John Shelby Spong Quotes

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

Religion, Truth, Religious

Whatever diminishes life is evil, and whatever enhances life is good.
John Shelby Spong

Life, Good, Evil

I think one of the things we've got to look out for is human beings claiming that they know how God operates.
John Shelby Spong

God, Human, Claiming

You learn that you either are going to have a police state where you don't have any freedom left, or you're going to build a world that doesn't create terrorists - and that means a whole different way of 'getting along.'
John Shelby Spong

Freedom, Different, Learn

I admire our ancestors, whoever they were. I think the first self-conscious person must have shaken in his boots. Because as he becomes self-conscious, he's no longer part of nature. He sees himself against nature. He looks at the vastness of the universe and it looks hostile.
John Shelby Spong

Nature, Person, Universe

I learned early in life that you get places by having the right enemies.
John Shelby Spong

Life, Learned, Early

I live on the other side of Copernicus and Galileo; I can no longer conceive of God as sort of above the sky, looking down and keeping record books.
John Shelby Spong

God, Live, Down

I think that anything that begins to give people a sense of their own worth and dignity is God.
John Shelby Spong

God, Give, Sense

Oh the Christian church has encouraged enormous immaturity among the peoples who are its primary adherence.
John Shelby Spong

Christian, Immaturity, Church

Terrorism is a real despair. These are people for whom life has been so negative that they're willing to die if they can take down some of their enemies.
John Shelby Spong

Life, Real, Down

You can't have a world where 50 percent of the people are dieting and 50 percent of the people are starving if you want stability.
John Shelby Spong

Percent, Stability, Starving

God is a presence that I can never define but I could never deny.
John Shelby Spong

God, Presence, Deny

I am a child of the 21st century.
John Shelby Spong

I believe that God is very real.
John Shelby Spong

I can only give away the love that I have received.
John Shelby Spong

Love, Give, Away

I experience God as the power of love.
John Shelby Spong

Love, God, Power

I live on the other side of Charles Darwin and I can no longer see human light as having been created perfect and falling into sin, I see us rather emerging into higher and higher levels of consciousness and higher and higher levels of complication.
John Shelby Spong

Live, Human, Perfect

I want the traditional family upheld, but I don't want it upheld to the detriment of other people.
John Shelby Spong

Family, Detriment, Upheld

If you begin to give people hope that there is a brighter future, there is a new tomorrow, then the people who were yesterday's terrorists become tomorrow's elected officials and they're part of the system.
John Shelby Spong

Hope, Future, Tomorrow

Inequality for gay and lesbian people is no longer a debatable issue in either church or state.
John Shelby Spong

Gay, Lesbian, State

It appears to be in the nature of religion itself to be prejudiced against those who are different.
John Shelby Spong

Religion, Nature, Different

It's just not easy enough to say that I pray and God will accomplish.
John Shelby Spong

God, Enough, Easy

Mother Nature is not sweet.
John Shelby Spong

Nature, Mother, Sweet

My sense is if the Episcopal Church can't stand challenge within its own ranks, then it is not a church I would want to be a member of anyway.
John Shelby Spong

Challenge, Sense, Stand

Religion is a mixed blessing.
John Shelby Spong

Religion, Blessing, Mixed

Share with your Friends

Everyone likes a good quote - don't forget to share.

Biography

Nationality: American

Type: Clergyman

Born: June 16, 1931

Links

Find on Amazon: John Shelby Spong

Cite this Page: Citation

Popular Topics

Friendship Quotes

Motivational Quotes

Inspirational Quotes

Related Authors

Norman Vincent Peale
Joel Osteen
Henry Ward Beecher
Billy Graham
Robert H. Schuller
Jim Elliot
John C. Maxwell
Dwight L. Moody
More

Get Social with BrainyQuote

BrainyQuote Desktop

BrainyQuote Mobile

Site

Quote of the Day

Social

BQ on Pinterest

Syndication

Funny Quote Feed

Love Quote Feed

Nature Quote Feed

About Us