---
title: "33 Way Quotes By John Shelby Spong"
description: "33 Way quotes by John Shelby Spong. Plus more from John Shelby Spong and more Way sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14c/john-shelby-spong-1488_fundamentalism_hysterical-fundamentalism-is-not-the-way_3066049.png"
---

> [Hysterical fundamentalism is not the way into the future; it is the last gasp of the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/hysterical-fundamentalism-is-not-the-way-into-the-future-it-is-the/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14c/john-shelby-spong-1488_fundamentalism_hysterical-fundamentalism-is-not-the-way_3066049.png)

> [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/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/486/john-shelby-spong-1488_christianity_the-way-that-i-see-christianity-is-that_5250.png)

> [Prayer cannot be a request made to a theistic deity to act in human history in a particular way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/prayer-cannot-be-a-request-made-to-a-theistic-deity-to-act-in-human/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc4/john-shelby-spong-1488_atheism_prayer-cannot-be-a-request-made-to-a-the_3168385.png)

> [The way you become divine is to become wholly human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-way-you-become-divine-is-to-become-wholly-human/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/767/john-shelby-spong-1488_become_the-way-you-become-divine-is-to-become-w_592262.png)

> [What happened in the Western world was that Plato ceased to be the way people thought. Aristotle was rediscovered, and the modern,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/what-happened-in-the-western-world-was-that-plato-ceased-to-be-the/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01c/john-shelby-spong-1488_educated_what-happened-in-the-western-world-was-t_1910844.png)

> [We have a democracy within the bounds of a constitution which provides certain guarantees related to the basic humanity of every person.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/we-have-a-democracy-within-the-bounds-of-a-constitution-which/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d7/john-shelby-spong-1488_best-way_we-have-a-democracy-within-the-bounds-of_2906473.png)

> [There's no way a human being can escape his or her human-ness to be able to imagine God. We can talk about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/there-s-no-way-a-human-being-can-escape-his-or-her-human-ness-to-be/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94b/john-shelby-spong-1488_able_there-s-no-way-a-human-being-can-escape_419921.png)

> [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/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e7/john-shelby-spong-1488_bible_the-bible-interprets-life-from-its-parti_54608.png)

> [I think we have to recover our spiritual nature. The way we have interpreted Christianity does not do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-think-we-have-to-recover-our-spiritual-nature-the-way-we-have/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d69/john-shelby-spong-1488_christianity_i-think-we-have-to-recover-our-spiritual_1341155.png)

> [The priesthood in many ways is the ultimate closet in Western civilization, where gay people particularly have hidden for the past two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-priesthood-in-many-ways-is-the-ultimate-closet-in-western/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/089/john-shelby-spong-1488_civilization_the-priesthood-in-many-ways-is-the-ultim_1696555.png)

> [ \[Charles\] Darwin, for example, is the one who made us face the fact that the primary way we tell the Christ story… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/charles-darwin-for-example-is-the-one-who-made-us-face-the-fact-that/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a9/john-shelby-spong-1488_christ_charles-darwin-for-example-is-the-one-wh_194036.png)

> [If you want to be a Roman Catholic scholar and write, you've got to write in such a way that nobody understands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/if-you-want-to-be-a-roman-catholic-scholar-and-write-you-ve-got-to/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/445/john-shelby-spong-1488_catholic_if-you-want-to-be-a-roman-catholic-schol_655676.png)

> [The time has come for us to think of Christianity in a different way. Instead of thinking of God entering human life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-time-has-come-for-us-to-think-of-christianity-in-a-different-way/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a48/john-shelby-spong-1488_christianity_the-time-has-come-for-us-to-think-of-chr_1288043.jpg)

> [We have to start at ground zero and ask what it means to have a real connection with God and what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/we-have-to-start-at-ground-zero-and-ask-what-it-means-to-have-a-real/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35d/john-shelby-spong-1488_asks_we-have-to-start-at-ground-zero-and-ask_1209719.png)

> [I cannot possibly conceive of my planet Earth as the centre of a three-tiered universe. I know rather that the sun, around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-cannot-possibly-conceive-of-my-planet-earth-as-the-centre-of-a/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/496/john-shelby-spong-1488_around_i-cannot-possibly-conceive-of-my-planet_1415596.jpg)

> [Men didn't like to empty bedpans, so we made women nurses. Then men didn't like to do the administrative stuff, so women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/men-didn-t-like-to-empty-bedpans-so-we-made-women-nurses-then-men/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3a/john-shelby-spong-1488_administrative_men-didn-t-like-to-empty-bedpans-so-we-m_2952580.png)

> [Let me say that I consider myself a deep believer in the reality of God. I might define God quite differently from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/let-me-say-that-i-consider-myself-a-deep-believer-in-the-reality-of/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8c/john-shelby-spong-1488_belief_let-me-say-that-i-consider-myself-a-deep_260148.png)

> [My hope is that a religious consciousness will begin to rise, one based on enhancing humanity, grasping life in all of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/my-hope-is-that-a-religious-consciousness-will-begin-to-rise-one/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c4/john-shelby-spong-1488_complexes_my-hope-is-that-a-religious-consciousnes_3137207.png)

> [I think Jesus is a fact of history. I think a man named Jesus of Nazareth lived and was crucified. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-think-jesus-is-a-fact-of-history-i-think-a-man-named-jesus-of/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe6/john-shelby-spong-1488_calling_i-think-jesus-is-a-fact-of-history-i-thi_2518253.jpg)

> [The church had to find a way to protect Jesus' perfection so that he could do the work of salvation which, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-church-had-to-find-a-way-to-protect-jesus-perfection-so-that-he/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4dc/john-shelby-spong-1488_church_the-church-had-to-find-a-way-to-protect_1334888.png)

> [Biblical higher criticism is preserved in the particular enclave of academic Christian scholarship and is thought to be too unfruitful to share…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/biblical-higher-criticism-is-preserved-in-the-particular-enclave-of/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31e/john-shelby-spong-1488_academic_biblical-higher-criticism-is-preserved-i_2318190.png)

> [A major function of fundamentalist religion is to bolster deeply insecure and fearful people. This is done by justifying a way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/a-major-function-of-fundamentalist-religion-is-to-bolster-deeply/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01a/john-shelby-spong-1488_anger_a-major-function-of-fundamentalist-relig_893721.jpg)

> [I think if you're convinced that you're evil, and that God has had to rescue you, then the best you can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-think-if-you-re-convinced-that-you-re-evil-and-that-god-has-had-to/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c5/john-shelby-spong-1488_christian_i-think-if-you-re-convinced-that-you-re_3144957.jpg)

> [When we unravel the theological tomes of the ages, the makeup of God becomes quite clear. God is a human being without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/when-we-unravel-the-theological-tomes-of-the-ages-the-makeup-of-god/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffc/john-shelby-spong-1488_age_when-we-unravel-the-theological-tomes-of_770825.jpg)

> [Theism, as a way of conceiving God, has become demonstrably inadequate, and the God of theism not only is dying but is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/theism-as-a-way-of-conceiving-god-has-become-demonstrably-inadequate/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e8/john-shelby-spong-1488_alive_theism-as-a-way-of-conceiving-god-has-be_1988682.png)

> [I think the worst way to go is to have somebody think they speak for God. If you look at history, every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-think-the-worst-way-to-go-is-to-have-somebody-think-they-speak-for/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0df/john-shelby-spong-1488_destructive_i-think-the-worst-way-to-go-is-to-have-s_1605185.jpg)

> [You learn that you either are going to have a police state where you don't have any freedom left, or you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/you-learn-that-you-either-are-going-to-have-a-police-state-where-you/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1b/john-shelby-spong-1488_different_you-learn-that-you-either-are-going-to-h_1896769.png)

> [The Christians tried to separate themselves from the Jewish crowd so they wouldn't be the recipients of the persecution of the Romans.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-christians-tried-to-separate-themselves-from-the-jewish-crowd-so/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ea/john-shelby-spong-1488_christian_the-christians-tried-to-separate-themsel_1336785.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)

> [ \[Apostol Paul's\] views were translated as, "Your rule is to be kind to black people; you don't beat them." It's very much… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/apostol-paul-s-views-were-translated-as-your-rule-is-to-be-kind-to/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/428/john-shelby-spong-1488_animal_apostol-paul-s-views-were-translated-as_2766975.png)

> [Our problem is not that we're fallen; our problem is we haven't become human yet. The question is, what can make us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/our-problem-is-not-that-we-re-fallen-our-problem-is-we-haven-t-become/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/000/john-shelby-spong-1488_fallen_our-problem-is-not-that-we-re-fallen-our_2112535.jpg)

> [If I want to put a Christmas tree in my yard, or three crosses for the crucifixion story, that's fine. But if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/if-i-want-to-put-a-christmas-tree-in-my-yard-or-three-crosses-for-the/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77e/john-shelby-spong-1488_christmas-tree_if-i-want-to-put-a-christmas-tree-in-my_2573677.png)

> [There is no way that the Fourth Gospel was written by John Zebedee or by any of the disciples of Jesus. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/there-is-no-way-that-the-fourth-gospel-was-written-by-john-zebedee-or/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3b/john-shelby-spong-1488_any_there-is-no-way-that-the-fourth-gospel-w_652863.png)

## Other authors on Way

## 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/)

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                        "text": "The way that I see Christianity is that its role is to enhance the life of every person.",
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                        "text": "Prayer cannot be a request made to a theistic deity to act in human history in a particular way.",
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                        "text": "What happened in the Western world was that Plato ceased to be the way people thought. Aristotle was rediscovered, and the modern, educated world moved toward Aristotelian thinking.",
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                        "text": "We have a democracy within the bounds of a constitution which provides certain guarantees related to the basic humanity of every person. I think that's the best way to go.",
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                        "text": "There's no way a human being can escape his or her human-ness to be able to imagine God. We can talk about how we've experienced God, not what or who God is.",
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                        "text": "The Bible interprets life from its particular perspective; it does not record in a factual way the human journey through history.",
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                        "text": "I think we have to recover our spiritual nature. The way we have interpreted Christianity does not do that.",
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                        "text": "The priesthood in many ways is the ultimate closet in Western civilization, where gay people particularly have hidden for the past two thousand years.",
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                        "text": "[Charles] Darwin, for example, is the one who made us face the fact that the primary way we tell the Christ story doesn't work anymore.",
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                        "text": "If you want to be a Roman Catholic scholar and write, you've got to write in such a way that nobody understands what you're saying, and then you're thought to be profound.",
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                        "text": "The time has come for us to think of Christianity in a different way. Instead of thinking of God entering human life from outside in the person of Jesus, we have to begin to see human life evolving to the place where it opens itself into an experience of divinity.",
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                        "text": "We have to start at ground zero and ask what it means to have a real connection with God and what it means to pray. We have to recast our whole understanding of God. We live on the other side of Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein, Steven Hawking, a whole group of people who have recast the way we think about reality.",
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                        "text": "I cannot possibly conceive of my planet Earth as the centre of a three-tiered universe. I know rather that the sun, around which my planet Earth revolves, is a middle sized star in a galaxy called the Milky Way that has over a hundred billion other suns or stars within it.",
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                        "text": "Men didn't like to empty bedpans, so we made women nurses. Then men didn't like to do the administrative stuff, so women were allowed to become secretaries. That's the way they entered the work force. Then we began to educate them because they had to be educated. But it wasn't until after World War II that most of the great universities of this country became coeducational.",
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                        "text": "Let me say that I consider myself a deep believer in the reality of God. I might define God quite differently from the way some people in the Christian faith would do so, but I do not doubt the reality of that experience.",
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                        "text": "My hope is that a religious consciousness will begin to rise, one based on enhancing humanity, grasping life in all of its complex wonder, having the courage to live fully, to love wastefully and to be all that each of us can be and that it will express itself in our national life in more earth centered, justice enhancing and humane ways.",
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                        "text": "I think Jesus is a fact of history. I think a man named Jesus of Nazareth lived and was crucified. I think his death interpreted his life in a fantastic way, because if you study that life carefully underneath an overlay of theology and mythology, you'll find that the power of that life was that he was constantly giving himself away. He was constantly calling people to be all that they could be.",
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                        "text": "The church had to find a way to protect Jesus' perfection so that he could do the work of salvation which, in their frame of reference, only God could do, because God had to come into this world from outside this world to rescue the fallen creation.",
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                        "text": "Biblical higher criticism is preserved in the particular enclave of academic Christian scholarship and is thought to be too unfruitful to share with the average pew-sitter, for it raises more questions than the church can adequately answer. So the leaders of the church would protect the simple believers from concepts they were not trained to understand. In this way that ever-widening gap between academic Christians and the average pew-sitter made its first appearance.",
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                        "text": "A major function of fundamentalist religion is to bolster deeply insecure and fearful people. This is done by justifying a way of life with all of its defining prejudices. It thereby provides an appropriate and legitimate outlet for one's anger. The authority of an inerrant Bible that can be readily quoted to buttress this point of view becomes an essential ingredient to such a life. When that Bible is challenged, or relativized, the resulting anger proves the point categorically.",
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                        "text": "I think if you're convinced that you're evil, and that God has had to rescue you, then the best you can be is grateful. But nobody ever loves the person they have to be perpetually grateful to. That's just not the way it works in humanity. You need to be set free. You need to be loved just as you are so that you can become all that you can be. That's the direction we have to turn the Christian message; when we do, it becomes universal.",
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                        "text": "When we unravel the theological tomes of the ages, the makeup of God becomes quite clear.  God is a human being without human limitations who is read into the heavens.  We disguised this process by suggesting that the reason God was so much like a human being was that the human beings were in fact created in God's image.  However, we now recognize that if was the other way around.  The God of theism came into being as a human creation.  As such, this God, too, was mortal and is now dying.",
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                        "text": "Theism, as a way of conceiving God, has become demonstrably inadequate, and the God of theism not only is dying but is probably not revivable. If the religion of the future depends on keeping alive the definitions of theism, then the human phenomenon that we call religion will have come to an end. If Christianity depends on a theistic definition of God, then we must face the fact that we are watching this noble religious system enter the rigor mortis of its own death throes.",
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                        "text": "I think the worst way to go is to have somebody think they speak for God. If you look at history, every nation that has operated as if it spoke for God has become violently destructive.",
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                        "text": "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.'",
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                        "text": "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.",
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                        "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.",
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                        "text": "[Apostol Paul's] views were translated as, \"Your rule is to be kind to black people; you don't beat them.\" It's very much the way we treated women in the 14th and 15th centuries. A woman was not human, and you should be kind to your wife like you are to all dumb animals. That was the mentality.",
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                        "text": "Our problem is not that we're fallen; our problem is we haven't become human yet. The question is, what can make us human, so that we can give life away and give love away and not be grasping after trying to protect our own lives all the time? That's the way I see the Jesus story, and I think it's a powerful and profound story.",
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                        "text": "If I want to put a Christmas tree in my yard, or three crosses for the crucifixion story, that's fine. But if I try to use public property or a public school as a way to impress my religion on other people, I think that violates the constitution.",
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                        "text": "There is no way that the Fourth Gospel was written by John Zebedee or by any of the disciples of Jesus. The author of this book is not a single individual, but is at least three different writers/editors, who did their layered work over a period of 25 to 30 years.",
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