[εις επαινον δοξης αυτου] New comment on Bertrand Russell, Why I Am Not a Christian.
Mark Case has left a new comment on your post "Bertrand Russell, Why I Am Not a Christian":
Actually, I was highly entertained by this particular essay by Bertrand Russell. I think that he wrote this "tongue-in-cheek," i.e., the "nice people" were actually what society at large considers "nice people," but not what Mr. Russell considers "nice." All of the characteristics of the "nice" crowd were described in decidedly NOT nice characteristics, which stems (according to Russell) from religious paradigms.
I find it very difficult to disagree with this. I used to be a conservative Christian, but now consider myself agnostic (I haven't gone all the way to the atheism of Russell). This is in some measure because of the inconsistencies of the Christian faith and the people charged with its propagation. The "nice" minister described by Russell is all too familiar to me. If the "unchanging truth" of Christianity were as advertised, those who know it best should be petrified of violating key behavioral precepts pertaining to it; adultery in particular, but also many others. Russell does a good job of humorously explaining this phenomenon in "Nice People," illustrating the fact that in the end, human nature trumps religious dogma at every turn.
I'm done with being an evangelical Christian because of this and several other considerations. It is liberating to see validity in other faith traditions like Buddhism, where one's behavior is the key to enlightenment and spiritual progression. Evangelical Christianity has this in reverse, which is a big reason that it doesn't work as advertised.
So, the "nice" people are disappearing, which according to Russell is a good thing. I'm compelled to agree!
Posted by Mark Case to εις επαινον δοξης αυτου at 6:32 AM
Actually, I was highly entertained by this particular essay by Bertrand Russell. I think that he wrote this "tongue-in-cheek," i.e., the "nice people" were actually what society at large considers "nice people," but not what Mr. Russell considers "nice." All of the characteristics of the "nice" crowd were described in decidedly NOT nice characteristics, which stems (according to Russell) from religious paradigms.
I find it very difficult to disagree with this. I used to be a conservative Christian, but now consider myself agnostic (I haven't gone all the way to the atheism of Russell). This is in some measure because of the inconsistencies of the Christian faith and the people charged with its propagation. The "nice" minister described by Russell is all too familiar to me. If the "unchanging truth" of Christianity were as advertised, those who know it best should be petrified of violating key behavioral precepts pertaining to it; adultery in particular, but also many others. Russell does a good job of humorously explaining this phenomenon in "Nice People," illustrating the fact that in the end, human nature trumps religious dogma at every turn.
I'm done with being an evangelical Christian because of this and several other considerations. It is liberating to see validity in other faith traditions like Buddhism, where one's behavior is the key to enlightenment and spiritual progression. Evangelical Christianity has this in reverse, which is a big reason that it doesn't work as advertised.
So, the "nice" people are disappearing, which according to Russell is a good thing. I'm compelled to agree!
Posted by Mark Case to εις επαινον δοξης αυτου at 6:32 AM
posted by Matthew LaPine at
6:32 AM
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