Frequently Asked Questions

What do you mean when you say, "Christianity isn't Jesus' fault"?

Simply put, Jesus didn't found Christianity. He wasn't even a "Christian"!

Christianity as an institution developed long after Jesus walked the earth. And by definition, a follower of a religion (a "Christian") can't be the foundation on which the religion is based.

An exceptional, extraordinary human being, Jesus was revolutionary in his thinking and boldly challenged the social conventions of his time. He was inspirational to his followers, who saw him as the leader of an important and radical social movement. By promoting unity, acceptance and inclusion, Jesus sought to break down barriers that divide. Feeling an innate connection with a particular power within, Jesus' mission was to make what he called "the kingdom [or 'reign'] of God" more present in the world. He saw liberation and happiness as potentialities that all people can achieve.

But Jesus never intended to found a religion, much less be the object of its devotion.

The followers of Jesus — the disciples and the early Christian Church — made him into something else. The hierarchies of institutional religion made him God; doctrine and dogma distorted Jesus' identity by making him divine. Church leaders enshrined this exceptional human being as "the only Son of God."

But he wasn't.

And it's not his fault that Christianity has made him out that way. Jesus had nothing to do with the development of Christianity — nor has he had anything to do with the many stances and moral positions the Church has taken over the ages. In general, what has been done in Jesus' name has been done completely without his knowledge or consent... and long after his death.

The gospels do not record any words of Jesus concerning some of the most divisive and controversial issues in Christianity today — issues like birth control, abortion, homosexuality and gender equality. And yet the Christian Church maintains that it faithfully represents the will of Christ in upholding dogmatic principles concerning these issues. Sadly, these doctrines have frequently been used to alienate and exclude individuals from the "Christian community."

Moreover, mainstream Christianity has become increasingly intolerant of other faith traditions. Although the majority of human beings who believe in God express their belief through other religious traditions, fundamentalist Christians assert that their perspective is the only valid one. This exclusionary and inflexible stance has resulted in alienation and heightened tension between Christians and people of different faiths.

But this is clearly not consistent with Jesus' message. Jesus reached out across different religious traditions to recognize and value each human being. His focus was not on promoting one religious perspective; rather, he emphasized our shared humanity and the interrelatedness of all people.

Jesus sought to unify rather than divide, and his intention was to promote freedom over unquestioning conformity to institutional authority. Jesus never intended to be the "founder" of a religion that would be oppressive and exclusionary.

In other words, Christianity isn't Jesus' fault. It's ours. And, in the end, we're the only ones who can fix it.

Why this website, then?

This site exists for two reasons:

1) to "vindicate" Jesus from Christianity and encourage an important discussion about
Christianity's fidelity to Jesus' message and mission; and

2) to help others — which was at the core of Jesus' ministry.

As indicated above, the "Jesus" of Christianity is very different from the charismatic leader who gave hope to the downtrodden two millennia ago. Regrettably, in its divergence from Jesus' original message, the institutional Church has done a great disservice both to the man and his mission.

Christianity has given Jesus a bad name. And now more than ever, it's crucial for Christians, non-Christians and non-believers to engage in a careful examination of these issues. Only through open-minded and well-intentioned dialogue is any meaningful resolution possible. Only through candid discussion will the Jesus of the gospels — and the truth he represented — be set free.

Ironically, one thing that atheists and true "fans" of Jesus can agree on is that, in his extraordinary compassion and acceptance of others, Jesus is indeed worthy of imitation. He frequently reached out to help those in need — those who were physically impaired, outcast or otherwise marginalized.

"Helping" others, in the context of this website, involves both engaging the crucial conversation about what Jesus really would do... and concretely showing compassion for those in need.

By offering material support to non-religious causes that bring about positive change, this website hopes to help transform the world for the better. The motivation for this site's humanitarian outreach is not grounded in religious compulsion; rather, it's based on a more fundamental ethical principle: doing good is simply the right thing to do.

What charities are helped?

Seven different nonprofit organizations benefit from proceeds raised on this site.

Fifty percent of all profits from T-shirt sales are evenly distributed among the charities listed below. These organizations, all non-faith-based, were selected because they represent a variety of important philanthropic and humanitarian causes.

These charities work to improve conditions in several different areas, including aid for poverty-stricken children and families; emergency relief assistance; human rights and social justice; global healthcare; long-term development projects for destitute communities; and environmental preservation and awareness.

The charities supported by notjesusfault.com are:

American Red Cross

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

Doctors Without Borders

Amnesty International

Oxfam International

The Nature Conservancy

Mercy Corps

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