Why I Am Not a ChristianWord下载.docx
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Why I Am Not a ChristianWord下载.docx
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ByHaldeman-JulliusCompany
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
AnExaminationoftheGod-IdeaandChristianity
[ThelecturethatisherepresentedwasdeliveredattheBatterseaTownHallundertheauspicesoftheSouthLondonBranchoftheNationalSecularSociety,England.ItshouldbeaddedthattheeditoriswillingtosharefullresponsibilitywiththeHon.BertrandRussellinthatheisinaccordwiththepoliticalandotheropinionsexpressed.][Thepreviousstatementwasincludedintheoriginal,andisnotmadebyPositiveAtheism.]
Asyourchairmanhastoldyou,thesubjectaboutwhichIamgoingtospeaktoyoutonightis"
WhyIAmNotaChristian."
Perhapsitwouldbeaswell,firstofall,totrytomakeoutwhatonemeansbytheword"
Christian."
Itisusedinthesedaysinaveryloosesensebyagreatmanypeople.Somepeoplemeannomorebyitthanapersonwhoattemptstoliveagoodlife.InthatsenseIsupposetherewouldbeChristiansinallsectsandcreeds;
butIdonotthinkthatthatisthepropersenseoftheword,ifonlybecauseitwouldimplythatallthepeoplewhoarenotChristians--alltheBuddhists,Confucians,Mohammedans,andsoon--arenottryingtoliveagoodlife.IdonotmeanbyaChristiananypersonwhotriestolivedecentlyaccordingtohislights.IthinkthatyoumusthaveacertainamountofdefinitebeliefbeforeyouhavearighttocallyourselfaChristian.Theworddoesnothavequitesuchafull-bloodedmeaningnowasithadinthetimesofSt.AugustineandSt.ThomasAquinas.Inthosedays,ifamansaidthathewasaChristianitwasknownwhathemeant.Youacceptedawholecollectionofcreedswhichweresetoutwithgreatprecision,andeverysinglesyllableofthosecreedsyoubelievedwiththewholestrengthofyourconvictions.
WhatisaChristian?
Nowadaysitisnotquitethat.WehavetobealittlemorevagueinourmeaningofChristianity.Ithink,however,thattherearetwodifferentitemswhicharequiteessentialtoanyonecallinghimselfaChristian.Thefirstisoneofadogmaticnature--namely,thatyoumustbelieveinGodandimmortality.Ifyoudonotbelieveinthosetwothings,IdonotthinkthatyoucanproperlycallyourselfaChristian.Then,furtherthanthat,asthenameimplies,youmusthavesomekindofbeliefaboutChrist.TheMohammedans,forinstance,alsobelieveinGodandimmortality,andyettheywouldnotcallthemselvesChristians.IthinkyoumusthaveattheverylowestthebeliefthatChristwas,ifnotdivine,atleastthebestandwisestofmen.IfyouarenotgoingtobelievethatmuchaboutChrist,IdonotthinkthatyouhaveanyrighttocallyourselfaChristian.Ofcourse,thereisanothersensewhichyoufindinWhitaker'
sAlmanackandingeographybooks,wherethepopulationoftheworldissaidtobedividedintoChristians,Mohammedans,Buddhists,fetishworshipers,andsoon;
butinthatsenseweareallChristians.Thegeographybookscountsusallin,butthatisapurelygeographicalsense,whichIsupposewecanignore.ThereforeItakeitthatwhenItellyouwhyIamnotaChristianIhavetotellyoutwodifferentthings:
first,whyIdonotbelieveinGodandinimmortality;
and,secondly,whyIdonotthinkthatChristwasthebestandwisestofmen,althoughIgranthimaveryhighdegreeofmoralgoodness.
Butforthesuccessfuleffortsofunbelieversinthepast,IcouldnottakesoelasticadefinitionofChristianityasthat.AsIsaidbefore,intheoldendaysithadamuchmorefull-bloodedsense.Forinstance,itincludedthebeliefinhell.BeliefineternalhellfirewasanessentialitemofChristianbeliefuntilprettyrecenttimes.Inthiscountry,asyouknow,itceasedtobeanessentialitembecauseofadecisionofthePrivyCouncil,andfromthatdecisiontheArchbishopofCanterburyandtheArchbishopofYorkdissented;
butinthiscountryourreligionissettledbyActofParliament,andthereforethePrivyCouncilwasabletooverridetheirGracesandhellwasnolongernecessarytoaChristian.ConsequentlyIshallnotinsistthataChristianmustbelieveinhell.
TheExistenceOfGod
TocometothisquestionoftheexistenceofGod,itisalargeandseriousquestion,andifIweretoattempttodealwithitinanyadequatemannerIshouldhavetokeepyouhereuntilKingdomCome,sothatyouwillhavetoexcusemeifIdealwithitinasomewhatsummaryfashion.Youknow,ofcourse,thattheCatholicChurchhaslaiditdownasadogmathattheexistenceofGodcanbeprovedbytheunaidedreason.Thisisasomewhatcuriousdogma,butitisoneoftheirdogmas.TheyhadtointroduceitbecauseatonetimetheFreethinkersadoptedthehabitofsayingthatthereweresuchandsuchargumentswhichmerereasonmighturgeagainsttheexistenceofGod,butofcoursetheyknewasamatteroffaiththatGoddidexist.Theargumentsandthereasonsweresetoutatgreatlength,andtheCatholicChurchfeltthattheymuststopit.ThereforetheylaiditdownthattheexistenceofGodcanbeprovedbytheunaidedreason,andtheyhadtosetupwhattheyconsideredwereargumentstoproveit.Thereare,ofcourse,anumberofthem,butIshalltakeonlyafew.
TheFirstCauseArgument
PerhapsthesimplestandeasiesttounderstandistheargumentoftheFirstCause.Itismaintainedthateverythingweseeinthisworldhasacause,andasyougobackinthechainofcausesfurtherandfurtheryoumustcometoaFirstCause,andtothatFirstCauseyougivethenameofGod.Thatargument,Isuppose,doesnotcarryverymuchweightnowadays,because,inthefirstplace,causeisnotquitewhatitusedtobe.Thephilosophersandthemenofsciencehavegotgoingoncause,andithasnotanythinglikethevitalitythatitusedtohave;
butapartfromthat,youcanseethattheargumentthattheremustbeaFirstCauseisonethatcannothaveanyvalidity.ImaysaythatwhenIwasayoungman,andwasdebatingthesequestionsveryseriouslyinmymind,IforalongtimeacceptedtheargumentoftheFirstCause,untiloneday,attheageofeighteen,IreadJohnStuartMill'
sAutobiography,andItherefoundthissentence:
"
Myfathertaughtmethatthequestion,Whomademe?
cannotbeanswered,sinceitimmediatelysuggeststhefurtherquestion,WhomadeGod?
"
Thatverysimplesentenceshowedme,asIstillthink,thefallacyintheargumentoftheFirstCause.Ifeverythingmusthaveacause,thenGodmusthaveacause.Iftherecanbeanythingwithoutacause,itmayjustaswellbetheworldasGod,sothattherecannotbeanyvalidityinthatargument.ItisexactlyofthesamenatureastheHindu'
sview,thattheworldresteduponanelephant,andtheelephantresteduponatortoise;
andwhentheysaid,"
Howaboutthetortoise?
theIndiansaid,"
Supposewechangethesubject."
Theargumentisreallynobetterthanthat.Thereisnoreasonwhytheworldcouldnothavecomeintobeingwithoutacause;
nor,ontheotherhand,isthereanyreasonwhyitshouldnothavealwaysexisted.Thereisnoreasontosupposethattheworldhadabeginningatall.Theideathatthingsmusthaveabeginningisreallyduetothepovertyofourimagination.Therefore,perhaps,IneednotwasteanymoretimeupontheargumentabouttheFirstCause.
TheNatural-LawArgument
ThenthereisaverycommonargumentfromNaturalLaw.Thatwasafavoriteargumentallthroughtheeighteenthcentury,especiallyundertheinfluenceofSirIsaacNewtonandhiscosmogony.Peopleobservedtheplanetsgoingaroundthesunaccordingtothelawofgravitation,andtheythoughtthatGodhadgivenabehesttotheseplanetstomoveinthatparticularfashion,andthatwaswhytheydidso.Thatwas,ofcourse,aconvenientandsimpleexplanationthatsavedthemthetroubleoflookinganyfurtherforanyexplanationofthelawofgravitation.NowadaysweexplainthelawofgravitationinasomewhatcomplicatedfashionthatEinsteinhasintroduced.Idonotproposetogiveyoualectureonthelawofgravitation,asinterpretedbyEinstein,becausethatagainwouldtakesometime;
atanyrate,younolongerhavethesortofNaturalLawthatyouhadintheNewtoniansystem,where,forsomereasonthatnobodycouldunderstand,naturebehavedinauniformfashion.WenowfindthatagreatmanythingswethoughtwereNaturalLawsarereallyhumanconventions.Youknowthatevenintheremotestdepthofstellarspacetherearestillthreefeettoayard.Thatis,nodoubt,averyremarkablefact,butyouwouldhardlycallitalawofnature.Andagreatmanythingsthathavebeenregardedaslawsofnatureareofthatkind.Ontheotherhand,whereyoucangetdowntoanyknowledgeofwhatatomsactuallydo,youwillfindthattheyaremuchlesssubjecttolawthanpeoplethought,andthatthelawsatwhichyouarrivearestatisticalaveragesofjustthesortthatwouldemergefromchance.Thereis,asweallknow,alawthatifyouthrowdiceyouwillgetdoublesixesonlyaboutonceinthirty-sixtimes,andwedonotregardthatasevidencethatthefallofthediceisregulatedbydesign;
onthecontrary,ifthedoublesixescameeverytimeweshouldthinkthattherewasdesign.Thelawsofnatureareofthatsortasregardstoagreatmanyofthem.Theyarestatisticalaveragessuchaswouldemergefromthelawsofchance;
andthatmakesthewholebusinessofnaturallawmuchlessimpressivethanitformerlywas.Quiteapartfromthat,whichrepresentsthemomentarystateofsciencethatmaychangetomorrow,thewholeideathatnaturallawsimplyalaw-giverisduetoaconfusionbetweennaturalandhumanlaws.Humanlawsarebehestscommandingyoutobehaveacertain
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