Why I am not a Christian
by Bertrand Russell · first published 1927
46% recommend54% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Short, readable essay by a well-known philosopher that makes the case against Christianity in clear, polemical prose; suits readers new to philosophy of religion or those questioning their own faith.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Why I Am Not a Christian is an essay by the British philosopher Bertrand Russell. Originally a talk given 6 March 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 has been republished several times in English and in translation.
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…recommend philosophy to people, instead of religion. Bertrand Russell (also known for his mathematical work) is an excellent place to start. EDIT: For those who disagree, I'd recommend a Russell's essay "Why I Am Not A Christian" [0]. It is quite short and readable. https://users.drew.edu/~jlenz/whynot.html
on “I'm an addict” ↗In the interests of balance you should read up on the life of Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormons, and his history of fraud. You could follow up with Why I Am Not a Christian by Bertrand Russell: https://users.drew.edu/~jlenz/whynot.html It's pretty short.
on “Ask HN: What are your greatest books?” ↗Why I Am Not a Christian, by Bertrand Russell (1), 16 years of Catholic indoctrination (0).
on “Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?” ↗…is polemical, but is well-written. Nietzsche is always good to read so long as you don't - you know - become a damn goth or whatever after reading it or try and commit genocide or something. Russell's "Why I Am Not A Christian" and the much less read compilation "Russell on Religion" (not widely available outside academia as far as I'm aware) - Russell is a good writer and says some very refreshing things like: <blockquote>Even…
on “Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?” ↗…Dialogues of Plato The Early History of Heaven The End of Faith The Evolution of God The God Delusion The God Virus How Religion Infects Our Lives And Culture The Moral Landscape Who Wrote the Bible Why I am not a Christian These are just some of the books I have read on the subject, but there are others highly rated and recommended that I still want to go through. However, these are really good. If this list seems daunting…
on “"Sometimes science must give way to religion"” ↗…philosopher's of modern times, mostly because he's so easy to read and was somewhat of a cultural icon during his time. I have a particular fondness for his work because when I had doubts about my faith, "Why I Am not A Christian" helped me find words to communicate my break with Catholocism. His "History of Western Philosophy" is considered a cornerstone history of philosophy book (although it is somewhat dated now). His writings…
on “Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?” ↗It's an allusion to a (not very serious) essay Russell wrote called "An Outline of Intellectual Rubbish."[1] Like the much more famous "Why I am not a Christian," this is Russell at peak anti-theism. (Russell's most important work came early, on the foundations of mathematics and the theory of descriptions, but like Carl Sagan and Richard Dawkins, he because…
on “Albert Einstein’s Sci-Fi Stories (2015)” ↗If you like this, Evan Thompson's book "Why I am not a Buddhist" (a riff on Bertrand Russell's "Why I am not a Christian") is an interesting critique of Buddhist modernism. His father started the Lindisfarne Association, which was a sort of highbrow hippie ecumenical colony, well known in the post-60s counterculture (somebody…
on “Five Mildly Anti-Buddhist Essays” ↗Only tangential but when I was an undergraduate studying philosophy I had Bertrand Russell's Why I Am Not A Christian in my carry-on, and the TSA saw that and had a field day.
on “Anthropic reported diary entry to police, woman faces felony charge” ↗…contemplate the things that people do with their lives I think it is almost a consolation -- it is not such as to render life miserable. It merely makes you turn your attention to other things." from "Why I Am Not a Christian: http://users.drew.edu/~jlenz/whynot.html
on “Was My Life Worth Living? (1934)” ↗…the author mentions the first Russel if the article isn’t (mainly) about a comparison between the two. It confused me so I’ll ask the obvious question: this article is about the second Russel who wrote Why I am not a Christian, right?
on “What people get wrong about Bertrand Russell” ↗…(nobody is going to save us; there is nobody else, only us; we need to roll up our sleeves and improve our shitty world, because if we don't do it then nobody will, etc). I was a raised a "Bertrand Russel: Why I am not a Christian"-type atheist. Your perspective is similar to the one I had for most of my life. But more recently, I've come to view the things you quoted as metaphorical. Looking at them that way, I wonder if they…
…need not be a doctrine at all. You can have humility and compassion be your doctrine for purely humanistic reasons. Or for selfish reasons. It really doesn't matter which. Perhaps there should be a "Why I am not a Christian but I think you should be" version of this which leans into the probably true idea that most people are really just pieces of shit and don't care about anything or anyone other than themselves unless…
on “Bertrand Russell: Why I Am Not a Christian (1927)” ↗