This is just one of my many “OUT-ing” in my college;
So, its November 2007 & my first semester in college. I had eyes on me for over a week after this incident. What is he playing at? Is he out of his mind? How can he talk to teachers like that? Ruben Babu, the atheist–someone who doesn’t believe in God. An anticleric. A disrespecter of religion. A mocker of Christianity, became popular by a matter of minutes.
An Atheist, being stared at like something vile. Someone like, oh, Diderot (“Man will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest“). Or Voltaire (“The truths of religion are never so well understood as by those who have lost the power of reasoning“). Or Bertrand Russell (“The Christian religion, as organized in its churches, has been and still is the principal enemy of moral progress in the world“)….
Unfortunately, I’m no Bertrand Russell…. For one thing, Russell was an energetic anti-religious propagandist, while I have a low opinion of God and my fans are confined to my blog entries. With that day, I achieved what I wanted. The after effects of the day are still something I’d have to wait for.
As I walk into a room full of people, I want everyone to know that my mind is not in sync with their belief system. Once you come OUT, you’ll feel liberated, and your example will encourage others to COME OUT too. I’m not like your average blogger, who blogs his fantasies and lives a totally different life. I write what I did and what I will do. I put my words into motion in real life because the last few years taught me that Action is indeed louder that words.
This is what happened;
It was sometime at the end of November, when on a fine morning, a circular comes to our class and someone started distributing some kind of forms. I was lazily sitting by the window, staring outside, half asleep. I never read what the paper had in it but as I looked down on my sheet after a couple of minutes, all my drowsiness just vanished. I was feeling angry instead. I let go of my pen and it rolled to a stop on my desk in between books. I had my mind made up that I will never write a single word on this show of Ultimate Hypocrisy.
The bell rang in minutes, I didn’t even feel time passing because I was preparing myself and gathering appropriate words. Before anyone could exit the class, someone from the Principals’ office came into our class and started to collect the filled forms. When he got to my desk, he noticed that the column under my name was left completely blank. He looked down at my face and told me to fill up the form. I read the form again, words kept repeating in my head as I read the label next to the single blank box in the paper,
- Name: Mr. Ruben Babu
- Section: B-tech. Computer Science Engineering
- Semester: 1
- Religion, Cast & Sect (SC/ST, if) : NIL
My College is a private,but secular institution, not a Bible college. But nobody ever remembers that. It is my government that has put reservations on religious basis – oh wait! India is a Secular, democratic republic, ain’t it?. As long as a believer ascribes his views to his faith, he can say anything he wants and if you don’t like it, you’re the bigot.
This was it, they want to put a label on us. I know this information is for seat reservations for university exams and things. But I don’t want any special consideration under the name of a religion NOR do I want anyone favored over me!!. It was marked “required” on the right side of the box, but I wasn’t going to write my religion in that box, because I ******* don’t have one!!
He told me again, “fill the form quickly, please. “
>>I replied,”Sorry sir, I can’t fill in this information”
Why not?
>>Because I don’t have a religion, sir. (I saw his face stricken)
Don’t you know your religion? You can call your parents if you don’t know.
>>Sir, I can’t fill it because I don’t have one. (I said this and wrote NIL in the box provided)
Ok, fine, I’ll let the Head of the department know.
I missed out almost whole of the first break, people started coming back for the next hour. Those who overheard my conversation with the staff, never left the room. I could see them murmuring from the corner of my eye. An hour passed, and another, but just before the lunch break, another circular came to class and this time, as I suspected, It was for me. The Math lecturer read it out, “Mr. Ruben Babu must meet the principal in his office today” – My heart stopped. I could feel people’s stare on my neck. I looked back down at my desk and continued writing.
I got up as the bell rang for recess and walked to the principals’ room. His room was at the far end of the Office section. I walked into the office, and made my way straight to his office, without even looking up. But he was standing right beside the door, talking to the same person who came and collected the forms in the second hour. They saw me approach, I didn’t have time to turn away because I was actually expecting to talk to him alone. They stopped talking and principal turned towards me,
>>I asked him, “Sir, you wanted to see me?”
He looked down at the paper in his hand and without looking away from it he asked me, “Ruben?“
>>”Yes sir.”
“Well, Ruben, I have been informed that you have not given correct information regarding your religious backgrounds”. He said this, and took a chair at the table right next to his office door. His PA’s chair, I think.
>>“That is because, I do not have a religion, sir.” I said it in the most politest way I can.
He didn’t shift. He asked, “Everyone has a religion, ask your parents what their religion is. Or tell me, where do you go to pray?”
>>”I do not pray sir. I’m an Atheist.” I don’t think he understood what the word Atheist meant, so I repeated it in Hindi, “Nasthik, sir”.
Still there were no changes in his expression, He said, “You call your parents and ask them the religion“
>>I stood straight and talked back in a slightly rougher voice, “In my personal data entry sheet, do you want MINE or my PARENT’S RELIGION?“
“if you want MINE, then there is nothing more I can tell you.”
He never replied. He lied back on his chair with a sigh and the man who was there first told me I can go.
Anyhow, My parent’s are Roman Catholic and even if I wrote this in that paper, I wasn’t going to get any special reservations since they call themselves “forward” christians. I could have written the name of my Ex-religion and took benefit of it, if it was of lower class. But in this word, where people like me who are trying to wipe out the religion epidemic, should be the bold ones. Those who are willing to Come OUT, Stand OUT & Speak OUT
People who believe in academic freedom have got to take these incidents seriously and get active before it’s too late. If any of my fellow college mate atheists are reading this, please react.
God forbid, there wont be any “forward”or “backward” Atheists. =]
Blog Image Courtesy ~xChuckysBridex
Source: This is a COPY of my Original Blog entry on my Personal site
Props dude!!! I’ve had a few incidents like that over the years. You’re absolutely right, we must be “willing to Come OUT, Stand OUT & Speak OUT” if we ever hope to change the world that we live in for the better.
Thanks for sharing your story and standing your ground.
Kudos.
Well, I have similar incidents happen to my at my own school. I’m a high school, in a small rural town so you can guess what that’s like. I wish I had your courage.
Kudos to you AnswerMan. Thank you for being an inspiration.
This has actually come in handy on occasion. In the states, there are few legitimate reasons to even ask a a person’s religious beliefs, let alone compel an answer.
My “religious” beliefs “demand” that I avoid unnecessary annoyance. There are several laws in my state that allow for religious exemptions, and if I find those laws “annoying”, well, I don’t have to follow them.
Keep fighting the good fight, Ruben!
I find it intriguing, if not telling that the Head of the Department chose to broach the subject using these words:
“Well, Ruben, I have been informed that you have not given correct information regarding your religious backgrounds”.
Which of course was a baldfaced lie, but its the whole point when attempting to force compliance: “giving the correct answers.”
Its apparent that the assistant had told him exactly what your answer was. But to him, it just wasn’t the correct one. They had hoped that being called into the office would intimidate you. And I’m sure they’re now pissed at you, because it didn’t work.
Word of advice: Hang on in there but be careful, they’ll be watching you now. Because they now know that you think for yourself…..