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.
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True stability in society requires addressing the inequalities between those who have excess and those who lack basic needs.
This quote emphasizes the importance of social equity for maintaining global stability. It points out that having a significant portion of the population in a state of deprivation, while another part is focused on dieting and managing their intake, creates an unsustainable and unjust situation. The quote suggests that true peace and stability can only be achieved when the basic needs of all individuals are met, highlighting the necessity of a more balanced and fair distribution of resources.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a discussion about social justice and economic disparity.
More from John Shelby Spong
All quotes →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.
It appears to be in the nature of religion itself to be prejudiced against those who are different.
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.
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The reaches opened before us and closed behind, as if the forest had stepped leisurely across the water to bar the way for our return. We penetrated deeper and deeper into the heart of darkness.