Summary of Bertrand Russell's Why I Am Not a Christian

Russell once said, "Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric." His views on religion in general, and on Christianity in particular (as in this work), were considered "eccentric" by many of his contemporaries. So were his views on sex, which figures frequently as an example of the misery that Christian leaders and thinkers inflict, and for which he was often vilified. This recording includes the appendix compiled by the editor, which illustrates the effect of religious-minded influencers on a secular statute.

The lectures in this collection leave no doubt about his views on these and related subjects, which are as follows:

1. Editor's Introduction (by Paul Edwards)
2. Preface (by Bertrand Russell)
3. Why I Am Not a Christian
4. Has Religion Made Useful Contributions to Civilization?
5. What I Believe
6. Do We Survive Death?
7. Seems, Madam? Nay, It Is
8. On Catholic and Protestant Sceptics
9. Life in the Middle Ages
10. The Fate of Thomas Paine
11. Nice People
12. The New Generation
13. Our Sexual Ethics
14. Freedom and the Colleges
15. The Existence of God - A Debate Between Bertrand Russell and Father F.C. Copleston
16. Can Religion Cure Our Troubles?
17. Religion and Morals
18. Appendix: How Bertrand Russell Was Prevented from Teaching at City College, New York