Voices
Atheism and moral bankruptcy
From time to time, questions arise about atheism. One of the most prominent attackers of religion, particularly Christianity, was Bertrand Russell.
Peter Onesta, Johannesburg
In 1948, the BBC broadcast a debate on the existence of G-d between philosopher Jesuit Frederick Copleston and Russell. Whether you are an atheist or not, Russell didn’t fare well in that debate, particularly the moral debate.
Russell said he could distinguish between good and evil by his feelings. As Copleston remarked, “There’s no objective criterion outside feeling, then, for condemning the commandant of Belsen, in your view?” Russell replied, “No more than there is for the colour-blind person. Why do we condemn the colour-blind man?
It shows how morally bankrupt Russell was.