What do you think?
Rate this book
The Godless Gospel: Was Jesus A Great Moral Teacher?
Even if we don't believe that Jesus was the son of God, we tend to think he was a great moral teacher. But was he? And how closely do idealised values such as our love of the family, helping the needy, and the importance of kindness, match Jesus's original tenets? Julian Baggini challenges our assumptions about Christian values - and about Jesus - by focusing on Jesus's teachings in the Gospels, stripping away the religious elements such as the accounts of miracles or the resurrection of Christ. Reading closely this new 'godless' Gospel, included as an appendix, Baggini asks how we should understand Jesus's attitude to the renunciation of the self, to politics, or to sexuality, as expressed in Jesus's often elusive words.
An atheist from a Catholic background, Baggini introduces us to a more radical Jesus than popular culture depicts. And as he journeys deeper into Jesus's worldview, and grapples with Jesus's sometimes contradictory messages, against his scepticism he finds that Jesus's words amount to a purposeful and powerful philosophy, which has much to teach us today.
An atheist from a Catholic background, Baggini introduces us to a more radical Jesus than popular culture depicts. And as he journeys deeper into Jesus's worldview, and grapples with Jesus's sometimes contradictory messages, against his scepticism he finds that Jesus's words amount to a purposeful and powerful philosophy, which has much to teach us today.
291 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2020
21 people are currently reading
287 people want to read
About the author
Julian Baggini
77 books600 followersJulian Baggini is a British philosopher and the author of several books about philosophy written for a general audience. He is the author of The Pig that Wants to be Eaten and 99 other thought experiments (2005) and is co-founder and editor of The Philosophers' Magazine. He was awarded his Ph.D. in 1996 from University College London for a thesis on the philosophy of personal identity. In addition to his popular philosophy books, Baggini contributes to The Guardian, The Independent, The Observer, and the BBC. He has been a regular guest on BBC Radio 4's In Our Time.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 18, 2021
The four gospels in the New Testament are the corner stones of Christianity. As per Christian belief, the godhead consists of the trinity of the Father, the Son that is Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Gospels are sacred because they record the life and actions of Jesus. As the modern age dawned, rationalism grew and many Christians lost faith in Jesus as the Son of God. At the same time, they accepted him as a great moral teacher whose teachings forever light mankind’s path to virtue and grace. So it has become opportune to examine Gospel truths in light of the secularist ethic and also to test whether Christ’s teachings retain their relevance to a society not used to worship God much often. Few believe in biblical accounts of miracles, but many do believe in moral values of Christ’s teachings such as loving the neighbour and forgiveness. Faith in Christ may be declining, but belief in the moral teachings of Jesus is as strong as ever. Even some non-Christians think society needs the morality preached by Jesus which is the glue that holds society together. Julian Baggini is a British philosopher, journalist and author of over twenty books about philosophy written for a general audience. The author claims to be a convinced but not dogmatic atheist.
Baggini’s task includes the stripping off of all supernatural elements such as miracles, healings and fulfilment of prophecies. The last is especially noteworthy as it divests Jesus’ teachings of all old baggage of Jewish lore and anchors them on true relevance to a world community. Essential reconciliation of many other elements is accommodated. Kingdom of Heaven is retained as the concept of an ideal society. The kingdom is also interpreted as located in the mind’s domain that will in turn guide the people to be good to each other. Jesus himself claimed that the kingdom he preached was ‘not of this world’. The author finds relevance for this concept even if its supernatural overtones are altogether removed. Baggini has prepared a 22,000-word gospel that distils Jesus’ ethical teachings and is reproduced in full as Part 2 of the book, complete with verse numbering.
The rise of modernity was synchronized with the advent of the ‘self’ in matters of social importance. The individual rose to prominence whereas he was just a cog in the wheel before. The concept of ‘self’ became widespread after Descartes who identified the self with a private, conscious essence. Till then, people had thought of themselves primarily as beings who exist only in relation to others, not as self-contained, atomized units. The seed for this individualism was sown in Jesus’ teachings. His emphasis of self-cultivation as seen in the story of the sisters Martha and Mary contains one of the roots of individualism that gradually took over the west. Judaism was centred on the group, the chosen people. Rules and rituals were part of the fabric that held society together. Jesus focused less on the relationship between God and His people and more on that between God and each individual.
This book never really addresses the issue of whether man needs divinely-ordained rules for staying clear of temptation and evil. The author once remarks that truly good people are not restricted by rules and injunctions when they want to do good. They do not need precepts to stop them murdering, thieving or lying. They don’t do such things simply because they have strong moral characters and do what is right almost automatically. This comment was in the context of religious people often ignoring their faith’s strict commands before doing good. Morality is related to the social inhibitions existing in a society at one time. Marrying one’s own sister was the custom in ancient Egypt and their gods and religion supported the practice. Even in Christianity, marriage was not especially valued in the times of Jesus or early church. It was not until thirteenth century that the Catholic Church made marriage a sacrament and even then it did not enforce strict observance of it. Baggini finds Jesus’ strict teachings on adultery and its dismissal of the importance of the family strange. He treats family bonds as distractions from the nobler goal of making ourselves pure.
Some finer aspects of Jesus’ teachings are examined in detail in the book. At the same time, true to his claim of being a non-dogmatc atheist, Baggini concedes space to religion as an essential constituent of the motive force that drives individuals to follow good moral values. The religious interpretation of Jesus’ teaching of forgiveness offers us a sense of completeness, of ultimate resolution and salvation. No secular ethic can promise this, and we are left instead with the imperfect, the incomplete and the ultimately unresolved (p.119). This argument will be vehemently opposed by atheists and agnostics and it seems that Baggini has no inkling of their common arguments on this point. Why then he claims to be an atheist? Leaving the question at that, the author’s assessment of Jesus’ stern judgement on groups of people such as heathen, scribes, Pharisees and tax collectors may appear to be on target. However, the harsh note is only as groups and he is lenient as usual in the case of individuals. Jesus’ ideology was also apolitical with emphasis on bottom-up social reform rather than top-down political change. This helped him stay clear of the Roman overlords who ruled over Palestine. When the indictment to crucify finally came from Pilate, it was for violating the religious sentiments of the Jewish people rather than on any supposed affront to Roman authority. He shunned wealth and asked for the individuals to transform into good mortals.
Throughout the text, one question continues to rise up in readers’ minds – what is the author’s conclusion on the relevance of Jesus in today’s society after we strip him of supernatural powers and divine authority? The author is supposed to have dedicated an entire chapter to address this issue but he does nothing of the sort. Even his judgement is given in passing that only careful readers can appreciate what he says. Baggini concludes that even when shorn of his divine status, Jesus is still a bona fide moral teacher. He does not ask us to accept his teaching on the basis of mere authority and wants us to think for ourselves by requiring us to work out the meaning of his parables. There is some lack of clarity here, since the author claims in another part of the book that Jesus had made his ideas ambiguous by using parables. He explained its real meaning and significance only to his disciples during rest time or travel.
The book presents before us an atheist author with reverence to Jesus and his ideals. In this aspect, his style is the polar opposite to other well-known atheist critics such as Christopher Hitchens. Don’t read this book if what you expect is something in the Hitchens – Dawkins style. On the other hand, it is a crowning example of the respectful and intelligent dialogue possible across the atheist-believer divide, if only people have the right attitude. Baggini roots his arguments not on Christian concepts alone, but goes after relevant references in other belief systems such as Buddhism, Daoism and Confucianism and also with references to the Bhagavad Gita.
The book is recommended.
Baggini’s task includes the stripping off of all supernatural elements such as miracles, healings and fulfilment of prophecies. The last is especially noteworthy as it divests Jesus’ teachings of all old baggage of Jewish lore and anchors them on true relevance to a world community. Essential reconciliation of many other elements is accommodated. Kingdom of Heaven is retained as the concept of an ideal society. The kingdom is also interpreted as located in the mind’s domain that will in turn guide the people to be good to each other. Jesus himself claimed that the kingdom he preached was ‘not of this world’. The author finds relevance for this concept even if its supernatural overtones are altogether removed. Baggini has prepared a 22,000-word gospel that distils Jesus’ ethical teachings and is reproduced in full as Part 2 of the book, complete with verse numbering.
The rise of modernity was synchronized with the advent of the ‘self’ in matters of social importance. The individual rose to prominence whereas he was just a cog in the wheel before. The concept of ‘self’ became widespread after Descartes who identified the self with a private, conscious essence. Till then, people had thought of themselves primarily as beings who exist only in relation to others, not as self-contained, atomized units. The seed for this individualism was sown in Jesus’ teachings. His emphasis of self-cultivation as seen in the story of the sisters Martha and Mary contains one of the roots of individualism that gradually took over the west. Judaism was centred on the group, the chosen people. Rules and rituals were part of the fabric that held society together. Jesus focused less on the relationship between God and His people and more on that between God and each individual.
This book never really addresses the issue of whether man needs divinely-ordained rules for staying clear of temptation and evil. The author once remarks that truly good people are not restricted by rules and injunctions when they want to do good. They do not need precepts to stop them murdering, thieving or lying. They don’t do such things simply because they have strong moral characters and do what is right almost automatically. This comment was in the context of religious people often ignoring their faith’s strict commands before doing good. Morality is related to the social inhibitions existing in a society at one time. Marrying one’s own sister was the custom in ancient Egypt and their gods and religion supported the practice. Even in Christianity, marriage was not especially valued in the times of Jesus or early church. It was not until thirteenth century that the Catholic Church made marriage a sacrament and even then it did not enforce strict observance of it. Baggini finds Jesus’ strict teachings on adultery and its dismissal of the importance of the family strange. He treats family bonds as distractions from the nobler goal of making ourselves pure.
Some finer aspects of Jesus’ teachings are examined in detail in the book. At the same time, true to his claim of being a non-dogmatc atheist, Baggini concedes space to religion as an essential constituent of the motive force that drives individuals to follow good moral values. The religious interpretation of Jesus’ teaching of forgiveness offers us a sense of completeness, of ultimate resolution and salvation. No secular ethic can promise this, and we are left instead with the imperfect, the incomplete and the ultimately unresolved (p.119). This argument will be vehemently opposed by atheists and agnostics and it seems that Baggini has no inkling of their common arguments on this point. Why then he claims to be an atheist? Leaving the question at that, the author’s assessment of Jesus’ stern judgement on groups of people such as heathen, scribes, Pharisees and tax collectors may appear to be on target. However, the harsh note is only as groups and he is lenient as usual in the case of individuals. Jesus’ ideology was also apolitical with emphasis on bottom-up social reform rather than top-down political change. This helped him stay clear of the Roman overlords who ruled over Palestine. When the indictment to crucify finally came from Pilate, it was for violating the religious sentiments of the Jewish people rather than on any supposed affront to Roman authority. He shunned wealth and asked for the individuals to transform into good mortals.
Throughout the text, one question continues to rise up in readers’ minds – what is the author’s conclusion on the relevance of Jesus in today’s society after we strip him of supernatural powers and divine authority? The author is supposed to have dedicated an entire chapter to address this issue but he does nothing of the sort. Even his judgement is given in passing that only careful readers can appreciate what he says. Baggini concludes that even when shorn of his divine status, Jesus is still a bona fide moral teacher. He does not ask us to accept his teaching on the basis of mere authority and wants us to think for ourselves by requiring us to work out the meaning of his parables. There is some lack of clarity here, since the author claims in another part of the book that Jesus had made his ideas ambiguous by using parables. He explained its real meaning and significance only to his disciples during rest time or travel.
The book presents before us an atheist author with reverence to Jesus and his ideals. In this aspect, his style is the polar opposite to other well-known atheist critics such as Christopher Hitchens. Don’t read this book if what you expect is something in the Hitchens – Dawkins style. On the other hand, it is a crowning example of the respectful and intelligent dialogue possible across the atheist-believer divide, if only people have the right attitude. Baggini roots his arguments not on Christian concepts alone, but goes after relevant references in other belief systems such as Buddhism, Daoism and Confucianism and also with references to the Bhagavad Gita.
The book is recommended.
December 5, 2020
I felt very inspired after reading this clever book. It clearly summaries many of the important and thoughtful lessons from the Bible by disentangling it from the supernatural material. The book perfectly complemented my reading of Dominion (Tom Holland) by providing a more explicit account of what Christian values really are, and explaining which biblical passages they derive from.
January 9, 2022
I believe I learned more about the teachings of the Biblical Jesus (whether he actually existed or not) from this atheist author's book than I did from the many years of religious indoctrination I got when growing up.
July 2, 2021
I have to admit, I don't think that Baggini answers the question in the title clearly. My take after finishing this book was: not really. What Baggini definitely does show is that he is a moral teacher, and that his moral teachings do largely survive removing the religious and supernatural elements from them. I like Baggini's project (continued on from his much better "How the World Thinks") of trying to understand the worldviews and intellectual foundations of different cultures and different ways of life, and in this context it is a worthy project. Trying to improve the understanding of Christianity for an atheist or agnostic or non-Christian audience is a worthy goal, and he largely succeeds. A subtle and sympathetic book, Baggini demonstrates his tolerance rather than preaching it, in opposition to more strident atheists.
January 5, 2025
Although the book provides a good survey of the moral themes explored in the Gospels, I wasn't convinced that we have much to gain from the secularisation of Jesus' teachings. The Gospels seem to lack the ethical complexity to warrant a reinterpretation that might have contemporary relevance, unless the whole effort is as a result of habit or out of respect for the tradition. The subtitle asks "Was Jesus a great moral teacher?" Perhaps in his time, but not to the extent that his teachings would surpass all the things that the tradition of moral and political philosophy before and after him (including Christian thinkers like Augustine and Aquinas) was already able to examine and enlighten in greater detail.
March 24, 2023
Julian Baggini has delivered yet another wonderful philosophical work aimed at a popular audience. I found this particularly interesting as I am a Christian, so it was of great interest viewing Jesus' moral teachings from the lens of an atheist.
Generally I found the book very insightful, and really enjoyed the highlights of Jesus' ethics that I may have simply glanced over previously. One can often think about the metaphysical implications whilst reading the Gospels, rather than the ethical at times. Baggini therefore brings a fresh perspective by simply highlighting the different philosophical implications of Jesus' ethics.
Of course some of the richness of the Gospels is lost with Baggini's Marcionite project of removing the elements that he finds doesn't fit his worldview. However, although at first sight a cutting-and-pasting of the Gospels is horrifying to a lot of Christians, he is more than generous at trying to understand the Christian perspective throughout the book. His atheistic biases did come through with some passing comments of the historicity of the Gospels, and concluding what felt like a hyper-cynical view. Although, that wasn't the main point of his book.
This book is worth a read for some very challenging ethical messages. It is also intellectually stimulating, and although as a theology graduate I found some contentious issues over-simplified, it is remarkably deep for the small size of the book.
Very much recommend.
Generally I found the book very insightful, and really enjoyed the highlights of Jesus' ethics that I may have simply glanced over previously. One can often think about the metaphysical implications whilst reading the Gospels, rather than the ethical at times. Baggini therefore brings a fresh perspective by simply highlighting the different philosophical implications of Jesus' ethics.
Of course some of the richness of the Gospels is lost with Baggini's Marcionite project of removing the elements that he finds doesn't fit his worldview. However, although at first sight a cutting-and-pasting of the Gospels is horrifying to a lot of Christians, he is more than generous at trying to understand the Christian perspective throughout the book. His atheistic biases did come through with some passing comments of the historicity of the Gospels, and concluding what felt like a hyper-cynical view. Although, that wasn't the main point of his book.
This book is worth a read for some very challenging ethical messages. It is also intellectually stimulating, and although as a theology graduate I found some contentious issues over-simplified, it is remarkably deep for the small size of the book.
Very much recommend.
July 10, 2021
This was to me a more than 5 star book, one of his best. It also introduced me to a lot of other valuable thinkers. As a theist I am keeping the God bit and am not completely given over to his thesis, but I have learned a lot by reading it.
February 3, 2022
This book answers many of my questions on the ultimate purpose of any religion in the world. It is a nicely written and mostly affectionate account of Jesus’s moral teaching gleaned from the Gospels, shorn, however, of any appeal to the Divine
March 26, 2024
Un texto que establece una lectura de Jesús desde el punto de vista de la moral y el rol histórico. Luego de una interpretación laica sobre Jesús se establecen algunas máximas morales que puede ser adaptadas a la contemporaneidad.
February 2, 2022
A very challenging book to read both as a Christian but also for the Atheist. I doubt very few from either side will want to read it. From a Christian point of view to be told by the writer that he thinks Jesus just a fine teacher. Many Christians would think why should I read a book that denies the God aspect of Christ; Emmanuel "God is with us." However even more of a challenge for most Atheists' who rather deny He ever existed.
Even Richard Dawkins one of the foremost atheist activists is quoted in the introduction saying; "Jesus was a great moral philosopher." Which if you believe in Jesus as in "God is with us" then this is not saying much for the book.
However it is a superbly lucid and emotionally involving account of the New Testament story, full of thought-provoking insights for atheists, agnostics and believers alike.
”
Even for the Author it was a challenge to write as he says; i experienced Jesus's teaching as something that grabs me, challenges me and shakes me up. Many may decide that other complete moral philosophies provide a better basis for our actions. Like the others who teach lessons and techniques that a person can use to achieve a more loving kindness, peace, harmony, serenity, forgiveness, and happiness. All the things that massage our minds and soothe us in meditation. As opposed to Jesus's teachings that appear harsh and can seem to be very controversial like;
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” That is because they are meant to cut deep to make one think about one's life and to responsible for their own actions.
Some of which will and does offend because it is not meant to be all about turning the other cheek but about commitment to the hard lessons of life, like; "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." and in marriage "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." In other words you are prepared to die for your faith in your love for others, certainly not in the egotistical world we live in now.
This is the crux of the message the author of the book picked up on Jesus emphasis is on a change of heart and mind as the reformation of character. "Like love your neighbour as yourself" He writes faith in Christ maybe declining but belief in the moral teaching of Jesus of Nazareth seem to be as strong as ever. Many believe that the Christian morality provides the moral glue that holds our society together as many do believe in loving your neighbour, and doing as you would like done by to you, all attributes to Jesus of Nazareth. Sadly these shared values are threaten to be undermined with secularism as the things of God become an affront to human dignity, the destruction of trust between people , the rule of egoism and the loss of peace as a result.
The author writes much about loosing it's way and appeal with it's traditions and the amount of money it has amassed and is likened to the Pharisees of old white washed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly but within are full of dead men's bones. It is very clear that Jesus renounced both worldly goods and power yet the church today display both.
For a book by an Atheist the message of Jesus is clear; "Lay not up for yourself treasures upon earth where moth and rust doth corrupt and where thieves break in and steal."
"For riches are not forever and doth the crown endure to every generation" Proverbs 27:24.
Such goods are a fragile locus for value and a flimsy basis on which to construct a life the author says. Hence although our belief in who Jesus is differ, his book however will remain on my bookshelf as a reminder of his earthly message in essence: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” as in the story of the Good Samaritan.
However I think I must leave this review with the C.S. Lewis quote;
“I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher ... You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool ... or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us.”
Even Richard Dawkins one of the foremost atheist activists is quoted in the introduction saying; "Jesus was a great moral philosopher." Which if you believe in Jesus as in "God is with us" then this is not saying much for the book.
However it is a superbly lucid and emotionally involving account of the New Testament story, full of thought-provoking insights for atheists, agnostics and believers alike.
”
Even for the Author it was a challenge to write as he says; i experienced Jesus's teaching as something that grabs me, challenges me and shakes me up. Many may decide that other complete moral philosophies provide a better basis for our actions. Like the others who teach lessons and techniques that a person can use to achieve a more loving kindness, peace, harmony, serenity, forgiveness, and happiness. All the things that massage our minds and soothe us in meditation. As opposed to Jesus's teachings that appear harsh and can seem to be very controversial like;
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” That is because they are meant to cut deep to make one think about one's life and to responsible for their own actions.
Some of which will and does offend because it is not meant to be all about turning the other cheek but about commitment to the hard lessons of life, like; "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." and in marriage "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." In other words you are prepared to die for your faith in your love for others, certainly not in the egotistical world we live in now.
This is the crux of the message the author of the book picked up on Jesus emphasis is on a change of heart and mind as the reformation of character. "Like love your neighbour as yourself" He writes faith in Christ maybe declining but belief in the moral teaching of Jesus of Nazareth seem to be as strong as ever. Many believe that the Christian morality provides the moral glue that holds our society together as many do believe in loving your neighbour, and doing as you would like done by to you, all attributes to Jesus of Nazareth. Sadly these shared values are threaten to be undermined with secularism as the things of God become an affront to human dignity, the destruction of trust between people , the rule of egoism and the loss of peace as a result.
The author writes much about loosing it's way and appeal with it's traditions and the amount of money it has amassed and is likened to the Pharisees of old white washed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly but within are full of dead men's bones. It is very clear that Jesus renounced both worldly goods and power yet the church today display both.
For a book by an Atheist the message of Jesus is clear; "Lay not up for yourself treasures upon earth where moth and rust doth corrupt and where thieves break in and steal."
"For riches are not forever and doth the crown endure to every generation" Proverbs 27:24.
Such goods are a fragile locus for value and a flimsy basis on which to construct a life the author says. Hence although our belief in who Jesus is differ, his book however will remain on my bookshelf as a reminder of his earthly message in essence: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” as in the story of the Good Samaritan.
However I think I must leave this review with the C.S. Lewis quote;
“I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher ... You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool ... or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us.”
June 8, 2021
Promising idea though it seemed to prove the obvious that was hinted at from page one. No, Jesus wasn't a systematic moral philosopher but there's a defence of his teaching as being in the author's eyes worthy of study and emulation. There are moments of clear, incisive argumentation, but there is much writing with too many nouns, not enough pronouns. Like in a lot of philosophical writing there lurks the fear of being misread without fear of being unread. Personally I would have liked an assessment along these lines: questioning the analogies, the reasonableness, the rage, and the style and structure. Maybe like James Wood has done but chapter by chapter.
There's a part two however: the New Testament minus the miracles and magic. Hard to review this! I've never read the Bible before and had a fairly secular upbringing; I can only write with irreverence. There is plot at the beginning and the end but the bulk is accounts of Jesus' opinions, commands and then parables, most of which have either obscure meanings or if not and I overestimate them, the most commonplace of messages. Some don't, but they are few. He tells his disciples to hate their mothers and fathers, and in many ways he's cultish or a total ball-breaker. Again, if I'm right, he saves his hoarsest criticism for lawyers, of all people. But I'm likely wrong. The text has a patchy feel to it at times. There is radical equality with the 'last is first, first will be last' rhetoric that gets repeated several times but for everything agreeable he says there's also something disagreeable or weird. And although he really does attack the money lenders and traders in the temple without qualification, his parables as a rule have the master as a good man and his servants not, at odds with with the message of equality, and strange next to the anger at commerce.
Finally there is the plot and trial. I suppose you feel sorry for him like you do Winston in 1984. Torture, injustice, many false hopes. Pilate is the only true character in the book, to judge on literary terms. He's lazy and short-sighted and bungles the sign for the cross which, by then at the end of his patience with the Pharisees, he's like, nope, had enough, that's the sign, 'king of the Jews' not 'says he is king of the Jews'. It's probably meant to be a telling mistake, but then Jesus was just out to convert Jews?
A last note on the style, the King James version make up for any lost pronouns in part one of the Godless Gospel. Yet along with this and the absence of quotation marks it's surprisingly easy to follow who is talking or being referred to.
There's a part two however: the New Testament minus the miracles and magic. Hard to review this! I've never read the Bible before and had a fairly secular upbringing; I can only write with irreverence. There is plot at the beginning and the end but the bulk is accounts of Jesus' opinions, commands and then parables, most of which have either obscure meanings or if not and I overestimate them, the most commonplace of messages. Some don't, but they are few. He tells his disciples to hate their mothers and fathers, and in many ways he's cultish or a total ball-breaker. Again, if I'm right, he saves his hoarsest criticism for lawyers, of all people. But I'm likely wrong. The text has a patchy feel to it at times. There is radical equality with the 'last is first, first will be last' rhetoric that gets repeated several times but for everything agreeable he says there's also something disagreeable or weird. And although he really does attack the money lenders and traders in the temple without qualification, his parables as a rule have the master as a good man and his servants not, at odds with with the message of equality, and strange next to the anger at commerce.
Finally there is the plot and trial. I suppose you feel sorry for him like you do Winston in 1984. Torture, injustice, many false hopes. Pilate is the only true character in the book, to judge on literary terms. He's lazy and short-sighted and bungles the sign for the cross which, by then at the end of his patience with the Pharisees, he's like, nope, had enough, that's the sign, 'king of the Jews' not 'says he is king of the Jews'. It's probably meant to be a telling mistake, but then Jesus was just out to convert Jews?
A last note on the style, the King James version make up for any lost pronouns in part one of the Godless Gospel. Yet along with this and the absence of quotation marks it's surprisingly easy to follow who is talking or being referred to.
November 18, 2022
Despite this book's apparently atheistic title, it is in fact a highly successful attempt to uncover Jesus' ethical teachings from the Gospels by stripping away their miraculous and religious accretions. The result is a powerful and surprisingly coherent code of ethics which the author recognises has been widely modified and even partly ignored by most of the Christian churches in order to make it more palatable to believers (Jesus' attitude towards material wealth, the family and divorce are shown to be particularly challenging). The second part of the book contains a composite of the four Gospels as translated in the King James version of the Bible, which provides an account of Jesus' life, ethical teachings and death. I found this book highly motivating. Far from being a threat to Christian belief, it in fact provides a badly needed reminder of how Jesus actually required us to lead our lives in order to enter the 'Kingdom of Heaven', and of how almost all of us fall far short of that ideal.
October 29, 2024
Decía Susan B. Anthony que ella desconfiaba de las personas que sabían muy bien lo que Dios quería porque curiosamente eso siempre coincidía con sus propios deseos. Y creo que este libro es un gran ejemplo de ello, de las enseñanzas de Jesús como personaje histórico he aprendido más desde el análisis de personas ateas que de los mismos creyentes (por supuesto con sus excepciones).
Si bien, nunca he sido una persona creyente, sostengo hasta el día de hoy que Jesús fue un gran maestro e incluso un gran filósofo. Tal vez es por mi formación sociológica que siempre busco desaprender las cosas tal y como nos las enseñaron, que creo en una imagen de Jesús radical (incluso desarticulándolo de su papel como hijo de Dios y cualquier connotación religiosa) para replantearnos ese proceso de socialización en nuestras infancias aunado a una Latinoamérica religiosa.
La imagen de un Jesús revolucionario viene incluso a quebrar esos espacios conservadores de derecha que llevan años usando su imagen para sus retorcidos beneficios.
Si bien, nunca he sido una persona creyente, sostengo hasta el día de hoy que Jesús fue un gran maestro e incluso un gran filósofo. Tal vez es por mi formación sociológica que siempre busco desaprender las cosas tal y como nos las enseñaron, que creo en una imagen de Jesús radical (incluso desarticulándolo de su papel como hijo de Dios y cualquier connotación religiosa) para replantearnos ese proceso de socialización en nuestras infancias aunado a una Latinoamérica religiosa.
La imagen de un Jesús revolucionario viene incluso a quebrar esos espacios conservadores de derecha que llevan años usando su imagen para sus retorcidos beneficios.
January 3, 2026
Ciertamente, el planteamiento es interesante: ¿cómo analizar filosóficamente la figura de Jesús y el Evangelio desde una perspectiva moral, evitando cualquier componente religioso? Sin embargo, Baggini se limita a ofrecer una introducción muy ligera a distintos ámbitos que se esbozan en las intervenciones de Jesús a lo largo de los textos: la redefinición del concepto de alma, la comprensión de la ley, la humildad, el juicio sobre los demás, los valores familiares, la idea de Bien, etc. Estos elementos resultarían acertados si no fuera porque el autor dedica a cada uno apenas unas 10 o 15 páginas, claramente insuficientes. Aunque se apoya en la fuente primaria que da título al libro, las conclusiones a las que llega resultan bastante superficiales.
La respuesta es afirmativa: Jesús fue un personaje que, analizado “a posteriori”, estableció el punto de partida moral de gran parte de Occidente, al reconfigurar algunas cuestiones anteriores a su época, otras propias de su contexto histórico y otras que han llegado hasta nuestros días. Solo por ello, su análisis resulta relevante.
La respuesta es afirmativa: Jesús fue un personaje que, analizado “a posteriori”, estableció el punto de partida moral de gran parte de Occidente, al reconfigurar algunas cuestiones anteriores a su época, otras propias de su contexto histórico y otras que han llegado hasta nuestros días. Solo por ello, su análisis resulta relevante.
December 20, 2022
An interesting take on Jesus and his teachings: I found it telling that stripping the supernatural from the gospels didn’t change them that much — which I think is rather consistent with Baggini’s message that there are things we can learn from Jesus even if we don’t adhere to the religion.
On the negative side, it annoyed me a little how Baggini skipped exegesis and any textual and historical analysis comparing the gospels to find out what Jesus really said and what was added by his later followers. Combining all four gospels into one “godless” version underscores this oversight.
In any case, I’m happy I picked up this book as it gave one more new way to look at this tradition.
On the negative side, it annoyed me a little how Baggini skipped exegesis and any textual and historical analysis comparing the gospels to find out what Jesus really said and what was added by his later followers. Combining all four gospels into one “godless” version underscores this oversight.
In any case, I’m happy I picked up this book as it gave one more new way to look at this tradition.
June 30, 2023
The actual discussion part of the book is four stars. But of the 266 pages only 178 are discussion. The remaining pages are a rewriting of the gospels with the God bits taken out. This section seems unnecessary. I could just read the Gospel and mentally remove the God bits myself. Also the author uses the King James Bible as he feels it is the most poetic. I feel in this case he should have chosen the easiest to understand version. Downgraded to three stars.
August 18, 2025
Una recopilación reflexiva bien interesante donde a pesar de la incredulidad cristiana del autor (luego de nacer y vivir gran parte bajo la influencia cristiana de su familia), trata de analizar los Evangelios Cristianos “desmitificando” los eventos metafísicos presentes.
Al final, lo interesante es que el mensaje central aún “desmitificado” busca fomentar la integridad humana a través de las virtudes fomentadas por las enseñanzas de Jesús.
Al final, lo interesante es que el mensaje central aún “desmitificado” busca fomentar la integridad humana a través de las virtudes fomentadas por las enseñanzas de Jesús.
June 10, 2024
After Tolstoy’s Gospel, this is, according to me, is the most inclusive understanding of Jesus’ life and teachings. The question is how even non-believers can assimilate the true moralistic meaning of his Mission
February 2, 2021
Interessant boek, nuttig. Wel mis ik vaak het gesprek met moderne theologen die ook nuttige dingen zeggen (zoals Rob Bell, NT Wright, ...).
August 26, 2021
I really liked the idea of this book and what it was doing, but in reality I found it a hard read.
February 28, 2021
Aanrader voor wie van (moraal)filosofie houdt... Uitdagende format... Toegankelijk opgevat...
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews