THE EMOTIONAL FACTOR & FEAR, THE FOUNDATION OF RELIGION
The response to these two sections were combined.
The Emotional Factor Section begins with:
“I do not think the real reason why people accept religion has anything
to do with argumentation. They accept religion on emotional grounds.”
In the Fear Section, Russell continues,
“Religion is based, I think, primarily and mainly upon fear.
It is partly the terror of the unknown and partly, as I have said,
the wish to feel that you have a kind of elder brother …”
Russell refused to consider another possible source for religion.
What if the Creator God actually spoke to certain people in times past?
For example, the zealous Jewish leader Saul went from being a religious persecutor of
Christians, to become the Apostle Paul, who wrote much of the New Testament.
His change of religion was not based on a terror of the unknown. Rather it came from
having actually met Jesus Christ, after Jesus had historically come back to
life. Acts chapter 9:1-19 gives this account.
Back to Russell’s essay. Russell claims that, “Science can help us get over this craven fear ….”
However, scientific experiments have already shown us that God is the
only First Cause sufficient to create life. Furthermore, Humans intuitively
realize that God, or some god, is out there. So science really cannot get us
to ‘get over this craven fear.” Deep down, we know someone supernatural
is out there.
Regarding fear. According to the Bible:
A little bit of the right kind of fear is
a good thing, as in, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Pr 9:10).
If Bertrand Russell wanted to be wise, he would have heeded this advice.
Since he did not, another proverb speaks to his reluctance, “Wherefore is
there a price in the hand of a fool to get wisdom, seeing he has no heart for it.”
(Proverbs 17:16).
The real problem is the pride of the human heart.