All religion seems to need to prove that it's the only truth. And that's where it turns demonic. Because that's when you get religious wars and persecutions and burning heretics at the stake. John Shelby Spong More Quotes by John Shelby Spong More Quotes From John Shelby Spong I am a child of the 21st century. John Shelby Spong 21st-century century children The priesthood in many ways is the ultimate closet in Western civilization, where gay people particularly have hidden for the past two thousand years. John Shelby Spong gay past years The right to a good death is a basic human freedom. The [2006-JAN] Supreme Court's decision to uphold aid in dying allows us to view and act on death as a dignified moral and godly choice for those suffering with terminal illnesses. John Shelby Spong godly decision views ...secular journalists... tend to accept uncritically the oft - repeated Evangelical Protestant and Conservative Roman Catholic definitions that the Bible is anti - gay. If these people were honest, they would have to admit that the Bible is also pro - slavery and anti - women. John Shelby Spong catholic gay people What the mind cannot accept, the heart can finally never adore. John Shelby Spong mind heart religion Apologetic explanations do not develop unless there is a reality that has to be explained and defended. Jesus was undeniably a figure of history. John Shelby Spong apologetic reality jesus It's just not easy enough to say that I pray and God will accomplish. John Shelby Spong enough praying easy The Christians tried to separate themselves from the Jewish crowd so they wouldn't be the recipients of the persecution of the Romans. And the way they did it was to say, the Jews killed our hero too. And so Christians began to define themselves over against the orthodox party of the Jews as a way of surviving against the Roman onslaught. John Shelby Spong party hero christian I experience God as the power of love. John Shelby Spong power-of-love They amuse themselves by playing an irrelevant ecclesiastical game called "Let's Pretend." Let's pretend that we possess the objective truth of God in our inerrant Scriptures or in our infallible pronouncements or in our unbroken apostolic traditions. John Shelby Spong scripture atheism games I believe that God is very real. John Shelby Spong i-believe real believe Human wholeness can never be found in the denigration of another John Shelby Spong hate humans found Live life to it's fullest, love wastefully, and be all we can be. John Shelby Spong live-life determination love The miracle stories of the New Testament can no longer be interpreted in a post-Newtonian world as supernatural events performed by an incarnate deity. John Shelby Spong atheism miracle religion Religion is a mixed blessing. John Shelby Spong blessing Oh the Christian church has encouraged enormous immaturity among the peoples who are its primary adherence. John Shelby Spong immaturity church christian The way you become divine is to become wholly human John Shelby Spong humans divine way The audience that I try to reach are members of what I call the church alumni association. Now they are people who have not found in institutional religion a God big enough to be God for their world. John Shelby Spong church trying people When I grew up in the South, I was taught that segregation was the will of God, and the Bible was quoted to prove it. I was taught that women were by nature in inferior to men, and the Bible was quoted to prove it. I was taught that it was okay to hate other religions, and especially the Jews, and the Bible was quoted to prove it. John Shelby Spong taught hate men The Bible interprets life from its particular perspective; it does not record in a factual way the human journey through history. John Shelby Spong perspective journey way
