Why I Am Not a Christian
By Bertrand Russell
- Release Date: 2013-01-21
- Genre: Philosophy
Description
This is a famous but very controversial piece by Bertrand Russell. It was a lecture delivered in 1927 at National Secular Society, London. Later in 1957 it was part of a book with the same title and reached international fame. He examines one by one several highly regarded arguments for the existence (or necessity) of God. His main point however is the possibility of morality based on another principle than God. It is quite a challenging reading and one we must all face, regardless of our belief or lack of it, thereof. Enjoy!
Reviews
Interesting Take on Christianity
4By CF774I found this lecture to be interesting and thought provoking. I also agree with author’s conclusions at the end of his lecture.Brief and poignant
5By CubanosoI have read this speech several times. Because he is pressed for time, Russell dismisses the best known arguments and merely lists the reasons without full explanations. His language is clear and beautiful. He even inserts a little humor about the prime minister. An insightful speech.Inspirational
5By yuryanheInspirational philosopher like Bertrand Russell motivates people to strive to make progress, to think independently, to obtain intelligence, and to build a better world other likeminded individuals. Humanity needs dignity, freedom, and happiness to build its foundation.Great
5By MikrokauzmOne of my favorite speeches.Weak arguments
1By AmdonewiththisWeak arguments. The Bible verses he quoted were taken out of context. I can tell he never read a Bible before.Good summary
5By MarkBowen303I appreciate this listing of the arguments Russel had seen.A decent survey
3By Dobv_123This short essay provides a wide array of arguments against Christianity, and each one of them merits serious discussion. The gravest errors the author makes is that he assumes the discourse has stopped, and tackles many arguments at their inception in the early days of the church. Addressing an argument at its strongest, and addressing an argument at its most popular are two very different things. Not a good place to stop, but a good place to start. Pick a topic that was most impactful to you and find out what people are saying about it today.Not that impressed
2By Al StewartWhile he makes the best arguments against a supreme being, early on in the book, it’s clear as you read in that he is a bitter, angry man. Perhaps this is why he died so empty and helpless.I can’t say it better than Russell
5By Tew312Excellent arguments by a very wise man. I can only hope that his words are heeded by the Young before their minds and hearts are warped and damaged by the Fears of their Elders.What I expected
5By Audiyo82I thought it was a good speech. Obviously Christians, and other worshippers of God, may not think so, but there is a lot of truth in the words of this transcript, the history of our species, that would make a stranger of religion ask “why?”Why I’m not or why IM NOT PERSUADED
4By pvrmgrSome good points. Again use of hyperbole is too much in my reading. His rebuttals for all but the last two topics were somewhat vague maybe nebulous. He did have some good thought generators regarding Jesus. However he came across more of I’m not persuaded rather than simply a hard I’m not.Anthropocism
5By daylasimsHumans are the center and the highest order of intelligence. Those not human like us, do not have to be treated humanely or justly. Excellent overall picture of why we have religion.Sublime. Must-Read.
5By vai.thoughtsEverything a sceptic needs to finally break free from the chains of religion.Boo
4By dmlimitedHe’s based, but kinda a dumb dumb on certain opinions.Very Weak...
1By SSJ1970...arguments for not being a Christian. Before I read this book I was fearful that it would dissuade me from being a Christian. Having read the book not only did the author present a very weak case for why he’s not a Christian he did even less to convince me to not be a Christian.Why I am not a Christian
5By writer of pulp fictionI found this a powerful read, even though it is dated! The all to short story 47 pages, packs quite a punch. Very much for today’s reader! I highly recommend it for those of us walking the fine line between pagan and Christian.Fine lecture, poor philosophy
2By cloudofunknowingRussell starts with an implied bias and builds from there. He argues against Theistic principles which are falsely constructed. This lecture would be handled very easily by Chesterton, CSLewis, or any recent seminary graduate. I’m certain as a lecture it presented well to his audience, but as a philosophical work it is significantly lacking.Quite illogical
2By mcpenguin88This essay, supposedly by an educated man, is quite illogical at its core. It presents no cogent or complete arguments and picks and chooses biblical verses without reference and conveniently removes the bulk of Jesus’s teaching about love. The author attacks the church, and therefore its members, as being imperfect - which seems to also omit that the fact that only requirement to be a Christian is to not be perfect. If one was perfect, one does not need Jesus to save them.a glimpse of past and future enlightenment
5By aghoneimya simple dialogue of a deeply human being searching for the truth .
