Being atheist in india is a crime isn't it?
I’ve been judged for being an atheist for over 7 years now. I’ve been one since I was 10. I’ve never felt the need to pray or go to temples on my own. I believe in humanity more than something created by humans long ago. I’m not against religion, I just don’t connect with it.
The real problem is my family. They’ve forced me, even hit me, tried everything, from pressure to taking me to babas, but they still won’t accept me. My friends have ghosted me because of this. When I tried explaining my thoughts, instead of understanding, they blamed it on “influence” from other religions.
It’s not just family or friends, even random people try to preach. Once, a kid asked me my religion, and when I said I don’t believe in God, he called me “shaitan” and ran away. That moment stuck with me. Why are kids being taught this kind of thinking?
I’ve had many such experiences. It feels like people judge character based on religion, like if you follow it, you’re “sanskari,” and if you don’t, you’re something else.
Even someone I liked tried to change me, pushed her beliefs onto me, and eventually left because I wasn’t willing to convert.
Being an atheist in India is hard. But at the end of the day, I still stand by one thing, humanity over religion.