ALEGERE FĂRĂ LIBERTATE ȘI CREDINȚĂ FĂRĂ MÂNTUITOR. CRITICILE LUI BERTRAND RUSSELL
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14887858Keywords:
Bertrand Russell, freedom, free will, Jesus Christ, moral responsibility, faith and evidentialismAbstract
Choice Without Freedom and Faith Without a Savior: Bertrand Russell’s Critiques
The study analyzes Bertrand Russell’s criticisms of Christianity, focusing on two major themes: the rejection of free will and the portrayal of Jesus as a morally imperfect figure. The first part explores Russell’s biographical and intellectual context, highlighting the formative influences that shaped his skepticism toward religion and his conviction that reason is the sole valid source of truth. The second part examines Russell’s stance on free will, which he considers an illusion driven by desires caused by antecedent factors, implying that this position primarily reflects a personal inclination based on his methodological presuppositions. The final section addresses Russell’s critiques of Jesus’ teachings, including the alleged major eschatological error and the doctrine of eternal hell, demonstrating that, while influential, these critiques are simplistic when compared to the complexity of the biblical text and its theological context.
References
Izvoare/surse
• RUSSELL, Bertrand, Autobiography, London/New York, Routledge, 2010.
• _____, De ce nu sînt creștin, editat de Mihaela Iacob, București, Minerva, 1980.
• _____, Religion & Science, New York, NY, Oxford University Press, 1974.
• _____, Russell on Religion. Selections from the Writings of Bertrand Russell, editat de Louis Greenspan și Stefan Andersson, London/New York, Routledge, 2002.
• _____, Credințele mele. Traducere de S.G. Drăgan, București, Editura Humanitas, 2014.
Literatură secundară
• CRAIG, William Lane. Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics. A 3-a ediție. Wheaton, IL, Crossway, 2008.
• GRIFFIN, Nicholas, editor. The Cambridge Companion to Bertrand Russell. New York, Cambridge University Press, 2003.
• GRAYLING, A.C., Russell: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2002.
• HAYS, Christopher M., GALLAHER, Brandon et al., When the Son of Man Didn’t Come. A Constructive Proposal on the Delay of the Parousia. Minneapolis, MN, Fortress, 2016.
• LENNOX, John C., Determined to Believe? The Sovereignty of God, Freedom, Faith, and Human Responsibility. Grand Rapids, MI, Zondervan, 2017.
• LEVINE, Amy-Jill, The Difficult Words of Jesus: A Beginner’s Guide to His Most Perplexing Teachings. Nashville, TN, Abingdon, 2021 (Kindle edition).
• MONK, Ray, Bertrand Russell. The Spirit of Solitude. 1872-1921. New York, NY, The Free Press, 1996.
• SHARMA, Yogendra K. The Doctrines of the Great Western Educators: From Plato to Bertrand Russell. New Delhi, Kanishka Publishers & Distributors, 2002.
Jurnale
• LUCAS, George R., „‘Muddleheadedness’ versus ‘Simplemindedness’: Comparisons of Whitehead and Russell,” Process Studies, vol. 17, nr. 1, 1998, pp. 26-39.
• WEIGEL, Arnold Daniel. „A Critique of Bertrand Russell’s Religious Position”. Bulletin of the Evangelical Theological Society, vol. 8, nr. 4, 1965, pp. 39–158.
