Elon Musk is publicly offering his own interpretation of Jesus’ teachings with an Old Testament twist.
“Christianity has become toothless,” the billionaire posted recently on his X social-media platform. “Unless there is more bravery to stand up for what is fair and right, Christianity will perish.”
As Musk tweeted about Christianity, a friend of his, Jason Calacanis, replied jokingly: “If you’re going into your born again era we’re so here for it.”
Responded Musk: “I believe in the principles of Christianity like love thy neighbor as thyself (have empathy for all) and turn the other cheek (end the cycle of retribution).”
For all of his pursuits, Musk isn’t generally thought of as theologian.
With the Tesla and SpaceX chief executive’s recent political transformation, however, we are increasingly seeing Musk invoke religion as he discusses his worldviews on topics ranging from parenthood to freedom of speech.
He has talked about his core beliefs several times this summer, including this past week when describing how he defines empathy and its place in governing.
Raised Anglican in South Africa, young Musk got an early taste of differing religious views attending a Jewish preschool. “I was just singing ‘Hava Nagila’ one day and `Jesus I Love You’ the next,” he jokes.
As he grew older, Musk has said, he turned to the great religious books—the Bible, Quran, Torah, some Hindu texts—to deal with an existential crisis of meaning. And he looked to philosophers such as Arthur Schopenhauer and Friedrich Nietzsche.
But not until the boy discovered science fiction, he says, did he begin to find what he was looking for. In particular, he says, it was the lesson he took away from the “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” that the purpose of life wasn’t so much about finding the big answers but asking the right questions.
“The answer is the easy part,” Musk said during a public event this year. “The question is the hard part.”
“If we can expand the scope and scale of consciousness then we are better able to figure out what questions to ask about the answer that is the universe and…maybe we can find out the meaning of life or even what…the right question is,” Musk said last year during a conference.
Physics has long been almost a religion for Musk, with the First Principles approach to problem solving infusing his businesses and guiding his approach to entrepreneurship.
In 2022, a spiritual side began to emerge publicly as he acquired Twitter-turned-X. He turned more political, airing worries about liberal policies becoming too extreme.
“A new philosophy of the future is needed,” Musk tweeted that summer. “I believe it should be curiosity about the Universe—expand humanity to become a multiplanet, then interstellar, species to see what’s out there.”
A couple of minutes later, he followed up: “This is compatible with existing religions—surely God would want us to see Creation?”
After taking over Twitter a few months later, Musk turned to invoking Jesus as he dealt with the artist formerly known as Kanye West, who appeared to be testing just how far the new owner was willing to go with pledges of defending free speech.
That December, the rapper, known as Ye, gave a rambling interview that included praising Adolf Hitler and during which he tweeted: “I love the first amendment! Long live Ye! I pray to Jesus that Elon is for real…” He followed that up with a tweet that included a photo of that original message and a new one that read: “Jesus is King.”
To which Musk responded uncharacteristically: “Jesus taught love, kindness and forgiveness,” he posted. “I used to think that turning the other cheek was weak & foolish, but I was the fool for not appreciating its profound wisdom.”
In a sign, perhaps, of how out of character it was for Musk, a Tesla fan club quickly replied: “Do you believe in God.”
Musk didn’t respond.
Last month, author Jordan Peterson got the chance to ask Musk directly about religion during an interview streamed on X.
“While I’m not a particularly religious person,” Musk said, “I do believe that the teachings of Jesus are good and wise.”
In particular, Musk again pointed to the New Testament teachings of forgiveness, but with a caveat from a man who has described being bullied as a kid that strength is sometimes needed in a way that sounded very much like the Old Testament’s eye-for-an-eye.
“With respect to bullies at school, I think you shouldn’t turn the other cheek—punch them in the nose,” Musk said. “They need to stop bullying you and a punch in the nose will stop that. And then thereafter, you know, make peace.”
Describing himself as “cultural Christian,” Musk indicated his guiding belief goes back to that of seeking greater understanding. “That is my religion, for the lack of a better way to describe it, it’s really a religion of curiosity,” he said. “The religion of greater enlightenment.”
And then applying his First Principles mindset, Musk extrapolated that what follows from that goal is to have “consciousness expand in scale and scope” by increasing population and allowing differing perspectives. Or put differently, more babies and free speech.
“There is the argument that when a culture loses its religion, that it starts to become anti-natalist and decline in numbers and potentially disappear,” Musk said.
The topic of faith came up again this past week when Musk on X interviewed Donald Trump, whom he endorsed last month for a second term in the White House shortly after a would-be assassin opened fire on the former president at one his rallies.
During their livestreaming event together, the two men discussed how Trump narrowly averted death by turning his head just at the right moment to look at a chart related to immigration. “For those people who don’t believe in God, I think we got to all start thinking about that,” Trump said. “I’m a believer, now I’m more of a believer.”
Musk, who shares concerns about illegal immigration, replied: “Maybe it’s a sign.”
They both laughed.
As they talked more, Musk returned to his ideal of empathy, suggesting liberals have misplaced feelings when it comes to dealing firmly with criminals—what he called “shallow empathy.”
“There’s a lack of empathy for the victims of the criminals and too much empathy for the criminals,” Musk said. “That’s why you want to have deep empathy for society as a whole, not shallow empathy for criminals.”
The Musk Theology: An eye for an eye, then peace.
