Who says so !

As a little kid I was a little defiant with the nuances of any religious activity such as the vermilion drawn across ones forehead ( horizontally or vertically) or drinking the holy water or it being sprinkled all over you or the holy food being served to all or visiting crowded temples where the din just gets to you . More than an ideological stance ( as most would conveniently christen it as) it was more of a natural dislike for the entire activity. I was for sometime as a kid let away for holding such an aberrant notion but as I grew up I found eyebrows raised ( how I wished I could keep them grounded in some way) when I refused to indulge in any of those activities .

Well ! did you just think I was an atheist? If you did , I wouldn't blame you . You are just another manufactured product of the conditioning that most societies adhere to . But here's a simple question for you , what is religion? Does it give the society at large the right to dictate terms of living to an individual. Does it preach religious bigotry? Does it give the so called 'religious elite' the right to force Zohra to accept her husband as her son and give away her children because she happened to be raped by her father in law. Does it give right to the society to victimise two individuals of the same gender for sharing genuine and harmless affection with each other .Does it arm you and me with the power to be judgemental of the other ?

Unfortunately today religion is the seed of discord misused & exploited by each of us who swear by it . In light of such atrocities , would you still consider me an atheist? who says so ??