Why I am Not a Christian.doc

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Why I am Not a ChristianBertrand RussellMarch 6, 1927

Why I Am Not a ChristianAn Eamination o! the "od#Idea andChristianity

As your chairman has told you, the su$%ecta$out &hich I am 'oin' to s(ea) to youtoni'ht is *Why I Am Not a Christian+* erha(s

it &ould $e as &ell, -rst o! all, to try to ma)eout &hat one means $y the &ord *Christian+* Itis used in these days in a .ery loose sense $ya 'reat many (eo(le+ /ome (eo(le mean nomore $y it than a (erson &ho attem(ts to li.ea 'ood li!e+ In that sense I su((ose there&ould $e Christians in all sects and creeds0

$ut I do not thin) that that is the (ro(er senseo! the &ord, i! only $ecause it &ould im(lythat all the (eo(le &ho are not Christians ## allthe Buddhists, Con!ucians, Mohammedans,and so on ## are not tryin' to li.e a 'ood li!e+ Ido not mean $y a Christian any (erson &hotries to li.e decently accordin' to his li'hts+ I

thin) that you must ha.e a certain amount o!de-nite $elie! $e!ore you ha.e a ri'ht to callyoursel! a Christian+ he &ord does not ha.euite such a !ull#$looded meanin' no& as ithad in the times o! /t+ Au'ustine and /t+homas Auinas+ In those days, i! a man saidthat he &as a Christian it &as )no&n &hat he

meant+ 3ou acce(ted a &hole collection o!creeds &hich &ere set out &ith 'reat


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(recision, and e.ery sin'le sylla$le o! thosecreeds you $elie.ed &ith the &hole stren'tho! your con.ictions+

What is a Christian4

No&adays it is not uite that+ We ha.e to $e alittle more .a'ue in our meanin' o!Christianity+ I thin), ho&e.er, that there aret&o di5erent items &hich are uite essential

to anyone callin' himsel! a Christian+ he -rstis one o! a do'matic nature ## namely, that youmust $elie.e in "od and immortality+ I! you donot $elie.e in those t&o thin's, I do not thin)that you can (ro(erly call yoursel! a Christian+hen, !urther than that, as the name im(lies,you must ha.e some )ind o! $elie! a$out

Christ+ he Mohammedans, !or instance, also$elie.e in "od and immortality, and yet they&ould not call themsel.es Christians+ I thin)you must ha.e at the .ery lo&est the $elie!that Christ &as, i! not di.ine, at least the $estand &isest o! men+ I! you are not 'oin' to$elie.e that much a$out Christ, I do not thin)

that you ha.e any ri'ht to call yoursel! aChristian+ ! course, there is another sense&hich you -nd in Whita)ers Almanac) and in'eo'ra(hy $oo)s, &here the (o(ulation o! the&orld is said to $e di.ided into Christians,Mohammedans, Buddhists, !etish &orshi(ers,and so on0 $ut in that sense &e are all

Christians+ he 'eo'ra(hy $oo)s counts us allin, $ut that is a (urely 'eo'ra(hical sense,


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&hich I su((ose &e can i'nore+ here!ore Ita)e it that &hen I tell you &hy I am not aChristian I ha.e to tell you t&o di5erentthin's8 -rst, &hy I do not $elie.e in "od and in

immortality0 and, secondly, &hy I do not thin)that Christ &as the $est and &isest o! men,althou'h I 'rant him a .ery hi'h de'ree o!moral 'oodness+

But !or the success!ul e5orts o! un$elie.ers inthe (ast, I could not ta)e so elastic a

de-nition o! Christianity as that+ As I said$e!ore, in the olden days it had a much more!ull#$looded sense+ or instance, it includedthe $elie! in hell+ Belie! in eternal hell -re &asan essential item o! Christian $elie! until(retty recent times+ In this country, as you)no&, it ceased to $e an essential item

$ecause o! a decision o! the ri.y Council, and!rom that decision the Arch$isho( o!Canter$ury and the Arch$isho( o! 3or)dissented0 $ut in this country our reli'ion issettled $y Act o! arliament, and there!ore theri.y Council &as a$le to o.erride their "racesand hell &as no lon'er necessary to a

Christian+ Conseuently I shall not insist that aChristian must $elie.e in hell+

he Eistence ! "od

o come to this uestion o! the eistence o!

"od, it is a lar'e and serious uestion, and i! I&ere to attem(t to deal &ith it in any


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adeuate manner I should ha.e to )ee( youhere until :in'dom Come, so that you &illha.e to ecuse me i! I deal &ith it in asome&hat summary !ashion+ 3ou )no&, o!

course, that the Catholic Church has laid itdo&n as a do'ma that the eistence o! "odcan $e (ro.ed $y the unaided reason+ his is asome&hat curious do'ma, $ut it is one o! theirdo'mas+ hey had to introduce it $ecause atone time the reethin)ers ado(ted the ha$it o!sayin' that there &ere such and such

ar'uments &hich mere reason mi'ht ur'ea'ainst the eistence o! "od, $ut o! coursethey )ne& as a matter o! !aith that "od dideist+ he ar'uments and the reasons &ere setout at 'reat len'th, and the Catholic Church!elt that they must sto( it+ here!ore they laidit do&n that the eistence o! "od can $e

(ro.ed $y the unaided reason, and they had toset u( &hat they considered &ere ar'umentsto (ro.e it+ here are, o! course, a num$er o!them, $ut I shall ta)e only a !e&+

he irst Cause Ar'ument

erha(s the sim(lest and easiest tounderstand is the ar'ument o! the irst Cause+It is maintained that e.erythin' &e see in this&orld has a cause, and as you 'o $ac) in thechain o! causes !urther and !urther you mustcome to a irst Cause, and to that irst Cause

you 'i.e the name o! "od+ hat ar'ument, Isu((ose, does not carry .ery much &ei'ht


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no&adays, $ecause, in the -rst (lace, cause isnot uite &hat it used to $e+ he (hiloso(hersand the men o! science ha.e 'ot 'oin' oncause, and it has not anythin' li)e the .itality

that it used to ha.e0 $ut a(art !rom that, youcan see that the ar'ument that there must $ea irst Cause is one that cannot ha.e any.alidity+ I may say that &hen I &as a youn'man, and &as de$atin' these uestions .eryseriously in my mind, I !or a lon' timeacce(ted the ar'ument o! the irst Cause,

until one day, at the a'e o! ei'hteen, I read;ohn /tuart Mills Auto$io'ra(hy, and I there!ound this sentence8 *My !ather tau'ht methat the uestion, Who made me4 cannot $eans&ered, since it immediately su''ests the!urther uestion, Who made "od4* hat .erysim(le sentence sho&ed me, as I still thin),

the !allacy in the ar'ument o! the irst Cause+I! e.erythin' must ha.e a cause, then "odmust ha.e a cause+ I! there can $e anythin'&ithout a cause, it may %ust as &ell $e the&orld as "od, so that there cannot $e any.alidity in that ar'ument+ It is eactly o! thesame nature as the


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reason to su((ose that the &orld had a$e'innin' at all+ he idea that thin's mustha.e a $e'innin' is really due to the (o.ertyo! our ima'ination+ here!ore, (erha(s, I need

not &aste any more time u(on the ar'umenta$out the irst Cause+

he Natural#=a& Ar'ument

hen there is a .ery common ar'ument !rom

Natural =a&+ hat &as a !a.orite ar'ument allthrou'h the ei'hteenth century, es(eciallyunder the in>uence o! /ir Isaac Ne&ton andhis cosmo'ony+ eo(le o$ser.ed the (lanets'oin' around the sun accordin' to the la& o!'ra.itation, and they thou'ht that "od had'i.en a $ehest to these (lanets to mo.e in

that (articular !ashion, and that &as &hy theydid so+ hat &as, o! course, a con.enient andsim(le e(lanation that sa.ed them thetrou$le o! loo)in' any !urther !or anye(lanation o! the la& o! 'ra.itation+No&adays &e e(lain the la& o! 'ra.itation ina some&hat com(licated !ashion that Einstein

has introduced+ I do not (ro(ose to 'i.e you alecture on the la& o! 'ra.itation, asinter(reted $y Einstein, $ecause that a'ain&ould ta)e some time0 at any rate, you nolon'er ha.e the sort o! Natural =a& that youhad in the Ne&tonian system, &here, !or somereason that no$ody could understand, nature

$eha.ed in a uni!orm !ashion+ We no& -ndthat a 'reat many thin's &e thou'ht &ere


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Natural =a&s are really human con.entions+3ou )no& that e.en in the remotest de(th o!stellar s(ace there are still three !eet to ayard+ hat is, no dou$t, a .ery remar)a$le

!act, $ut you &ould hardly call it a la& o!nature+ And a 'reat many thin's that ha.e$een re'arded as la&s o! nature are o! that)ind+ n the other hand, &here you can 'etdo&n to any )no&led'e o! &hat atoms actuallydo, you &ill -nd that they are much lesssu$%ect to la& than (eo(le thou'ht, and that

the la&s at &hich you arri.e are statisticala.era'es o! %ust the sort that &ould emer'e!rom chance+ here is, as &e all )no&, a la&that i! you thro& dice you &ill 'et dou$le siesonly a$out once in thirty#si times, and &e donot re'ard that as e.idence that the !all o! thedice is re'ulated $y desi'n0 on the contrary, i!

the dou$le sies came e.ery time &e shouldthin) that there &as desi'n+ he la&s o!nature are o! that sort as re'ards to a 'reatmany o! them+ hey are statistical a.era'essuch as &ould emer'e !rom the la&s o!chance0 and that ma)es the &hole $usiness o!natural la& much less im(ressi.e than it

!ormerly &as+ ?uite a(art !rom that, &hichre(resents the momentary state o! sciencethat may chan'e tomorro&, the &hole ideathat natural la&s im(ly a la'i.er is due to acon!usion $et&een natural and human la&s+


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ho& thin's do in !act $eha.e, and, $ein' amere descri(tion o! &hat they in !act do, youcannot ar'ue that there must $e some$ody&ho told them to do that, $ecause e.en

su((osin' that there &ere you are then !aced&ith the uestion, Why did "od issue %ustthose natural la&s and no others4 I! you saythat he did it sim(ly !rom his o&n 'ood(leasure, and &ithout any reason, you then-nd that there is somethin' &hich is notsu$%ect to la&, and so your train o! natural la&

is interru(ted+ I! you say, as more orthodotheolo'ians do, that in all the la&s &hich "odissues he had a reason !or 'i.in' those la&srather than others ## the reason, o! course,$ein' to create the $est uni.erse, althou'hyou &ould ne.er thin) it to loo) at it ## i! there&as a reason !or the la&s &hich "od 'a.e,

then "od himsel! &as su$%ect to la&, andthere!ore you do not 'et any ad.anta'e $yintroducin' "od as an intermediary+ 3ou reallyha.e a la& outside and anterior to the di.ineedicts, and "od does not ser.e your (ur(ose,$ecause he is not the ultimate la'i.er+ Inshort, this &hole ar'ument !rom natural la&

no lon'er has anythin' li)e the stren'th thatit used to ha.e+ I am tra.elin' on in time in myre.ie& o! these ar'uments+ he ar'umentsthat are used !or the eistence o! "od chan'etheir character as time 'oes on+ hey &ere at-rst hard intellectual ar'uments em$odyin'certain uite de-nite !allacies+ As &e come to

modern times they $ecome less res(ecta$le


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intellectually and more and more a5ected $y a)ind o! morali@in' .a'ueness+

he Ar'ument rom esi'n

he net ste( in the (rocess $rin's us to thear'ument !rom desi'n+ 3ou all )no& thear'ument !rom desi'n8 e.erythin' in the &orldis made %ust so that &e can mana'e to li.e inthe &orld, and i! the &orld &as e.er so little

di5erent &e could not mana'e to li.e in it+hat is the ar'ument !rom desi'n+ Itsometimes ta)es a rather curious !orm0 !orinstance, it is ar'ued that ra$$its ha.e &hitetails in order to $e easy to shoot+ I do not)no& ho& ra$$its &ould .ie& that a((lication+It is an easy ar'ument to (arody+ 3ou all )no&

oltaires remar), that o$.iously the nose &asdesi'ned to $e such as to -t s(ectacles+ hatsort o! (arody has turned out to $e not nearlyso &ide o! the mar) as it mi'ht ha.e seemedin the ei'hteenth century, $ecause since thetime o! ar&in &e understand much $etter&hy li.in' creatures are ada(ted to their

en.ironment+ It is not that their en.ironment&as made to $e suita$le to them, $ut thatthey 're& to $e suita$le to it, and that is the$asis o! ada(tation+ here is no e.idence o!desi'n a$out it+

When you come to loo) into this ar'ument

!rom desi'n, it is a most astonishin' thin'that (eo(le can $elie.e that this &orld, &ith


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all the thin's that are in it, &ith all its de!ects,should $e the $est that omni(otence andomniscience ha.e $een a$le to (roduce inmillions o! years+ I really cannot $elie.e it+ o

you thin) that, i! you &ere 'rantedomni(otence and omniscience and millions o!years in &hich to (er!ect your &orld, you could(roduce nothin' $etter than the :u :lu :lan,the ascisti, and Mr+ Winston Churchill4 ReallyI am not much im(ressed &ith the (eo(le &hosay8 *=oo) at me8 I am such a s(lendid (roduct

that there must ha.e $een desi'n in theuni.erse+* I am not .ery much im(ressed $ythe s(lendor o! those (eo(le+ Moreo.er, i! youacce(t the ordinary la&s o! science, you ha.eto su((ose that human li!e and li!e in 'eneralon this (lanet &ill die out in due course8 it ismerely a >ash in the (an0 it is a sta'e in the

decay o! the solar system0 at a certain sta'eo! decay you 'et the sort o! conditions andtem(erature and so !orth &hich are suita$le to(roto(lasm, and there is li!e !or a short timein the li!e o! the &hole solar system+ 3ou seein the moon the sort o! thin' to &hich theearth is tendin' ## somethin' dead, cold, and

li!eless+

I am told that that sort o! .ie& is de(ressin',and (eo(le &ill sometimes tell you that i! they$elie.ed that they &ould not $e a$le to 'o onli.in'+ o not $elie.e it0 it is all nonsense+No$ody really &orries much a$out &hat is

'oin' to ha((en millions o! years hence+ E.eni! they thin) they are &orryin' much a$out


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that, they are really decei.in' themsel.es+hey are &orried a$out somethin' much moremundane, or it may merely $e a $ad di'estion0$ut no$ody is really seriously rendered

unha((y $y the thou'ht o! somethin' that is'oin' to ha((en in this &orld millions andmillions o! years hence+ here!ore, althou'h itis o! course a 'loomy .ie& to su((ose that li!e&ill die out ## at least I su((ose &e may sayso, althou'h sometimes &hen I contem(latethe thin's that (eo(le do &ith their li.es I

thin) it is almost a consolation ## it is not suchas to render li!e misera$le+ It merely ma)esyou turn your attention to other thin's+

he Moral Ar'uments or eity

No& &e reach one sta'e !urther in &hat I shallcall the intellectual descent that the heistsha.e made in their ar'umentations, and &ecome to &hat are called the moral ar'uments!or the eistence o! "od+ 3ou all )no&, o!course, that there used to $e in the old daysthree intellectual ar'uments !or the eistence

o! "od, all o! &hich &ere dis(osed o! $yImmanuel :ant in the Critiue o! ure Reason0$ut no sooner had he dis(osed o! thosear'uments than he in.ented a ne& one, amoral ar'ument, and that uite con.incedhim+


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illustrates &hat the (sycho#analysts so muchem(hasi@e ## the immensely stron'er holdu(on us that our .ery early associations ha.ethan those o! later times+

:ant, as I say, in.ented a ne& moral ar'ument!or the eistence o! "od, and that in .aryin'!orms &as etremely (o(ular durin' thenineteenth century+ It has all sorts o! !orms+ne !orm is to say that there &ould $e nori'ht and &ron' unless "od eisted+ I am not

!or the moment concerned &ith &hether thereis a di5erence $et&een ri'ht and &ron', or&hether there is not8 that is another uestion+he (oint I am concerned &ith is that, i! youare uite sure there is a di5erence $et&eenri'ht and &ron', then you are then in thissituation8 is that di5erence due to "ods -at or

is it not4 I! it is due to "ods -at, then !or "odhimsel! there is no di5erence $et&een ri'htand &ron', and it is no lon'er a si'ni-cantstatement to say that "od is 'ood+ I! you are'oin' to say, as theolo'ians do, that "od is'ood, you must then say that ri'ht and &ron'ha.e some meanin' &hich is inde(endent o!

"ods -at, $ecause "ods -ats are 'ood andnot $ad inde(endently o! the mere !act thathe made them+ I! you are 'oin' to say that,you &ill then ha.e to say that it is not onlythrou'h "od that ri'ht and &ron' came into$ein', $ut that they are in their essencelo'ically anterior to "od+ 3ou could, o! course,

i! you li)ed, say that there &as a su(eriordeity &ho 'a.e orders to the "od &ho made


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this &orld, or could ta)e u( the line that someo! the a'nostics *"nostics* ## CWD too) u( ## aline &hich I o!ten thou'ht &as a .ery (lausi$leone ## that as a matter o! !act this &orld that

&e )no& &as made $y the e.il at a moment&hen "od &as not loo)in'+ here is a 'ooddeal to $e said !or that, and I am notconcerned to re!ute it+

he Ar'ument or he Remedyin' ! In%ustice

hen there is another .ery curious !orm o!moral ar'ument, &hich is this8 they say thatthe eistence o! "od is reuired in order to$rin' %ustice into the &orld+ In the (art o! theuni.erse that &e )no& there is a 'reatin%ustice, and o!ten the 'ood su5er, and o!ten

the &ic)ed (ros(er, and one hardly )no&s&hich o! those is the more annoyin'0 $ut i!you are 'oin' to ha.e %ustice in the uni.erseas a &hole you ha.e to su((ose a !uture li!e toredress the $alance o! li!e here on earth, andso they say that there must $e a "od, and thatthere must $e


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else&here also+* /u((osin' you 'ot a crate o!oran'es that you o(ened, and you !ound allthe to( layer o! oran'es $ad, you &ould notar'ue8 *he underneath ones must $e 'ood, so

as to redress the $alance+* 3ou &ould say8*ro$a$ly the &hole lot is a $ad consi'nment0*and that is really &hat a scienti-c (erson&ould ar'ue a$out the uni.erse+


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uestion &hether Christ &as the $est and the&isest o! men+ It is 'enerally ta)en !or'ranted that &e should all a'ree that that &asso+ I do not mysel!+ I thin) that there are a

'ood many (oints u(on &hich I a'ree &ithChrist a 'reat deal more than the (ro!essin'Christians do+ I do not )no& that I could 'o&ith


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thou not a&ay+* his is a .ery 'ood (rinci(le+3our chairman has reminded you that &e arenot here to tal) (olitics, $ut I cannot hel(o$ser.in' that the last 'eneral election &as

!ou'ht on the uestion o! ho& desira$le it &asto turn a&ay !rom him that &ould $orro& o!thee, so that one must assume that theli$erals and conser.ati.es o! this country arecom(osed o! (eo(le &ho do not a'ree &ith theteachin' o! Christ, $ecause they certainly did.ery em(hatically turn a&ay on that occasion+

hen there is one other maim o! Christ &hichI thin) has a 'reat deal in it, $ut I do not -ndthat it is .ery (o(ular amon' some o! ourChristian !riends+


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&ith the historical uestion+


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that he &as (lantin' trees in his 'arden+ heearly Christians really did $elie.e it, and theydid a$stain !rom such thin's as (lantin' treesin their 'ardens, $ecause they did acce(t !rom

Christ the $elie! that the second comin' &asimminent+ In this res(ect clearly


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3ou &ill -nd that in the "os(els Christ said8*3e ser(ents, ye 'eneration o! .i(ers, ho& canye esca(e the damnation o! hell+* hat &as

said to (eo(le &ho did not li)e


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the 'oats0 ho& at the second comin'


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and &hen he came to it


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Child*0 and it is said that he ascended intohea.en+


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3ou -nd as you loo) around the &orld thate.ery sin'le $it o! (ro'ress o! humane !eelin',e.ery im(ro.ement in the criminal la&, e.ery

ste( to&ard the diminution o! &ar, e.ery ste(to&ard $etter treatment o! the colored races,or e.er miti'ation o! sla.ery, e.ery moral(ro'ress that there has $een in the &orld, has$een consistently o((osed $y the or'ani@edchurches o! the &orld+ I say uite deli$eratelythat the Christian reli'ion, as or'ani@ed in its

churches, has $een and still is the (rinci(alenemy o! moral (ro'ress in the &orld+


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su5erin', could maintain that it is ri'ht and(ro(er that that state o! thin's shouldcontinue+

hat is only an eam(le+ here are a 'reatmany &ays in &hich at the (resent momentthe church, $y its insistence u(on &hat itchooses to call morality, in>icts u(on all sortso! (eo(le undeser.ed and unnecessarysu5erin'+ And o! course, as &e )no&, it is inits ma%or (art an o((onent still o! (ro'ress

and im(ro.ement in all the &ays that diminishsu5erin' in the &orld, $ecause it has chosento la$el as morality a certain narro& set o!rules o! conduct &hich ha.e nothin' to do &ithhuman ha((iness0 and &hen you say that thisor that ou'ht to $e done $ecause it &ouldma)e !or human ha((iness, they thin) that

has nothin' to do &ith the matter at all+ *Whathas human ha((iness to do &ith morals4 heo$%ect o! morals is not to ma)e (eo(le ha((y+*

ear, he oundation ! Reli'ion

Reli'ion is $ased, I thin), (rimarily and mainlyu(on !ear+ It is (artly the terror o! theun)no&n and (artly, as I ha.e said, the &ishto !eel that you ha.e a )ind o! elder $rother&ho &ill stand $y you in all your trou$les anddis(utes+ ear is the $asis o! the &hole thin'## !ear o! the mysterious, !ear o! de!eat, !ear

o! death+ ear is the (arent o! cruelty, andthere!ore it is no &onder i! cruelty and reli'ion


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ha.e 'one hand#in#hand+ It is $ecause !ear isat the $asis o! those t&o thin's+ In this &orld&e can no& $e'in a little to understandthin's, and a little to master them $y the hel(

o! science, &hich has !orced its &ay ste( $yste( a'ainst the Christian reli'ion, a'ainst thechurches, and a'ainst the o((osition o! all theold (rece(ts+ /cience can hel( us to 'et o.erthis cra.en !ear in &hich man)ind has li.ed !orso many 'enerations+ /cience can teach us,and I thin) our o&n hearts can teach us, no

lon'er to loo) around !or ima'inary su((orts,no lon'er to in.ent allies in the s)y, $ut ratherto loo) to our o&n e5orts here $elo& to ma)ethis &orld a -t (lace to li.e in, instead o! thesort o! (lace that the churches in all thesecenturies ha.e made it+

What We Must o

We &ant to stand u(on our o&n !eet and loo)!air and suare at the &orld ## its 'ood !acts,its $ad !acts, its $eauties, and its u'liness0see the &orld as it is and $e not a!raid o! it+

Conuer the &orld $y intelli'ence and notmerely $y $ein' sla.ishly su$dued $y theterror that comes !rom it+ he &holeconce(tion o! a "od is a conce(tion deri.ed!rom the ancient oriental des(otisms+ It is aconce(tion uite un&orthy o! !ree men+ Whenyou hear (eo(le in church de$asin'

themsel.es and sayin' that they are misera$lesinners, and all the rest o! it, it seems


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contem(ti$le and not &orthy o! sel!#res(ectin' human $ein's+ We ou'ht to standu( and loo) the &orld !ran)ly in the !ace+ Weou'ht to ma)e the $est &e can o! the &orld,

and i! it is not so 'ood as &e &ish, a!ter all it&ill still $e $etter than &hat these others ha.emade o! it in all these a'es+ A 'ood &orldneeds )no&led'e, )indliness, and coura'e0 itdoes not need a re'ret!ul han)erin' a!ter the(ast or a !etterin' o! the !ree intelli'ence $ythe &ords uttered lon' a'o $y i'norant men+

It needs a !earless outloo) and a !reeintelli'ence+ It needs ho(e !or the !uture, notloo)in' $ac) all the time to&ard a (ast that isdead, &hich &e trust &ill $e !ar sur(assed $ythe !uture that our intelli'ence can create+

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Why I am Not a Christian.doc