Bertrand Russell was a renowned mathematician and philosopher. He lived from 1872-1970. I think a more appropriate title for this book should be “Why I am an Atheist.” He was raised in England and attended a religious school. It seems to be more of a reaction to the teaching he received as a child, and therefore a reaction to Christianity. Ibn Warraq used the same idea with his book titled, “Why I Am Not A Muslim,” which was a reaction to his upbringing as a Muslim.
After reading a biography of Bertrand Russell by Alan Ryan, it is quite apparent that he was intent on finding a paradigm for living that permitted a lascivious lifestyle without the guilt that being a Christian would bring. He advances all the traditional arguments against Christianity. It’s a good book to read if you want to justify why you are an atheist. It’s a better book for Christians to read, because it exposes them to what others are thinking about their faith. Several years ago we used this book in a church class as a basis for teaching apologetics. It went very well, and I look forward to teaching it again sometime in the future.
It seems to me that every belief system tends to be closed within its own system of logic and perspective. An atheist can seldom be persuaded to become a Christian, and a Christian laughs at the thought of converting to atheism. Any movement from one belief system to another requires either a life event powerful enough to break through the traditional thought patterns of that system, or a desire such as Russell had, to participate in “forbidden” activities. Many times the transition is gradual; for example, from Christianity, to apathy, to agnosticism, and then to atheism. I have a friend who went from Islam to atheism, and then to Christianity. In his case, he claims the move to Christianity was precipitated by Jesus appearing to him in a vision. I would be interested to hear in the comment section if you have had such a transition in your life; either sudden or gradual.
The real challenge of this book is that it causes the reader to ask, “Have I followed Bertrand Russell’s path of choosing a belief system because it justifies my life style, or have I subjected my life style to the truth?” I hope we are all have the courage to pursue truth.
Now you tell me, to quote Pontius Pilate, “What is truth?”
