I really wanted to read Papal Sin by Garry Wills, but the book store didn’t have a copy. So I grabbed What Jesus Meant instead. While not completely an eye-opener (I’ve read a lot of stuff on religion over the years), the book is definitely revealing.
Wills’ premise is that organized Christian churches these days don’t much resemble what Jesus meant. His argument is that Christ meant to eschew wealth, power, an hierarchical church, the priesthood, and even preparing for an earthly future. In addition, that Jesus meant that his followers, while exercising some amount of spiritual purity, give up judgment of those not adhering to purity codes. His followers were meant to stay with the gays, the poor, and whatever constitutes the unclean of our time.
Wills’ contention is that what Christ meant was that God wanted a religion
of love and egalitarianism. That which you do to the least of my brothers you do to me. Treat thy neighbor as thyself. That sort of thing. Not even that you had to believe in him as your savior. That all a person need believe is love and treat other people with love.
Kind of like flower children.
Title: What Jesus meant
Author: Garry Wills
Imprint / Publisher: Viking / Penguin
Format: Hardcover
Publication date: 2006
Length: xxxi, 143 p.
ISBN-10: 0-670-03496-7
Subject: Jesus Christ — Teachings
Subject: Bible. N.T. Gospels — Criticism, interpretation, etc.
LC Classification: BS2415 .W48 2006
