
Why I Am Not a Christian
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Narrated by:
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Cate Barratt
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By:
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Bertrand Russell
About this listen
Summary of Bertrand Russell's Why I Am Not a Christian
Russell once said, "Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric." His views on religion in general, and on Christianity in particular (as in this work), were considered "eccentric" by many of his contemporaries. So were his views on sex, which figures frequently as an example of the misery that Christian leaders and thinkers inflict, and for which he was often vilified. This recording includes the appendix compiled by the editor, which illustrates the effect of religious-minded influencers on a secular statute.
The lectures in this collection leave no doubt about his views on these and related subjects, which are as follows:
- Editor's Introduction (by Paul Edwards)
- Preface (by Bertrand Russell)
- Why I Am Not a Christian
- Has Religion Made Useful Contributions to Civilization?
- What I Believe
- Do We Survive Death?
- Seems, Madam? Nay, It Is
- On Catholic and Protestant Sceptics
- Life in the Middle Ages
- The Fate of Thomas Paine
- Nice People
- The New Generation
- Our Sexual Ethics
- Freedom and the Colleges
- The Existence of God - A Debate Between Bertrand Russell and Father F.C. Copleston
- Can Religion Cure Our Troubles?
- Religion and Morals
- Appendix: How Bertrand Russell Was Prevented from Teaching at City College, New York
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What listeners say about Why I Am Not a Christian
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- Anonymous User
- 10-14-23
Still Timely…perhaps more so
This thoughtful presentation of a series of thoughtful materials is so very timely and relevant in the American context of the 2016 through 2022 elections and their associated aftermaths, dialogues (if they may be so called), and prevailing dissonance of public sentiments. All sides would do well to consider.
As a final note, I’d love to hear an update to its own position on the Bertrand Russell/ New York University appointment in the ‘40s. Perhaps David French might hazard to give it a whirl.
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