Organised Atheism in India: An Overview

ISSN： 1469-9419

Source： Journal of Contemporary Religion, Vol.27, Iss.1, 2012-01, pp. : 67-85

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Abstract

This article provides an overview of the history and the aims and activities of organised atheism in India. Most of the contemporary atheist, rationalist, and humanist groups form part of a larger movement, despite the different labels used. Most of the groups have direct forebears in nineteenth-century England and in the social and religious reform movements of nineteenth- and twentieth-century India. Drawing on a year of ethnographic fieldwork and using the example of the Atheist Centre in Andhra Pradesh, I compare the current aims and activities of atheistic groups in India with those of like-minded groups in the West. I argue that the distinguishing characteristic of the Indian atheist movement is its strong engagement with social and political activism.