Christianity in Russia. Why am I not a Christian?

Yes, that’s right. I’m not a Christian. I’m not baptized. I’ve never been to church in my whole life. And I don’t feel like going there now.

There is a rise of the popularity of Christianity in the current Russia. I see many people wearing crosses around their necks, I hear about Christian festivals on the news, I watch Putin visiting a church and meeting with the Patriarch. This summer the relics of Saint Nicholas were brought to Moscow, and people were queueing for hours to kiss them and prey.
I am not sure why Christianity is becoming popular again. Maybe it is happening out of fashion, or maybe by being Orthodox Christians Russians (or Russian government) are attempting to re-establish National Identity that almost disappeared after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Whatever the reason is, personally I do not like what is happening in Russia now.

Recently the president of Russian Academy of Education, Lyudmila Verbitskaya (I am sorry if I made some spelling mistakes in her name), suggested that some works of Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky should be removed from the school program, explaining that children “might not understand their deepness”. She believed that it would be better if students had to read the Bible instead. MK

Soon there will be a premiere of the film “Matilda” in Russian movie theaters. “Matilda” tells us a story about the last tsar Nicolai the Second and his lover Matilda. The Russian Orthodox Church stated that this movie represented itself an evil slender of the Holly Nicolai and called to ban it. Not only has the Orthodox Church been trying to fight this movie, but also the member of State Duma, Poklonskaya. According to her words, “Matilda” humiliates the Orthodox Christians. The movement “Christian state – Holly Russia” has threatened to burn the cinemas for showing “Matilda”.

The government is trying to promote Christianity by doing things that I mentioned above. As I can observe, it seems to be working, many people are going back to traditional values. My groupmates at university when asked what the ideal wife would be for them answered that she would need to stay at home, take care of children and not work. Well, if the government’s goal is to boost the birth rate, they are doing a pretty good job. So the Christianity, and religion in general, is just a tool to control and rule the crowd and it has always been like that.

What I dislike the most is that the government is trying to promote only Christianity? Why don’t they suggest teaching the Quran at schools, for example? Why don’t they show authorities visiting mosques? Why do they put Orthodox Christianity above all other beliefs? Aren’t we supposed to have the freedom of conscience? Why do they promote religion at all? Isn’t Russia a secular state according to its constitution? I really hope that the situation here will change.

However, I don’t adhere to Christianity not because of the current situation in Russia, but some other reasons. A true Christian is believed to be compassionate, kind, always willing to help. Are you so sure?

You find this curious fact, that the more intense has been the religion of any period and the more profound has been the dogmatic belief, the greater has been the cruelty and the worse has been the state of affairs. In the so-called ages of faith, when men really did believe the Christian religion in all its completeness, there was the Inquisition, with its tortures; there were millions of unfortunate women burnt as witches; and there was every kind of cruelty practised upon all sorts of people in the name of religion. ("Why am I not a Christian" by Bertrand Russel)

Actually, we can observe it now but by looking at Muslims. There is a great number of religious Muslims nowadays. And what are the consequences? Islamic State, terrorism, migration crisis. Even though Islam is supposed to be a peaceful religion.

I agree with almost all arguments given by Bertrand Russel in his essay. I’m not going to quote all of them, but I’ll just put the ones that seem to be the most appealing to me.

And of course, as we know, it is in its major part an opponent still of progress and of improvement in all the ways that diminish suffering in the world, because it has chosen to label as morality a certain narrow set of rules of conduct which have nothing to do with human happiness; and when you say that this or that ought to be done because it would make for human happiness, they think that has nothing to do with the matter at all. ‘What has human happiness to do with morals? The object of morals is not to make people happy.’ ("Why am I not a Christian" by Bertrand Russel)

Don’t commandments go against human nature? How many sins have you committed?

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 who will stand by you in all your troubles and disputes. Fear is the basis of the whole thing—fear of the mysterious, fear of defeat, fear of death. Fear is the parent of cruelty, and therefore it is no wonder if cruelty and religion has gone hand-in-hand. ("Why am I not a Christian" by Bertrand Russel)

I believe people in general are week creatures, moreover, they are not self-confident and they don’t believe in themselves, that is why they have a need to believe in someone else. Besides, humans are afraid of being alone; they want continuous support and help. And who can do that better than the Lord?

Yes, I’m not a Christian, and I don’t believe in any of world religions, but honestly, I want to think that there is God because I am afraid too. I consider myself an agnostic (one who is not committed to believing in either the existence or the nonexistence of God or a god). Anyway, I’ll learn the truth after my death.