerous tumor. The cancer vanished overnight. Since then I have been thinking about the following questions:-
1) Is the beaming of light without any energy source a greater miracle than the curing of cancer ?
2) What revisions will be required to sciences like Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, etc in the light of the "Light-Beaming Photo".
The following are my conclusions:-
The beaming of light without any energy source is the bigger miracle because it frees us once and for all from the tyranny of the Law of Conservation of Energy & Mass. It obviously signals an end to all the shortages we have ever encountered. The energy source animating the photo was obviously entirely pollution-free and also costless, requiring as input only some prayers from sundry nuns. Obviously His Holiness Pope Ratzinger will arrange such prayers officiously whenever he is at leisure from protecting his child-abusing flock.
The changes required to Mathematics would be the most fundamental. The basic ideas of equalities and inequalities is based on The Law of Conservation of Energy & Mass. The basic tenets on which equations are solved are :-
if LHS = RHS
then LHS + x= RHS +x
LHS-x=RHS-x
LHSx=RHSx
LHS/x=RHS/x
etc.
These equations only hold because of the Law of Energy & Mass. This Law has now been superseded by the Teresa Miracle in which
Photo=Photo + Light
which clearly means that LHS is not equal to RHS.
So clearly Algebra would have to be drastically revised. Better still, it would also put that infidel Al Khwarizmi, after the title of whose book Algebra is named, in his place.
Hoping that His Holiness Ratzinger will take the initiative and Catholic Schools take the lead in introducing the new Mathematics. Hallelujah.
Now, cancer curing via Light Emitting Photo would seem to be a huge lot of Hocus-Pocus to me but pray do you find a mention of it anywhere in that list list of banned activities. You can bet the Virgin Mary's perpetually intact hymen on it, it is not there and never will be.
2)
That picture from the BBC link http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5381394.stm says it all. A light emitting cross. Apparently the divine goose Jesus had swallowed half of the coal from the Coalgate scam which has now caught fire and hence the illumination. Are self illuminating crosses or light emitting photos on the list of banned activities. No they aren't . Like the Virgin Mary's impenetrable Vagina, they are entirely legitimate.
3)
Club foot curing Momma, again entirely scientific. We have issued a coin having a picture of this worthless specimen to stupidity. Superstition ? No Sir, the divine goose Jesus hanging from his cross is the most scientific of all.
4)
http://www.prayertoweronline.org/jc_testimonies/daily.asp
The Jesus placement agency.
Prayer Warrior they call themselves. Why these warriors are not being sent to confront the terrorists on the borders is and will remain an impenetrable mystery much the same as the Virgin Mary's impenetrable Vagina, as will be the reasons why this type of activity is not in the list of banned activities.
5) Now consider the following list:-
http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/deadwilllive.html
Our very own Benny Hinn raising the dead.
This guy was allowed to use an airfield of the Indian Air Force to perform his Christian nonsense with the ever so rational congress chief minister in attendance. A well and truly Anti Superstition party !!!
6)
This arse hole can raise the dead. So why is Narendra Dabholkar not being raised ?
By the way you can see her everyday in the morning on Zee TV.
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/cindy-jacobs-i-have-power-revive-dead-children
So, the aim of this bill cannot have been an anti superstition attempt. So what is the aim ? The clue lies in the words used to describe the dead fellow Narendra Dabholkar. "Anti-Superstition Crusder" he is called. Now for the enlightenment of people round the world. The crusades were those series of invasions during which Christians raped, pillaged, tortured and murdered thousands upon thousands of Men , Women & children both of other religions and their own. That a humanist should not object to being anointed with such a hideous label shows what Narendra Dabholkar was. A Crusader and this bill is a crusade against non christian faiths.
The onus of proving me wrong lies on the sponsors of the ordinance. Either they should prove that the instances I have provided above are not fraudulent and superstitious or else include these things in the list of banned activities and prosecute the perpetrators.
They will do neither. They will simply hide inside the security of the Virgin Mary's impenetrable Vagina.
The text of the ordinance
The anti-superstition crusader was shot dead by two youths near Omkareshwar temple in Pune.
As human civilisation grew, more acceptable rules and regulations became necessary. These rules or laws, which regulated life of human societies, need to be modified when ever necessary from time to time.
In our part of the world, a large segment of the present society requires appropriate laws to protect them from such members who use misinformation and misguidance to cheat and harm them.
To be more precise, superstitions exist in a very large extent in the majority of uneducated as well as educated strata of society. It is also a fact that their exist large number of people whose main means of livelihood is to exploit these superstitious beliefs and fill their own coffers.
If societies have to be more civilised, this situation has to change. Hence it is imperative to enact a law that protect the people from such unscrupulous members of society.
Need for the LawQuestions are always posed as to whether society changes simply by enactment of rules and laws? The ineffectiveness of laws for prohibition of dowry and prohibition of alcohol consumption are cited to prove that society dose not change. But this is not the full truth.
Even if we accept, that enactments of laws alone, does not compel the society to change, historical evidence in the cases of prohibition of practice of Sati, and other such uncivilised practices, proves that enactment of laws has helped society to give up such evil, uncivilised practices.
Moreover, if there is an active social agitation going on in the society, against some undesirable belief systems and if a large section of society is actively participating in eradicating harmful superstitious beliefs, and then the enactment of such a law will certainly accelerate this process. Moreover, people, social reformers and well-wishers desire that in the interest of the community, their representatives should ratify such an act as early as possible.
Draft Bill
The novelty of this draft law is that it does not get entrapped in the argument of defining faith and blind faith. Hence at this point of time, what is to be considered as blind faith is given in a separate schedule. This list can be periodically updated.
Hence the impediment for the enactment of this law has been overcome. The list is quite really exhaustive and includes most common superstitions prevailing in Maharashtra.
The list includes
To perform Karni, Bhanamati,
To perform magical rites in the name of supernatural power,
To offer ash, talisman, charms etc. for the purpose of exorcism and to drive out evil spirits or ghosts,
To claim possession of supernatural powers and to advertise this claim,
To defame, disgrace the names of erstwhile Saints/ Gods, by claiming to be there reincarnation and thus cheating the gullible and God-fearing simple folks.
To claim to be possessed by divine power or evil power and then perform miracles in the name of such powers.
To punish and to beat mentally ill patients in the belief that they are possessed by evil spirits.
To perform Aghori rites.
To perform so called black magic and spread fear in society.
To perform "Gopal Santan Vidhi" to beget a male offspring.
To oppose scientific medical treatment and to coerce to adopt Aghori treatment.
To sell or deal in so-called magic stones, talisman, bracelets, charms.
To become possessed by supernatural powers and then pretend to give answers to any questions in this mental state.
To sacrifice innocent animals for the appeasement of gods or spirits.
To dispense magical remedies for curing rabies and snake bites.
To dispense medical remedies with claims of assured fertility.
Source: http://www.antisuperstition.orgI copied this entire document from
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/1877221/report-full-text-of-the-draft-anti-superstition-law-proposed-by-narendra-dabholkar
Go through the text of the bill carefully and then read through a small list of events from the recent past of happenings in India that I post below:-
1)
This is from http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/south/10/01/mother.teresa.saint/
I wrote an article on it for the Richard Dawkins site. Currently it is hosted at:-
http://old.richarddawkins.net/discussions/643489-if-the-mother-teresa-cancer-miracle-were-true
I am reproducing the full text below:-
On 5th September 1998, it was advertised to credulous world (fairly credulous) that a photograph of Mother Teresa beamed light at a woman who had a cancerous tumor. The cancer vanished overnight. Since then I have been thinking about the following questions:-
1) Is the beaming of light without any energy source a greater miracle than the curing of cancer ?
2) What revisions will be required to sciences like Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, etc in the light of the "Light-Beaming Photo".
The following are my conclusions:-
The beaming of light without any energy source is the bigger miracle because it frees us once and for all from the tyranny of the Law of Conservation of Energy & Mass. It obviously signals an end to all the shortages we have ever encountered. The energy source animating the photo was obviously entirely pollution-free and also costless, requiring as input only some prayers from sundry nuns. Obviously His Holiness Pope Ratzinger will arrange such prayers officiously whenever he is at leisure from protecting his child-abusing flock.
The changes required to Mathematics would be the most fundamental. The basic ideas of equalities and inequalities is based on The Law of Conservation of Energy & Mass. The basic tenets on which equations are solved are :-
if LHS = RHS
then LHS + x= RHS +x
LHS-x=RHS-x
LHSx=RHSx
LHS/x=RHS/x
etc.
These equations only hold because of the Law of Energy & Mass. This Law has now been superseded by the Teresa Miracle in which
Photo=Photo + Light
which clearly means that LHS is not equal to RHS.
So clearly Algebra would have to be drastically revised. Better still, it would also put that infidel Al Khwarizmi, after the title of whose book Algebra is named, in his place.
Hoping that His Holiness Ratzinger will take the initiative and Catholic Schools take the lead in introducing the new Mathematics. Hallelujah.
Now, cancer curing via Light Emitting Photo would seem to be a huge lot of Hocus-Pocus to me but pray do you find a mention of it anywhere in that list list of banned activities. You can bet the Virgin Mary's perpetually intact hymen on it, it is not there and never will be.
2)
That picture from the BBC link http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5381394.stm says it all. A light emitting cross. Apparently the divine goose Jesus had swallowed half of the coal from the Coalgate scam which has now caught fire and hence the illumination. Are self illuminating crosses or light emitting photos on the list of banned activities. No they aren't . Like the Virgin Mary's impenetrable Vagina, they are entirely legitimate.
3)
Club foot curing Momma, again entirely scientific. We have issued a coin having a picture of this worthless specimen to stupidity. Superstition ? No Sir, the divine goose Jesus hanging from his cross is the most scientific of all.
4)
The Jesus placement agency.
Prayer Warrior they call themselves. Why these warriors are not being sent to confront the terrorists on the borders is and will remain an impenetrable mystery much the same as the Virgin Mary's impenetrable Vagina, as will be the reasons why this type of activity is not in the list of banned activities.
5) Now consider the following list:-
http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/deadwilllive.html
Our very own Benny Hinn raising the dead.
This guy was allowed to use an airfield of the Indian Air Force to perform his Christian nonsense with the ever so rational congress chief minister in attendance. A well and truly Anti Superstition party !!!
6)
This arse hole can raise the dead. So why is Narendra Dabholkar not being raised ?
By the way you can see her everyday in the morning on Zee TV.
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/cindy-jacobs-i-have-power-revive-dead-children
So, the aim of this bill cannot have been an anti superstition attempt. So what is the aim ? The clue lies in the words used to describe the dead fellow Narendra Dabholkar. "Anti-Superstition Crusder" he is called. Now for the enlightenment of people round the world. The crusades were those series of invasions during which Christians raped, pillaged, tortured and murdered thousands upon thousands of Men , Women & children both of other religions and their own. That a humanist should not object to being anointed with such a hideous label shows what Narendra Dabholkar was. A Crusader and this bill is a crusade against non christian faiths.
The onus of proving me wrong lies on the sponsors of the ordinance. Either they should prove that the instances I have provided above are not fraudulent and superstitious or else include these things in the list of banned activities and prosecute the perpetrators.
They will do neither. They will simply hide inside the security of the Virgin Mary's impenetrable Vagina.
