[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-detail-40968-en":3,"doc-seo-40968-105":30,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":91},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",{"doc_id":7,"user_id":8,"nickname":9,"user_avatar":10,"doc_module":4,"category_id":11,"category_name":12,"doc_title":13,"doc_description":14,"doc_content":15,"file_id":16,"file_url":17,"file_type":18,"file_size":19,"view_count":20,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":21,"is_downloadable":21,"audit_status":21,"page_count":22,"language":23,"language_code":24,"site_id":25,"html_lang":24,"table_of_contents":26,"faqs":27,"seo_title":13,"seo_description":14,"update_tm":28,"read_time":29},40968,1374391974564,"Clementine","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/14000253aa45c000a9e?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1779874745381141002",9,"Religion & Spirituality","Why I Am Not a Christian and Other Essays on Religion and Related Subjects","Collection of essays by Bertrand Russell examining religion through philosophical critique and public debate. The book opens with a preface to the Routledge Classics edition, situating Russell’s famous lecture “Why I am not a Christian” within early 20th-century responses and later criticism. The table of contents outlines chapters on religion’s role in civilization, survival after death, religious skepticism across Christian traditions, medieval life, Thomas Paine, sexual ethics, freedom in education, and a named dialogue on the existence of God.","Why I a m not a Christian  \n‘What makes the book valuable is life-long uncom promising intellectual honesty.’  \nThe Times Literary Supplement  \n‘There is no one who uses English language more beguilingly than Russell, no one smoothes the kinks and creases more artfully out of the most crumpled weaves of thought.’  \nThe Times  \nBertrand  \nRussell  \nWhy I a m not a Christian  \nAnd other essays on religion and related subjects  \nWith a new preface by Simon Blackburn  \n London and New York  \nFirst published 1957  \nby George Allen & Unwin Ltd, London  \nFirst published in Routledge Classics 2004 by Routledge  \n11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE  \nRoutledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group  \nThis edition published in the Taylor and Francis e-Library, 2005.  \n“To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of [eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk](eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk).”© 1996 The Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation Ltd  \nPreface to Routledge Classics edition © 2004 Simon Blackburn  \nAll rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.  \nBritish Library Cataloguing in Publication Data  \nA catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 0-203-49964-6 Master e-book ISBN  \nISBN 0-203-57427-3 (Adobe eReader Format) ISBN 0–415–32510–2 (Print Edition)  \nCONTENTS  \nPreface to the Routledge Classics  \nEdition vii  \nEditor’s Introduction xvi  \nPreface by Bertrand Russell xxii  \n1 Why I am not a Christian 1  \n2 Has Religion Made Useful Contributions to  \nCivilisation? 20  \n3 Do We Survive Death? 42  \n4 Seems, Madam? Nay, it is 48  \n5 On Catholic and Protestant  \nSceptics 57  \n6 Life in the Middle Ages 65  \n7 The Fate of Thomas Paine 70  \n8 Nice People 84  \n9 The New Generation 92  \n10 Our Sexual Ethics 102  \n11 Freedom and the Colleges 112  \nvi contents  \n12 The Existence of God—a Debate Between Bertrand Russell and Father F. C. Copleston, SJ 125  \n13 Can Religion Cure Our Troubles? 153  \n14 Religion and Morals 164  \nAppendix: How Bertrand Russell was Prevented from Teaching at the College of the City of New York 166  \nIndex 213  \nPREFACE TO THE  \nROUTLEDGE CLASSICS EDITION  \nIn London The Times reported quiet days at the beginning of March, 1927. In the shires, hunting was only moderate, but in London, following an anonymous telephone call, there was hope that the stolen £20,000 necklace belonging to Mrs Bruce Ismay might be retrieved. For seventy-three pounds and ten shillings the Church Travellers Club would take you to Palestine, Egypt, Athens and Constantinople. There were a lot of advertisements for parlourmaids, but few would be on the Church trip, since the modest-sounding sum represented a good year’s wages. Many letters to the Editor concerned a proposed reform to the prayer book; indeed the Bishop of Norwich gave a special meeting about this reform (‘Brigadier-General H. R. Adair, who presided, said that what was wanted was not a new prayer book but a book of discipline’) . Church events were extensively reported.1  \n1 Some things do not change. The Foreign Secretary, Sir Austen Chamberlain, declared in Parliament that he had two incontrovertible proofs that the famous Zinoviev letter that had brought his party to power was not a forgery. Unfortunately he was not at liberty to disclose the proofs. This was only natural, since the proofs were provided by the very Foreign Office and security services that had originally leaked the letter, probably after having it forged.  \nviii preface to the routledge classics edition  \nAbout the only event The Times did not announce was the Sunday lecture of the South London Branch of the National Secular Society in B","cbCaiivDC9RrydE6","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiivDC9RrydE6","pdf",701132,4,1,248,"English","en",105,"# Preface to the Routledge Classics\n## Editor’s Introduction\n## Preface by Bertrand Russell\n## Contents\n# Essays\n## Why I am not a Christian\n## Has Religion Made Useful Contributions to Civilisation?\n## Do We Survive Death?\n## Seems, Madam? Nay, it is\n## On Catholic and Protestant Sceptics\n## Life in the Middle Ages\n## The Fate of Thomas Paine\n## Nice People\n## The New Generation\n## Our Sexual Ethics\n## Freedom and the Colleges\n## The Existence of God—a Debate Between Bertrand Russell and Father F. C. Copleston, SJ\n## Can Religion Cure Our Troubles?\n## Religion and Morals\n## Appendix: How Bertrand Russell was Prevented from Teaching at the College of the City of New York\n## Index","[{\"question\":\"What is the main focus of “Why I am not a Christian” in this collection?\",\"answer\":\"It presents Russell’s case against Christianity and explains the grounds on which people accept religion, framed through his broader religious criticism.\"},{\"question\":\"Which themes related to religion are covered in the essay lineup?\",\"answer\":\"The contents address religion’s contribution to civilization, survival after death, religious skepticism, medieval life, Thomas Paine, sexual ethics, and moral and educational freedom.\"},{\"question\":\"What debate and appendices are included in the book?\",\"answer\":\"A chapter stages a debate between Russell and Father F. C. Copleston, SJ on the existence of God, and an appendix discusses how Russell was prevented from teaching at the College of the City of New York.\"}]",1783317273,625,{"code":4,"msg":31,"data":32},"ok",{"site_id":25,"language":24,"slug":33,"title":13,"keywords":34,"description":14,"schema_data":35,"social_meta":86,"head_meta":88,"extra_data":90,"updated_unix":28},"why-i-am-not-a-christian-and-other-essays-on-religion-and-related-subjects","",{"@graph":36,"@context":85},[37,53,68],{"@type":38,"itemListElement":39},"BreadcrumbList",[40,44,48,51],{"item":41,"name":42,"@type":43,"position":21},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":45,"name":46,"@type":43,"position":47},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":49,"name":12,"@type":43,"position":50},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/religion-spirituality/",3,{"item":52,"name":13,"@type":43,"position":20},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/why-i-am-not-a-christian-and-other-essays-on-religion-and-related-subjects/40968/",{"url":52,"name":13,"@type":54,"author":55,"headline":13,"publisher":57,"fileFormat":60,"inLanguage":24,"description":14,"dateModified":61,"datePublished":62,"encodingFormat":60,"isAccessibleForFree":63,"interactionStatistic":64},"DigitalDocument",{"name":9,"@type":56},"Person",{"url":41,"name":58,"@type":59},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-07-12","2026-07-06",true,{"@type":65,"interactionType":66,"userInteractionCount":20},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":67},"ViewAction",{"@type":69,"mainEntity":70},"FAQPage",[71,77,81],{"name":72,"@type":73,"acceptedAnswer":74},"What is the main focus of “Why I am not a Christian” in this collection?","Question",{"text":75,"@type":76},"It presents Russell’s case against Christianity and explains the grounds on which people accept religion, framed through his broader religious criticism.","Answer",{"name":78,"@type":73,"acceptedAnswer":79},"Which themes related to religion are covered in the essay lineup?",{"text":80,"@type":76},"The contents address religion’s contribution to civilization, survival after death, religious skepticism, medieval life, Thomas Paine, sexual ethics, and moral and educational freedom.",{"name":82,"@type":73,"acceptedAnswer":83},"What debate and appendices are included in the book?",{"text":84,"@type":76},"A chapter stages a debate between Russell and Father F. 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