By Mark Ellis –
First Elon Musk shocked the liberal establishment when he bought Twitter and aligned himself with conservatives on first amendment issues. He also has given intriguing interviews expressing a respectful attitude about Christianity, which suggest a surprising openness to the Christian faith.
More recently, he responded affirmatively to the following ideas posted by a rapper and podcaster named Zuby:
“I don’t think I’ve ever said this publicly and directly but I think the West is absolutely screwed if it loses Christianity. Explaining this in full would require an entire book. But I’ve thought about it a lot over the years and reached this conclusion.
“It’s like removing the foundations of a building but pridefully expecting it to remain standing forever… All while enemies both inside and outside are trying to knock the building over.
“To use a metaphor, Christianity is like the West’s immune system.
“And the presence of Christians creates a form of herd immunity that also benefits and protects non-Christians. You can’t just have a cultural and moral vacuum. It goes against the laws of human nature.”
On Dec 29, Musk responded to Zuby with this tweet: “I think you’re probably right.”
Zuby wrote back: “Amen! 🙏🏾”
In December 2021, the visionary space entrepreneur and CEO of Tesla gave an interview with the Babylon Bee, a satirical Christian website known for lampooning a wide swath of the media landscape.
The last question they asked Musk was a zinger: “We’re wondering if you could do us a quick solid and accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior? …personal Lord and Savior. It’s a quick prayer.”
The ‘beekeepers’ had not prepared Musk by explaining the gospel, but his thoughtful, sincere response broke through their bluntness:
“I agree with the principles that Jesus advocated. There is great wisdom in the teachings of Jesus and I agree with those teachings. Things like ‘turn the other cheek’ are very important as opposed to ‘an eye for an eye.’
“An eye for an eye leaves everyone blind. Forgiveness is important and treating people as you would wish to be treated, ‘love your neighbor as yourself’ is very important.
“As Einstein would say, ‘I believe in the God of Spinoza.’ So (heavy sigh) if Jesus is saving people I wouldn’t stand in his way. Sure, I’ll be saved. Why not?”
Musk’s reference to Spinoza’s God stems from a famous telegram Einstein sent to the prominent American Rabbi Herbert S. Goldstein, who had inquired if Einstein believed in God.
“I believe in Spinoza’s God,” Einstein replied, “who reveals Himself in the lawful harmony of the world, not in a God who concerns himself with the fate and the doings of mankind.”
Musk has also given statements that reveal he is curious about the ultimate issues of life. In 2020, after the SpaceX Dragon capsule successfully splash-landed in the Gulf of Mexico—Musk revealed that he prayed about that mission, even though he is “not very religious.”
Last year, he told Tech Bit News, “I am very curious about the world. How did we come to be here and what’s the meaning of life? I always had a really intense desire to understand things and learn.
“I had an existential crisis when I was 11 or 12 trying to figure out what it’s all about,” he continued. “Ultimately, I came to the conclusion we don’t really know the answer but if we increase the scope and scale of civilization, we have a much better chance of understanding the meaning of life and why we’re here or even what are the right questions to ask. Therefore, we should try to expand the scale and scope of consciousness to better understand.”
He also previously told an interviewer: “I believe there is some explanation for this universe, which you might call God.”
