It appears to be in the nature of religion itself to be prejudiced against those who are different.
Interpretation
Religion tends to hold bias against those who are not part of its community.
This quote by John Shelby Spong highlights a critical observation about religion and its tendency to create divisions based on differences. It suggests that religious belief systems may inherently foster prejudiced views against individuals who do not conform to their beliefs or practices, thereby emphasizing the need for inclusivity and understanding in spiritual matters.
In practice
In a discussion on inclusion at a community event, one might say, 'As John Shelby Spong noted, it appears to be in the nature of religion itself to be prejudiced against those who are different.'
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.
The church is like a swimming pool. Most of the noise comes from the shallow end.
Christianity is not about the divine becoming human so much as it is about the human becoming divine. That is a paradigm shift of the first order.
I would like the church to be a place where the questions of people are honored rather than a place where we have all the answers. The church has to get out of propaganda. The future will involve us in more interfaith dialogue. ... We cannot say we have the only truth.
The cross reveals that we're called to a deeper, fuller experience of what it means to be alive and open to new dimensions of life which our religious boundaries - creeds, atonement theologies - have kept us from experiencing.
When the dust settles and the pages of history are written, it will not be the angry defenders of intolerance who have made the difference. The reward will go to those who dared to step outside the safety of their privacy in order to expose and rout the prevailing prejudices.
Pleasure without God, without the sacred boundaries, will actually leave you emptier than before. And this is biblical truth, this is experiential truth. The loneliest people in the world are amongst the wealthiest and most famous who found no boundaries within which to live. That is a fact I've seen again and again.
Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.
The patient decides when it's best to go.
Be neat, Philothea; let nothing be negligent about you. It is a kind of contempt of those with whom we converse, to frequent their company in uncomely apparel; but, at the same time, avoid all affectation, vanity, curiosity, or levity in your dress. Keep yourself always, as much as possible, on the side of plainness and modesty, which, without doubt, is the greatest ornament of beauty, and the best excuse for the want of it.
Donβt consent to be hurt and you wonβt be hurt β this is a choice over which you have control
Thy wish was father, Harry, to that thought.
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