The Teaching of Christianity
The Teaching of Christianity by George Bernard Shaw is a book that explores the teachings and beliefs of Christianity from a critical perspective. The author argues that many of the core tenets of Christianity are based on outdated ideas and mythology, and he challenges readers to reconsider their own beliefs in light of this analysis.
By George Bernard Shaw · First published 1932 · Genre: Religious Commentary, Philosophical, Educational · 584 words
First lines
And there I must leave the matter to such choice as your nature allows you. The honest teacher who has to make known to a novice the facts about Christianity cannot in any essential regard, I think, put the facts otherwise than as I have put them. If children are to be delivered from the proselytizing atheist on the one hand, and the proselytizing nun in the convent school on the other, with all the other proselytizers that lie between them, they must not be burdened with idle controversies as to whether there was ever such a person as Jesus or not. When Hume said that Joshua's campaigns were impossible, Whately did not wrangle about it: he proved, on the same lines, that the campaigns of Napoleon were impossible. Only fictitious characters will stand Hume's sort of examination: nothing will ever make Edward the Confessor and St. Louis as real to us as Don Quixote and Mr. Pickwick.
What this Textopian page supports
The Teaching of Christianity is listed on Textopian as an essay by George Bernard Shaw, dated 1932 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Essay
- Author: George Bernard Shaw
- Date: 1932 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Religious Commentary, Philosophical, Educational, Historical, Literary Criticism
- Length: 584 words
- Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Teaching of Christianity by George Bernard Shaw
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering The Teaching of Christianity?
- How does this essay by George Bernard Shaw fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
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Similar titles
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- The Gospels Without Prejudice by George Bernard Shaw
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- The Gospels Now Unintelligible To Novices by George Bernard Shaw
Genres
- Religious Commentary — The text discusses the teaching of Christianity, its historical context, and its interpretation.
- Philosophical — The work explores philosophical questions about belief, evidence, and the nature of religious figures.
- Educational — The text is structured as a guide for teaching Christianity to novices, focusing on educational methods.
- Historical — The narrative includes historical references and comparisons to figures like Jesus, Confucius, and Napoleon.
Tags
Christianity · religion · philosophy · ethics · morality · theology · faith · spirituality · critique · society · humanism · belief systems