The Secular Spectrum
Calling Out “Silly Stuff” in Medieval India
In 9th century India, the great Jain teacher Jinasena pens one of the boldest defenses of atheism ever written:
Some foolish men declare that Creator made the world. The doctrine that the world was created is ill-advised, and should be rejected. If god created the world, where was he before creation?… How can an immaterial god create that which is material? … If god created the world by an act of will, without any raw material, then it is just his will and nothing else, and who will believe this silly stuff?
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