Two Years Later,Indian Skeptic Who Debunked a “Miracle” is Still in Exile in Finland
June 4, 2014 at 6:01 am
(This post was last modified: June 4, 2014 at 6:01 am by MountainsWinAgain.)
Quote:-Sanal Edamaruku — a.k.a. “the Indian James Randi” — has debunked a lot of sacred cows in his life. In 2012, after explaining how a statue of Christ could be dripping water seemingly on its own, he was charged with “hurting the religious sentiments of a particular community.” The “crime” could have resulted in a prison sentence of up to three years in addition to a fine, so Edamaruku fled from his home before he could be punished (or physically attacked).
-But the furore has not died down — the Catholic Secular Form (CSF), one of the groups that made the initial complaint, still insists it will press for prosecution should he ever return.
-Two years on, he is angry, bitter and defiant. Living in a small flat on the eastern edge of Helsinki, he has forced himself to adjust to an alien landscape. After the crowded hustle of Delhi, more than 3,000 miles away, he can now walk mile upon lonely mile without seeing a single person.
-He’s had the opportunity to go back to India, but it would require him to apologize for what he did, a compromise he’s not making:
Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai tried to broker a solution by calling upon Edamaruku to apologise and on Catholic groups to drop their case in return.
But Edamaruku staunchly refuses to compromise on what he sees as his freedom of expression.
“I don’t regret anything I said,” he says. “I feel that I have full right to express my views… I am open for discussion and correction but I am not willing to accept anybody’s bullying, change my views or submit to their pressure to apologise.”
-He has been forced to adjust his life for the “crime” of telling the truth and backing it up with evidence — and the ones going after him are the religious extremists who can’t take their miracles being disproven.
Indian skeptic
Telling the truth, a religious crime.
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