“There is probably no God” – Larry Madowo Defends Kenyan Atheists

Popular Nation Media Group journalist, Larry Madowo has added his voice to the ongoing debate on atheism in Kenya.
Larry Madowo’s sentiments come days after he hosted Harrison Mumia – Founder and Chairman atheists in Kenya, Stephen Ndicho – VC Kenya National Congress of Pentecostal Churches, Abdulrahman Wandati – executive director Muslim Consultative Council and Charles Kanjama – Advocate and Christian Professionals Forum, on Sunday night to discuss the registration and de-registration of the Atheists in Kenya Society.
According to Larry, atheists should be left alone. In an article titled ‘As long as atheists don’t harm anyone, let them be’, Larry writes that there is probably no God even though he identifies as a born-again Christian.
“There is probably no God. Look, hear me out before you order me burned at the stake. Most people, including myself, still live as if there were a God anyway, in the hope of a finding a version of paradise in the afterlife. I was raised Catholic, flirted with agnosticism in my late teens before settling for a new-fangled brand of Christianity that my father’s mother still considers a passing cloud. It has been a decade. I identify as a born-again Christian and often draw curious stares whenever I say that, but that’s a tale for another day.”
He adds that it is time to focus attention to the Atheists in Kenya Society, which is struggling to gain legitimacy. He points out that ‘Christians and Muslims both exhibit an increasingly common Kenyan affliction: the inability to accept divergent views.’
“Christians and Muslims both exhibit an increasingly common Kenyan affliction: the inability to accept divergent views. Even supposedly educated people suddenly clam up and refuse to engage when it comes to politics or religion, or resort to insults. Arguments quickly become dogmatic and usually open-minded individuals become your run-of-the-mill fundamentalists,” reads an excerpt.
He concluded by stating that as long as atheists cause no harm on anyone, they are free to form whatever association(s) they please.
“Atheists should be free to form whatever association(s) they please, organise parties and meet openly. It is their constitutional right and doctrinaires shouldn’t get in the way. As long as their activities do not harm anybody else, beyond challenging delicate beliefs, they should be left alone. After all, religious education has been a part of the Kenyan education system without allowing room for independent thought on the subject.”