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“I do not pretend to be able to prove that there is no God. I equally cannot prove that Satan is a fiction. The Christian god may exist; so may the gods of Olympus, or of ancient Egypt, or of Babylon. But not one of these hypotheses is more probable than any other: they lie outside the region of even probable knowledge, and therefore there is no reason to consider any of them.”

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“And if there were a God, I think it very unlikely that He would have such an uneasy vanity as to be offended by those who doubt His existence”

"I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong."

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Side Effects of Religion According to Russell

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Side Effects of Religion According to Russell

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Russell maintained that religion is little more than superstition and, despite any positive effects that religion might have, it is largely harmful to people. He believed that religion and the religious outlook serve to impede knowledge and foster fear and dependency, and are responsible for much of our world's wars, oppression, and misery.

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Russell described himself as an agnostic, "speaking to a purely philosophical audience", but as an atheist "speaking popularly", on the basis that he could not disprove the Christian God.

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"The whole conception of God is a conception derived from the ancient Oriental despotisms. It is a conception quite unworthy of free men"

- Views God as a 'concept' created by humans

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When asked do you have any fear of after life, he said "No no that is just nonsense"

- he did not believe in an after life

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Bertrand was raised as a christian, however at the age of 15 he began to take a deeper look at christianity and whether he had any reason to follow it

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He believed that all the ideas about God's existence did not seem to be logical

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqyVrJtM7Ik

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1. The first cause argument

2. The natural law argument

3. The argument from design

4. The moral arguments for deity

5. The argument for remedying of injustice

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-He was not a christian (made up his mind at the age of 18)

-He was an agnostic

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During his teenage years Bertrand read the work of Percy Bysshe Shelly.

In his autobiography, he writes: "I spent all my spare time reading him, and learning him by heart, knowing no one to whom I could speak of what I thought or felt, I used to reflect how wonderful it would have been to know Shelley, and to wonder whether I should meet any live human being with whom I should feel so much sympathy"

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Percy Bysshe Shelley is one of the most highly regarded English Romantic poets of the 19th century.

- He was an atheist

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His famous quote: "I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong". Bertrand contradicts his own beliefs and principles by saying that they might be incorrect or false.

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Darwinism is a theory of biological evolution developed by the English naturalist Charles Darwin, stating that all species of organism arise and develop through the natural selection of small, inherited variations that increase the individual's ability to compete, survive, and reproduce.

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His grandmother influenced him a lot, and the discipline taught by her  remained with him throughout his lifetime.
-She influenced his view on social justice, and taught him to stand up for his principles.

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Factors that Influenced Bertrand's View on God

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Factors that Influenced Bertrand's View on God

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1. His father's view on God
2. His grandmother's view on God
3. Percy Bysshe Shelley

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A person who believes that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of God or of anything beyond material phenomena; a person who claims neither faith nor disbelief in God.

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Bertrand's grandmother successfully petitioned the Court of Chancery to set aside a provision in Lord Amberley's (Bertrand's Father) will, requiring his children to be raised as agnostics.

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The Court of Chancery was court of equity in England that followed a set of loose rules to avoid the slow pace of change and possible harshness or inequity of the common law.

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She was Bertrand's grandmother and the dominant family figure for the majority of his childhood and youth after his grandfather passed away.

- She accepted Darwinism

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After the death of his parents, Russell was placed in the custody of his firm in principle grandparents.

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Lord Amberley was Bertrand's father, who was an atheist. His views had an influence on Russell as he grew up

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Russell was born into an influential family of British nobility.

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May 18, 1872

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Bertrand Arthur William Russell