Resolutions passed at the State Conference of the Rationalists’ Forum in Chennai on 7th September, 2008, Sunday:
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1. As religions cause divisions, hatred and enmity among people, resulting in clashes and riots that disturb peace and militates against fraternal understanding making human existence miserable, this conference proclaims that only a new way that shuns religions, that imbibes the spirit of Self-Respect and walks the path of equality, socialism and rationalism will be the one that promotes human joy through mutual help
2 (a) As the Constitution of India clearly defines that ours is a secular State, and as installation of any religious symbol or structures in the official complexes of either Central or State governments is illegal, this Conference demand these Governments to remove such symbols and structures after giving notices with definite time limits.
2 (b) Without due permission, temples are built on pavements, and this practice is not only unlawful, but also greatly obstructive. So the authorities have already issued orders that such structures should be destroyed. Thus this Conference demands that Government, Municipal and Local Administration should immediately remove them.
In the name of encroachment, Government administration removes huts of the poor people, reading rooms and shops, but at that same time refuses to remove the temples. This violates the principle that all are equal before law. This will create a feeling among people making them show scant respect to law. So this Conference demands that all pavement temples should be immediately removed.
3. This Conference urges the Union and State Governments that it is not necessary to make the days of religious festivals normal government holidays, that those holidays should be converted into restricted holidays.
This Conference also urges the Central and State Governments that instead of giving festival advances to the employees, only educational advances, during the beginning of the academic year, should be given, making the advances really fruitful.
4. This Conference urges that proper laws should be made to ban the practice of wasting articles of food, clothes etc in the name of religious rites and rituals.
5. We request that a law should be enacted by the Union Government making Self-Respect marriage legal throughout India, as it has been already done in Tamil Nadu. This Conference also requests the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, who has already taken the initiative in this respect, to intensify his efforts in the same direction to activate the Central Government further.
This Conference also urges the Central Government to enact a law making it necessary to register all kinds of marriages and implement it effectively.
6. Since Vedas, Ithihasas and Puranas that are related to religion are incompatible with science, reason and history, the courts should not allow them to be presented as evidence. This Conference emphatically points out that if they are entertained as evidences, then laws will become ineffective.
This Conference urges that courts should not entertain the arguments that even normal, useful, needful and rational steps hurt religious sentiments, as such arguments are fake, meaningless and weak.
This Conference makes a request to the Courts having top authority to realise that if religious arguments are accepted in public affairs, we cannot make any reforms or changes.
7. As the Temple Thanthri, the religious endowment minister and the office bearers of the temple trusts have unanimously admitted that the Mahara Jothi of Sabarimalai is not spontaneous and genuine, but artificially produced, this Conference urges the Kerala Government to ban immediately this fraudulent practice.
This Conference resolves to propagate and expose this fraud carried out every year in the name of religion throughout the country.
8. This Conference resolves to conduct science and knowledge exhibitions, and miracle-exposure programmes in educational institutions.
