Why I Am Not a Christian
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Why I Am Not a Christian is an essay by the British philosopher Bertrand Russell hailed by The Independent as "devastating in its use of cold logic,"[1] and listed in the New York Public Library's list of the most influential books of the 20th century.[2]
History
Originally a talk given March 6, 1927 at Battersea Town Hall, under the auspices of the South London Branch of the National Secular Society, it was published that year as a pamphlet and was later published, with other essays, in the book, Why I Am Not a Christian: And Other Essays on Religion and Related Subjects (ISBN 0-671-20323-1). A similar title is also used in Ibn Warraq's Why I Am Not a Muslim, also critical of the religion in which the author was brought up, Islam. Why I Am Still a Christian is a book by Catholic theologian Hans Küng, published in 1987.
Contents
Russell considers a number of logical arguments for the existence of God, including the cosmological argument, the natural-law argument, the teleological argument and moral arguments. He also goes into specifics about Christian theology, alleging defects in Jesus's teaching and his moral character, in particular because Jesus believed in hell and everlasting punishment.
Russell also expresses doubt over the historical existence of Jesus and questions the morality of religion:
| “ | I say quite deliberately that the Christian religion, as organized in its churches, has been and still is the principal enemy of moral progress in the world. [3] | ” |
Russell's conclusion
| “ | Religion is based, I think, primarily and mainly upon fear. It is partly the terror of the unknown and partly, as I have said, the wish to feel that you have a kind of elder brother who will stand by you in all your troubles and disputes....A good world needs knowledge, kindliness, and courage; it does not need a regretful hankering after the past or a fettering of the free intelligence by the words uttered long ago by ignorant men.[3] | ” |
References
- ^ Amazon entry
- ^ New York Public Library website
- ^ a b Russell, Bertrand. Why I Am Not a Christian. Retrieved on 2007-04-20.
External links
- Complete text with annotations
- Chapman, Simon. A book that changed me (book review). British Medical Journal. Retrieved on 2007-08-27.
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