Dostoevskii and religion

‘Is everyone mad?’ The depiction of mental disturbance in the work of Dostoyevsky

“…As Malcolm Jones (2002) has observed, Dostoyevsky lived in 'an age, like our own, in which Christianity, at least amongst the educated classes, was liable to go by default, to be seen as a curious survival of pre-scientific folk-lore, or as evidence of mental derangement'. His great novels, most notably The Brothers Karamazov, depict the argument between atheists and believers.…”

“…Awaiting his own execution, he said: 'We shall be with Christ'. His companion, the atheist Speshnev retorted: '[We shall be] specks of dust' (Jones 2002). This conflict between belief and unbelief was to deeply concern Dostoyevsky for the rest of his life.…”

“…In fact, if ever a perfect rational society were created, Dostoyevsky maintained, people would conspire to bring it tumbling down (Jones 2002). As Thompson (2002) has observed:…”

“…For example, Kirillov in The Devils sees it as his quasi-messianic mission to sacrifice himself in order to demonstrate that, if God does not exist, then everything is a matter of the selfwill of the individual, who can conquer pain and fear in the most significant way possible: by taking his own life (Jones 2002).…”