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by Marina-and-Luke

Note: Below is the first in a series of dispatches by two young Humanists traveling in India. Further installments can be found at The New Humanism blog.

India is a country saturated by religions -- Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism and Christianity -- yet it also harbors one of the largest and most active Humanist movements on Earth. What's fascinating about this secularized community is its root in seeking positive progress through development projects and social welfare programs. Atheism is traditionally equated with apathy and immorality, but India seems to be vanguarding a reverse of this perception. Many of the nation's fundamental injustices like the caste system and subjugation of women are rooted in religion and the myriad rationalist organizations are attempting to combat such prejudices with non-theism.

Luke and I are traveling to India to assess the efficacy of such strategies. We seek to analyze whether secularization can really function as a force for progressive change and examine the potential success of such a model in other developing nations -- both with and without restrictive religious practices.

As young people, we are part of a generation significantly less religious than our parents. Statistics show a rising population of rationalists, skeptics and individuals more prone than ever to question, not accept, the world around them. The most recent American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS), released March 9, 2009, reported that in 2008, 34.2 million Americans (15.0%) claim no religion. Furthermore, the U.S. Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor declared in their "International Religious Freedom Report," that 2008 saw an increase in atheism in all 50 states. However, compared with global statistics, the U.S. has a relatively low non-theist population. Europe, in particular, is increasingly secular; 44% of the United Kingdom, 54% of France and an astonishing 85% of Sweden identifies as either Atheist or agnostic. And while statistical demographics for non-theists have yet to be compiled in India—the nation is no exception to the global trend.

But without God—what does our secularized generation believe in? While the so-called "New Atheists" like Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens might claim "nothing," the Humanists have a more optimistic outlook. We believe in humans. In doing good for goodness' sake. We are the generation of human rights, of public service and of global awareness. Whether or not we know it—we are a generation of Humanists; fighting for rights and dignity in the name of goodness, not God.

As Humanists hoping to improve the world, we are passionate and curious about the capacity of these non-theist ideologies to promote positive social change. Our journey will take us all over India -- from the secular NGO's in New Delhi, to a Humanist school on the foot of the Himalayas, to the world famous Atheist Centre near the southern coast. We want to dissect the beliefs of the non-believers, find the faith of the newly faithless. We hope that you join us on this exciting adventure as we share our own questions and observations from the slums of Delhi's Pahargaj to the white marble steps of the Taj Mahal.

We would like to thank the Yale Kinsgley Trust Association, the Chase Coggins Memorial Fund and the Saybrook College Richter Fellowship for making this research possible.

Note: Further installments in this series can be found at The New Humanism blog.