--- title: "17 Believe Quotes By John Shelby Spong" description: "17 Believe quotes by John Shelby Spong. Plus more from John Shelby Spong and more Believe sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c4/john-shelby-spong-1488_believe_i-believe-that-god-is-very-real-2816194_2816194.png" --- > [I believe that God is very real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-believe-that-god-is-very-real/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c4/john-shelby-spong-1488_believe_i-believe-that-god-is-very-real-2816194_2816194.png) > [I do not believe that Jesus, at the end of his earthly sojourn, returned to God by ascending in any literal sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-do-not-believe-that-jesus-at-the-end-of-his-earthly-sojourn/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fc/john-shelby-spong-1488_ascending_i-do-not-believe-that-jesus-at-the-end-o_1635957.jpg) > [I believe God is real, but I believe God calls me beyond myself to take responsibility for my life and to try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-believe-god-is-real-but-i-believe-god-calls-me-beyond-myself-to/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d6/john-shelby-spong-1488_allow_i-believe-god-is-real-but-i-believe-god_1938303.png) > [I believe that God is very real. I believe that I live my life every day inside the reality of this God.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-believe-that-god-is-very-real-i-believe-that-i-live-my-life-every/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd9/john-shelby-spong-1488_being_i-believe-that-god-is-very-real-i-believ_2682122.jpg) > [The great danger... in believing yourself especially chosen is that it becomes easy to view those who are not your people as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-great-danger-in-believing-yourself-especially-chosen-is-that-it/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15c/john-shelby-spong-1488_believe_the-great-danger-in-believing-yourself-e_1368997.png) > [The thing that intrigues me about Matthew is that I don't believe anybody would read it if they aren't Jewish and understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-thing-that-intrigues-me-about-matthew-is-that-i-don-t-believe/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/025/john-shelby-spong-1488_believe_the-thing-that-intrigues-me-about-matthe_1567631.png) > [I believe that is what the God experience does for us. It calls us beyond our limits into the fullness of life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-believe-that-is-what-the-god-experience-does-for-us-it-calls-us/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/john-shelby-spong-1488_ability_i-believe-that-is-what-the-god-experienc_572964.jpg) > [I think the best way to view the Gospels is to view them as a magnificent portrait being painted by Jewish artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-think-the-best-way-to-view-the-gospels-is-to-view-them-as-a/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce6/john-shelby-spong-1488_art_i-think-the-best-way-to-view-the-gospels_2185416.png) > [Christianity is, I believe, about expanded life, heightened consciousness and achieving a new humanity. It is not about closed minds, supernatural interventions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/christianity-is-i-believe-about-expanded-life-heightened/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c3/john-shelby-spong-1488_believe_christianity-is-i-believe-about-expanded_1832527.png) > [So who is God? No one can finally say. That is not within human competence. All we can ever say is how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/so-who-is-god-no-one-can-finally-say-that-is-not-within-human/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70d/john-shelby-spong-1488_believe_so-who-is-god-no-one-can-finally-say-tha_3077008.png) > [I could not believe that anyone who has read this book would be so foolish as to proclaim that the Bible in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-could-not-believe-that-anyone-who-has-read-this-book-would-be-so/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d9/john-shelby-spong-1488_atheism_i-could-not-believe-that-anyone-who-has_271989.png) > [The God of the Hebrews is a God that human language, we're not even supposed to speak the holy name. We were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-god-of-the-hebrews-is-a-god-that-human-language-we-re-not-even/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfa/john-shelby-spong-1488_believe_the-god-of-the-hebrews-is-a-god-that-hum_2080462.png) > [ \[Jew\] didn't believe anything good could come out of a Jewish study. So, what has happened is anti-Semitism has cost the Jews… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/jew-didn-t-believe-anything-good-could-come-out-of-a-jewish-study-so/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ac/john-shelby-spong-1488_ability_jew-didn-t-believe-anything-good-could-c_1896190.png) > [Jesus becomes the captive of the hysterically religious, the chronically fearful, the insecure and even the neurotic among us, or he becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/jesus-becomes-the-captive-of-the-hysterically-religious-the/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82a/john-shelby-spong-1488_age_jesus-becomes-the-captive-of-the-hysteri_1747211.png) > [I go to a church here in New Jersey that is just a very exciting place, and I just love to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-go-to-a-church-here-in-new-jersey-that-is-just-a-very-exciting/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12e/john-shelby-spong-1488_able_i-go-to-a-church-here-in-new-jersey-that_1773900.jpg) > [In the fall of 1988, I worshipped God in a Buddhist temple. As the smell of incense filled the air, I knelt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/in-the-fall-of-1988-i-worshipped-god-in-a-buddhist-temple-as-the/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/638/john-shelby-spong-1488_air_in-the-fall-of-1988-i-worshipped-god-in_2042350.png) > [I don't think hell exists. I happen to believe in life after death but I don't think it's got a thing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-don-t-think-hell-exists-i-happen-to-believe-in-life-after-death-but/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03f/john-shelby-spong-1488_after-death_i-don-t-think-hell-exists-i-happen-to-be_630963.jpg) ## Other authors on Believe ## More by John Shelby Spong > [The way that I see Christianity is that its role is to enhance the life of every person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-way-that-i-see-christianity-is-that-its-role-is-to-enhance-the/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [The Sins of Scripture is an interesting title; most people don't put sins and scripture together in the same title. It jars people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-sins-of-scripture-is-an-interesting-title-most-people-don-t-put/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [“When a human life is open to all that humanity can be, humanity and divinity flow together as one. It was and is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/when-a-human-life-is-open-to-all-that-humanity-can-be-humanity-and/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [I don't see Jesus as rescuing the fallen; I see Jesus as expanding the potential of life. The primary reason the old idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-don-t-see-jesus-as-rescuing-the-fallen-i-see-jesus-as-expanding-the/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [The Bible interprets life from its particular perspective; it does not record in a factual way the human journey through history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-bible-interprets-life-from-its-particular-perspective-it-does-not/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [My basis of morality is this: does this action enhance life, or does it denigrate life? Does it build up or does it tear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/my-basis-of-morality-is-this-does-this-action-enhance-life-or-does-it/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [I want the traditional family upheld, but I don't want it upheld to the detriment of other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-want-the-traditional-family-upheld-but-i-don-t-want-it-upheld-to/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [We live in a very pluralistic society today. There are Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, atheists, Roman Catholics, Evangelical Christians, and Christians like me. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/we-live-in-a-very-pluralistic-society-today-there-are-buddhists/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [The Bible was written between 3,000 and 2,000 years ago, and it's filled with the knowledge that people had in that period of time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-bible-was-written-between-3-000-and-2-000-years-ago-and-it-s/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [We are in a survival mentality, and that's hard-wired into our humanity, because we are the winners of an evolutionary struggle of millions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/we-are-in-a-survival-mentality-and-that-s-hard-wired-into-our/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [Some people think prayer stops bullets or rockets or land mines. It doesn't. That's magic, that's not God. Sometimes, you're just in the wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/some-people-think-prayer-stops-bullets-or-rockets-or-land-mines-it/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [The Hebrew scriptures say it's okay to enslave anybody except your fellow Jews. It says you should enslave only your neighbors. I say to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-hebrew-scriptures-say-it-s-okay-to-enslave-anybody-except-your/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [ I know Jerry \[Falwell\] fairly well, and he's probably not bright enough to recognize all of the implications of what he said. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-know-jerry-falwell-fairly-well-and-he-s-probably-not-bright-enough/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [Benedict XVI kept saying that homosexuals are deviant. They're not deviant. They're deviant only if you say that anyone who is different from me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/benedict-xvi-kept-saying-that-homosexuals-are-deviant-they-re-not/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [ I find it fascinating that Paul \[the apostol\], writing to the Galatians, responds to the question, "What does it mean to live in Christ?"… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-find-it-fascinating-that-paul-the-apostol-writing-to-the-galatians/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/john-shelby-spong/#itemlist", "name": "17 Believe Quotes By John Shelby Spong", "numberOfItems": 17, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I believe that God is very real.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Shelby Spong" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-believe-that-god-is-very-real/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c4/john-shelby-spong-1488_believe_i-believe-that-god-is-very-real-2816194_2816194.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c4/john-shelby-spong-1488_believe_i-believe-that-god-is-very-real-2816194_2816194.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c4/john-shelby-spong-1488_believe_i-believe-that-god-is-very-real-2816194_2816194.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I believe that God is very real.” — John Shelby Spong", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I do not believe that Jesus, at the end of his earthly sojourn, returned to God by ascending in any literal sense into a heaven located somewhere in the sky. My knowledge of the size of this universe reduces that concept to nonsense.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Shelby Spong" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-do-not-believe-that-jesus-at-the-end-of-his-earthly-sojourn/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fc/john-shelby-spong-1488_ascending_i-do-not-believe-that-jesus-at-the-end-o_1635957.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fc/john-shelby-spong-1488_ascending_i-do-not-believe-that-jesus-at-the-end-o_1635957.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fc/john-shelby-spong-1488_ascending_i-do-not-believe-that-jesus-at-the-end-o_1635957.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I do not believe that Jesus, at the end of his earthly sojourn, returned to God by ascending in any literal…” — John Shelby Spong", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I believe God is real, but I believe God calls me beyond myself to take responsibility for my life and to try top work to allow other people to be themselves and to take responsibility for their lives.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Shelby Spong" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-believe-god-is-real-but-i-believe-god-calls-me-beyond-myself-to/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d6/john-shelby-spong-1488_allow_i-believe-god-is-real-but-i-believe-god_1938303.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d6/john-shelby-spong-1488_allow_i-believe-god-is-real-but-i-believe-god_1938303.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d6/john-shelby-spong-1488_allow_i-believe-god-is-real-but-i-believe-god_1938303.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I believe God is real, but I believe God calls me beyond myself to take responsibility for my life and to…” — John Shelby Spong", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I believe that God is very real. I believe that I live my life every day inside the reality of this God. I call this God by different words. I describe God as the source of life and the source of love and the ground of being.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Shelby Spong" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-believe-that-god-is-very-real-i-believe-that-i-live-my-life-every/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd9/john-shelby-spong-1488_being_i-believe-that-god-is-very-real-i-believ_2682122.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd9/john-shelby-spong-1488_being_i-believe-that-god-is-very-real-i-believ_2682122.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd9/john-shelby-spong-1488_being_i-believe-that-god-is-very-real-i-believ_2682122.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I believe that God is very real. I believe that I live my life every day inside the reality of this God. 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And so to say that publicly as a Christian is kind of interesting.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Shelby Spong" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-thing-that-intrigues-me-about-matthew-is-that-i-don-t-believe/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/025/john-shelby-spong-1488_believe_the-thing-that-intrigues-me-about-matthe_1567631.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/025/john-shelby-spong-1488_believe_the-thing-that-intrigues-me-about-matthe_1567631.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/025/john-shelby-spong-1488_believe_the-thing-that-intrigues-me-about-matthe_1567631.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The thing that intrigues me about Matthew is that I don't believe anybody would read it if they aren't…” — John Shelby Spong", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 7, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I believe that is what the God experience does for us. It calls us beyond our limits into the fullness of life - into a capacity to love people we are not taught to love - and into an ability to be who we are.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Shelby Spong" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-believe-that-is-what-the-god-experience-does-for-us-it-calls-us/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/john-shelby-spong-1488_ability_i-believe-that-is-what-the-god-experienc_572964.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/john-shelby-spong-1488_ability_i-believe-that-is-what-the-god-experienc_572964.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/john-shelby-spong-1488_ability_i-believe-that-is-what-the-god-experienc_572964.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I believe that is what the God experience does for us. It calls us beyond our limits into the fullness of…” — John Shelby Spong", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 8, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think the best way to view the Gospels is to view them as a magnificent portrait being painted by Jewish artists to try to capture the essence of a God experience that they believe they had with Jesus of Nazareth.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Shelby Spong" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-think-the-best-way-to-view-the-gospels-is-to-view-them-as-a/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce6/john-shelby-spong-1488_art_i-think-the-best-way-to-view-the-gospels_2185416.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce6/john-shelby-spong-1488_art_i-think-the-best-way-to-view-the-gospels_2185416.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce6/john-shelby-spong-1488_art_i-think-the-best-way-to-view-the-gospels_2185416.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think the best way to view the Gospels is to view them as a magnificent portrait being painted by Jewish…” — John Shelby Spong", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 9, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Christianity is, I believe, about expanded life, heightened consciousness and achieving a new humanity. It is not about closed minds, supernatural interventions, a fallen creation, guilt, original sin or divine rescue.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Shelby Spong" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/christianity-is-i-believe-about-expanded-life-heightened/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c3/john-shelby-spong-1488_believe_christianity-is-i-believe-about-expanded_1832527.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c3/john-shelby-spong-1488_believe_christianity-is-i-believe-about-expanded_1832527.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c3/john-shelby-spong-1488_believe_christianity-is-i-believe-about-expanded_1832527.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Christianity is, I believe, about expanded life, heightened consciousness and achieving a new humanity. It…” — John Shelby Spong", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 10, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "So who is God? No one can finally say. That is not within human competence. All we can ever say is how we believe we have experienced God, doing our best to dispel our human delusions. Let me try to do just that. I experience God as the source of life calling me to live fully and thus to respect life in every form as embodying the holy.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Shelby Spong" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/so-who-is-god-no-one-can-finally-say-that-is-not-within-human/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70d/john-shelby-spong-1488_believe_so-who-is-god-no-one-can-finally-say-tha_3077008.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70d/john-shelby-spong-1488_believe_so-who-is-god-no-one-can-finally-say-tha_3077008.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70d/john-shelby-spong-1488_believe_so-who-is-god-no-one-can-finally-say-tha_3077008.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“So who is God? No one can finally say. That is not within human competence. All we can ever say is how we…” — John Shelby Spong", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 11, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I could not believe that anyone who has read this book would be so foolish as to proclaim that the Bible in every literal word was the divinely inspired, inerrant word of God. Have these people simply not read the text? Are they hopelessly misinformed? Is there a different Bible? Are they blinded by a combination of ego needs and naïveté?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Shelby Spong" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-could-not-believe-that-anyone-who-has-read-this-book-would-be-so/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d9/john-shelby-spong-1488_atheism_i-could-not-believe-that-anyone-who-has_271989.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d9/john-shelby-spong-1488_atheism_i-could-not-believe-that-anyone-who-has_271989.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d9/john-shelby-spong-1488_atheism_i-could-not-believe-that-anyone-who-has_271989.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I could not believe that anyone who has read this book would be so foolish as to proclaim that the Bible in…” — John Shelby Spong", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 12, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The God of the Hebrews is a God that human language, we're not even supposed to speak the holy name. We were told in the Second Commandment we could make no images of this God, and I don't think that means just building idols, I think that means also trying to believe you've captured God in your words, in the Creeds, in the Scriptures.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Shelby Spong" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-god-of-the-hebrews-is-a-god-that-human-language-we-re-not-even/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfa/john-shelby-spong-1488_believe_the-god-of-the-hebrews-is-a-god-that-hum_2080462.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfa/john-shelby-spong-1488_believe_the-god-of-the-hebrews-is-a-god-that-hum_2080462.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfa/john-shelby-spong-1488_believe_the-god-of-the-hebrews-is-a-god-that-hum_2080462.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The God of the Hebrews is a God that human language, we're not even supposed to speak the holy name. We were…” — John Shelby Spong", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 13, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "[Jew] didn't believe anything good could come out of a Jewish study. So, what has happened is anti-Semitism has cost the Jews their lives and their property. It's also cost the Christians the ability to read the old gospels, which are deeply, deeply Jewish, and to bring that out is a pretty exciting thing. I'm having a wonderful time with that. I'm just not near ready to do much with it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Shelby Spong" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/jew-didn-t-believe-anything-good-could-come-out-of-a-jewish-study-so/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ac/john-shelby-spong-1488_ability_jew-didn-t-believe-anything-good-could-c_1896190.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ac/john-shelby-spong-1488_ability_jew-didn-t-believe-anything-good-could-c_1896190.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ac/john-shelby-spong-1488_ability_jew-didn-t-believe-anything-good-could-c_1896190.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“[Jew] didn't believe anything good could come out of a Jewish study. So, what has happened is anti-Semitism…” — John Shelby Spong", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 14, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Jesus becomes the captive of the hysterically religious, the chronically fearful, the insecure and even the neurotic among us, or he becomes little more than a fading memory, the symbol of an age that is no more and a nostalgic reminder of our believing past. To me, neither option is worth pursuing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Shelby Spong" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/jesus-becomes-the-captive-of-the-hysterically-religious-the/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82a/john-shelby-spong-1488_age_jesus-becomes-the-captive-of-the-hysteri_1747211.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82a/john-shelby-spong-1488_age_jesus-becomes-the-captive-of-the-hysteri_1747211.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82a/john-shelby-spong-1488_age_jesus-becomes-the-captive-of-the-hysteri_1747211.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Jesus becomes the captive of the hysterically religious, the chronically fearful, the insecure and even the…” — John Shelby Spong", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 15, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I go to a church here in New Jersey that is just a very exciting place, and I just love to be there on Sunday morning - I just sit there in a pew with my wife, that's all I do, but I'm very much a part of that congregation. We've got a fantastic rector,she brings in people from places like the United Theological Seminary in New Brighton, Minnesota, where you've got good teaching, and our people are being introduced to great material and they really respond. They're able to believe without crossing their fingers. And I think that's a real step forward.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Shelby Spong" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-go-to-a-church-here-in-new-jersey-that-is-just-a-very-exciting/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12e/john-shelby-spong-1488_able_i-go-to-a-church-here-in-new-jersey-that_1773900.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12e/john-shelby-spong-1488_able_i-go-to-a-church-here-in-new-jersey-that_1773900.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12e/john-shelby-spong-1488_able_i-go-to-a-church-here-in-new-jersey-that_1773900.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I go to a church here in New Jersey that is just a very exciting place, and I just love to be there on…” — John Shelby Spong", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 16, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In the fall of 1988, I worshipped God in a Buddhist temple. As the smell of incense filled the air, I knelt before three images of the Buddha, feeling that the smoke could carry my prayers heavenward. It was for me a holy moment for I was certain that I was kneeling on holy ground…I will not make any further attempt to convert the Buddhist, the Jew, the Hindu or the Moslem. 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As the smell of incense filled the air, I knelt…” — John Shelby Spong", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 17, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't think hell exists. I happen to believe in life after death but I don't think it's got a thing to do with reward and punishment. Religion is always in the control business and that's something which people don't really understand.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Shelby Spong" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-don-t-think-hell-exists-i-happen-to-believe-in-life-after-death-but/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03f/john-shelby-spong-1488_after-death_i-don-t-think-hell-exists-i-happen-to-be_630963.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03f/john-shelby-spong-1488_after-death_i-don-t-think-hell-exists-i-happen-to-be_630963.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03f/john-shelby-spong-1488_after-death_i-don-t-think-hell-exists-i-happen-to-be_630963.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I don't think hell exists. 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