Why I Follow Jesus, but not Organized Religion - Meditations from "The Jefferson Bible"
In this video, we dive into a fascinating and often overlooked perspective on the teachings of Jesus through the eyes of one of America's Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson. Specifically, we explore his work on the Jefferson Bible—a unique version of the Christian Gospels, stripped of supernatural elements and theological interpretations, focusing solely on the moral philosophy of Jesus. Jefferson's efforts reveal his deep admiration for the ethics of Jesus while expressing his frustration with how religious establishments had distorted those teachings over the centuries. This video draws heavily from the Forgotten Books edition of the Jefferson Bible, with passages translated into modern English to ensure clarity while preserving the core essence of Jefferson’s message.
The Essence of Jesus' Teachings: Stripped of Dogma
In Jefferson’s view, the essence of Jesus' teachings was simple—profoundly ethical, focused on kindness, humility, and charity. However, over time, these teachings had been philosophized, mystified, and manipulated by religious authorities. Jefferson thought that if Jesus were to return, he would hardly recognize the faith that had been built in his name.
The Jefferson Bible is his attempt to distill the core message of Jesus, removing layers of dogma, metaphysical speculation, and miraculous events. For Jefferson, the truth of Jesus' message could be found not in the divine claims made by the Church but in the simplicity and purity of his moral instructions.
A Follower of Jesus, but Not of Organized Religion
Jefferson's view on organized religion was clear: he admired Jesus, but he did not follow the Church. In fact, he was deeply critical of the religious establishments of his time. He believed that the Gospels, as presented by the Church, were written long after Jesus' death, often by uneducated men who distorted the message. These writings, Jefferson thought, were compromised by the influence of Greek philosophers like Plato, whose abstract metaphysics had no place in the ethical teachings of Jesus.
Religion as a Barrier to True Understanding
One of the central themes of this video is Jefferson’s belief that religious institutions often stand in the way of true understanding. He saw organized religion as a corrupting force, turning simple and profound truths into dogmatic, sectarian disputes.
Jefferson argued that if people could look beyond the barriers of sectarian differences, they would see that the teachings of Jesus—and indeed, of many other prophets—are fundamentally about humility, compassion, and working toward the greater good. For Jefferson, the problem wasn’t with religion itself, but with how it was practiced. He believed that churches had become too focused on rituals, doctrines, and power, rather than on the transformative moral teachings of figures like Jesus.
Jesus and the Corruption of His Message
Jefferson was deeply skeptical of the accuracy of the Gospels, noting that they were written long after Jesus’ death by individuals who were not eyewitnesses to his life. In Jefferson’s opinion, this led to a series of distortions. His criticism wasn’t just about the passage of time, but also about the influence of Greek philosophical thought that had been grafted onto the original message.
For example, he points out that the simple moral lessons of Jesus were often overshadowed by metaphysical debates about his divine nature, debates that Jefferson believed were irrelevant to the core of his teachings. He found that followers had “engrafted on [Jesus’ teachings] the mysticisms of a Greek philosopher [Plato], breaking them down into subtleties and obscuring them with unnecessary jargon.” In doing so, they had alienated people from the core message, leading some to reject Jesus altogether.
Translating Jefferson’s Bible for the Modern Audience
The version of the Jefferson Bible presented in this video comes from the Forgotten Books edition, with the original Old English translated into modern, intelligible language. This was done to ensure that Jefferson’s ideas can be easily understood by contemporary readers, without losing the core message that Jefferson intended.
By translating the text into modern English, we aim to strip away any barriers to understanding and bring Jefferson’s vision of Jesus' teachings into clearer focus. This video is not just a historical exploration, but an invitation to engage with the timeless ethical principles that Jefferson found so compelling in the teachings of Jesus.
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