Fear is the basis of the whole thing-fear of the mys terious, fear of defeat, fear of death. Fear is the parent of cruelty, and therefore it is no wonder if cruelty and religion go hand-in-hand.
Source: Why I am not a Christian, 1927.
Reprinted In: Why I am not a Christian and ,Other Essays on Religion and Related Subjects. 1957,
Brief Comment
This is the first post this year in "Bertrand Russell Quotes -- occasional edition."
The passage quoted here comes from the latter part of a public lecture that Russell delivered in 1927. Throughout history and across cultures, politicians have been adept at exploiting human fear to manipulate people (the citizenry), and this is something that calls for caution.
If we look back on how many times we were misled by politicians last year, we should be able to reduce the chances of being misled again. Unfortunately, however, people quickly forget and repeat the same mistakes.
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