---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If we all gave all our goods to the poor…"
description: "\"If we all gave all our goods to the poor, the church would fall apart. If we all hated our father and mother, as Jesus told us to, there'd be an end of..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea4/philip-pullman-525_church_if-we-all-gave-all-our-goods-to-the-poor_1667944.jpg"
---

#  If we all gave all our goods to the poor, the church would…

![“If we all gave all our goods to the poor, the church would fall apart. If we all hated our father and mother, as Jesus told us to, there'd be an end of the church's emphasis on the family as being the one important thing holding the whole society together. There are all sorts of ways in which the…” quote by Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea4/philip-pullman-525_church_if-we-all-gave-all-our-goods-to-the-poor_1667944.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea4/philip-pullman-525_church_if-we-all-gave-all-our-goods-to-the-poor_1667944.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea4/philip-pullman-525_church_if-we-all-gave-all-our-goods-to-the-poor_1667944.jpg)

> “If we all gave all our goods to the poor, the church would fall apart. If we all hated our father and mother, as Jesus told us to, there'd be an end of the church's emphasis on the family as being the one important thing holding the whole society together. There are all sorts of ways in which the church's teachings contradict directly what Jesus says in the Gospel.”

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Church teachings sometimes conflict with Jesus’ own messages, especially about family and wealth.

**In simple terms:** Church rules can contradict Jesus’ teachings.

Key Takeaway

Question institutional doctrines against original teachings.

Themes

religion ethics institution

Mood

critical inquisitive

Type

theological philosophical

When to use this quote

- church leadership meetings
- faith education
- community service

Key Concepts

scriptural interpretation social welfare

Questions to Reflect On

- Which teachings feel most contradictory?
- How can reform align with core gospel values?

A Different Perspective

Changing deep traditions is difficult.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Father And Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father-and-mother/) [Important things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-things/) [Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Our father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-father/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Teaching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teaching/)

## Related quotes

> [“Whatever religious tradition you call your own, you will probably find religious diversity even within it. We can believe we mean the same things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-tyger/whatever-religious-tradition-you-call-your-own-you-will-probably-find/)

George Tyger

> [“Slavery was abolished in 1355 because of church teachings stating that all men are equal in the eyes of God.§”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-johansson-robinowitz/slavery-was-abolished-in-1355-because-of-church-teachings-stating/)

[Christina Johansson Robinowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-johansson-robinowitz/)

> [“As Tim Keller says, the gospel is not just the ABCs of Christianity, it is the A–Z; it is not the first step in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-greear/as-tim-keller-says-the-gospel-is-not-just-the-abcs-of-christianity-it/)

[J.D. Greear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-greear/)

> [“We are not called to give lifestyle tips or the self-help plumbing that today's worldly men and women crave. The Bible says the gospel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-d-phillips/we-are-not-called-to-give-lifestyle-tips-or-the-self-help-plumbing/)

[Richard D. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-d-phillips/)

> [“The Gospel is a harsh document; the Gospel is ruthless and specific in what it says; the Gospel is not meant to be re-worded,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/metropolitan-anthony-bloom-of-sourozh/the-gospel-is-a-harsh-document-the-gospel-is-ruthless-and-specific-in/)

Metropolitan Anthony (Bloom) of Sourozh

> [...I don't think my church's teachings were incorrect, just incomplete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/i-don-t-think-my-church-s-teachings-were-incorrect-just-incomplete/)

[Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/)

> [“Notice that Paul says that the gospel’s power is boundless and boundaried at the same time. He says it is to everyone. It came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-j-keller/notice-that-paul-says-that-the-gospel-s-power-is-boundless-and/)

[Timothy J. Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-j-keller/)

> [“The Lord needs men and women who can talk with confidence about what they believe. Men and women who aren't afraid to wrestle with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-dew/the-lord-needs-men-and-women-who-can-talk-with-confidence-about-what/)

[Sheri Dew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-dew/)

> [The problem is that you can't impose the church's teachings on all Americans as a matter of law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/the-problem-is-that-you-can-t-impose-the-church-s-teachings-on-all/)

[Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/)

> [I am not ignorant of what is said of my Lord in the Psalm: "You destroy those who speak a lie." And again: "A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-patrick/i-am-not-ignorant-of-what-is-said-of-my-lord-in-the-psalm-you-destroy/)

[Saint Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-patrick/)

> [I'm as poor as a church mouse, that's just had an enormous tax bill on the very day his wife ran off with another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/i-m-as-poor-as-a-church-mouse-that-s-just-had-an-enormous-tax-bill-on/)

[Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/)

> [“On the other hand, even if you’re as poor as a church mouse, isn’t it nice to be able to pay, to chuck some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rowland-smith/on-the-other-hand-even-if-you-re-as-poor-as-a-church-mouse-isn-t-it/)

[Robert Rowland Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rowland-smith/)

> [Look for a church that might ask that you become poor. A church that is more concerned with showing love to those in need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tripp-york/look-for-a-church-that-might-ask-that-you-become-poor-a-church-that/)

[Tripp York](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tripp-york/)

> [All I know is, if I don't care about the poor, if my church doesn't care about the poor, that's evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/all-i-know-is-if-i-don-t-care-about-the-poor-if-my-church-doesn-t/)

[Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/)

> [The prime duty of help to the poor by the Church is not to bring temporal relief to their needs, but salvation to their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-g-romney/the-prime-duty-of-help-to-the-poor-by-the-church-is-not-to-bring/)

[Marion G. Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-g-romney/)

## More by Philip Pullman

> [The state of mind which I put myself when I tell a story is one in which superstition flourishes very easily. And I welcome…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/the-state-of-mind-which-i-put-myself-when-i-tell-a-story-is-one-in/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [Religion grants its adherents malign, intoxicating and morally corrosive sensations. Destroying intellectual freedom is always evil, but only religion makes doing evil feel quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/religion-grants-its-adherents-malign-intoxicating-and-morally/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [We don't need lists of rights and wrongs, tables of do's and don'ts: we need books, time, and silence. Thou shalt not is soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/we-don-t-need-lists-of-rights-and-wrongs-tables-of-do-s-and-don-ts-we/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [I have stolen ideas from every book I have ever read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/i-have-stolen-ideas-from-every-book-i-have-ever-read/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [All the stories of the Bible that I know came to me first from my grandfather's lips... He would see stories in everything. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/all-the-stories-of-the-bible-that-i-know-came-to-me-first-from-my/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [What I do say is that I can write verse, and that the writing of verse in strict form is the best possible training…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/what-i-do-say-is-that-i-can-write-verse-and-that-the-writing-of-verse/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [Writing is tyranny ... but reading is democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/writing-is-tyranny-but-reading-is-democracy/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [“Middlemarch is a novel that is diminished by being put on the screen. It can't help but be, because so much of what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/middlemarch-is-a-novel-that-is-diminished-by-being-put-on-the-screen/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [I have maintained a passionate interest in education, which leads me occasionally to make foolish and ill-considered remarks alleging that not everything is well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/i-have-maintained-a-passionate-interest-in-education-which-leads-me/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [And think what worrying does: has anyone ever added a single hour to the length of his life by worrying about it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/and-think-what-worrying-does-has-anyone-ever-added-a-single-hour-to/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [“The question authors get asked more than any other is "Where do you get your ideas from?" And we all find a way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/the-question-authors-get-asked-more-than-any-other-is-where-do-you/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [“We are all subject to the fates. But we must all act as if we are not,” said the witch, “or die of despair.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/we-are-all-subject-to-the-fates-but-we-must-all-act-as-if-we-are-not/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [Lonely? I don't know. They tell me this is cold. I don't know what cold is, because I don't freeze. So I don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/lonely-i-don-t-know-they-tell-me-this-is-cold-i-don-t-know-what-cold/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [Just finished 'Secrecy' - truly enthralling both as a love story and as a tale of suspense - but much more than both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/just-finished-secrecy-truly-enthralling-both-as-a-love-story-and-as-a/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [“As Auden is believed to have said, no poem saved a single Jew from the gas chambers. Never mind. Write the poems anyway. Play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/as-auden-is-believed-to-have-said-no-poem-saved-a-single-jew-from-the/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

[Explore all 479 Philip Pullman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

## More Church quotes

> [While the 1963 Birmingham church bombing is the most historic, there also was a series of church burnings in the 1990s. Recognition of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthea-butler/while-the-1963-birmingham-church-bombing-is-the-most-historic-there/)

[Anthea Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthea-butler/)

> [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/)

[Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/)

> [Turn over the pages of history and read the damning record of the church's opposition to every advance in every field of science. . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/upton-sinclair/turn-over-the-pages-of-history-and-read-the-damning-record-of-the/)

[Upton Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/upton-sinclair/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/)

[Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/)

> [God is not calling us to go to church; he is calling us to be his church, the hope of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-groeschel/god-is-not-calling-us-to-go-to-church-he-is-calling-us-to-be-his/)

[Craig Groeschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-groeschel/)

> [The emerging church movement has come to believe that the ultimate context of the spiritual aspirations of a follower of Jesus Christ is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samir-selmanovic/the-emerging-church-movement-has-come-to-believe-that-the-ultimate/)

[Samir Selmanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samir-selmanovic/)

> [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/)

[Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/)

> [There could be no more powerful argument against mixing religion and government than the success of independent African American churches in placing racial segregation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/there-could-be-no-more-powerful-argument-against-mixing-religion-and/)

[Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/)

> [Worship is not about personality, temperament, personal limitations, church background, or comfort. It is about God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wimber/worship-is-not-about-personality-temperament-personal-limitations/)

[John Wimber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wimber/)

> [A beggarly people, A church and no steeple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-b-macaulay/a-beggarly-people-a-church-and-no-steeple/)

[Thomas B. Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-b-macaulay/)

> [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pound-st-paul-s-church-into-atoms-and-consider-any-single-atom-it-is/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [The religion of art, like the religion of politics, was born from the ruins of Christianity. Art inherited from the old religion the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/the-religion-of-art-like-the-religion-of-politics-was-born-from-the/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [The minute you walk outside of your church on Sunday you're in mission territory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barron/the-minute-you-walk-outside-of-your-church-on-sunday-you-re-in/)

[Robert Barron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barron/)

> [I'm not ashamed of the things I believe and why I believe them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-huckabee/i-m-not-ashamed-of-the-things-i-believe-and-why-i-believe-them/)

[Mike Huckabee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-huckabee/)

[Browse all 9,430 Church quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If we all gave all our goods to the poor, the church would fall apart. If we all hated our father and mother, as Jesus told us to, there'd be an end of the church's emphasis on the family as being the one important thing holding the whole society together. There are all sorts of ways in which the church's teachings contradict directly what Jesus says in the Gospel.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Philip Pullman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/if-we-all-gave-all-our-goods-to-the-poor-the-church-would-fall-apart/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Church"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/if-we-all-gave-all-our-goods-to-the-poor-the-church-would-fall-apart/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea4/philip-pullman-525_church_if-we-all-gave-all-our-goods-to-the-poor_1667944.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea4/philip-pullman-525_church_if-we-all-gave-all-our-goods-to-the-poor_1667944.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea4/philip-pullman-525_church_if-we-all-gave-all-our-goods-to-the-poor_1667944.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If we all gave all our goods to the poor, the church would fall apart. If we all hated our father and…” — Philip Pullman",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Philip Pullman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If we all gave all our...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/if-we-all-gave-all-our-goods-to-the-poor-the-church-would-fall-apart/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/if-we-all-gave-all-our-goods-to-the-poor-the-church-would-fall-apart/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
