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New Idea Learned in "Why I Am Not a Christian," written by Russell Bertrand
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The reading “Why I Am Not a Christian,” written by Russell Bertrand, consists of several persuasive ideas as to why he does not believe in God, and most importantly, why he does not believe Christ to be the “best and wisest” of all. One theme that appears to be dominant throughout the article is the idea that Christ believes in Hell and often uses the concept of eternal punishment to scare others into listening and following his preaching. Bertrand writes this article to express his beliefs and uses prime examples to attest his valid points. Russell begins by questioning the morality of Christ due to his faith in Hell. According to the gospel, Christ and his preachers are portrayed as firm believers in perpetual damnation in order to scare people into following the word of the Lord. This is what causes Russell to feel that Christ is neither compassionate nor humane. Why would an empathetic person cast such intimidating propaganda? He then compares Christ to Socrates by stating their differences in handling rejection. If people did not invest their time in listening to Socrates’ thoughts, he elegantly respects their decision. Shouldn’t Socrates’ way of dealing with difference in beliefs be the method that the most divine man should practice? For instance, “Ye serpents, ye generations of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell,” is said by Jesus to he people who would not listen to his ideas. In addition, the sin against the Holy Ghost is a concept several people fear they have committed.
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