--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At their best, religious and spiritual…" description: "\"At their best, religious and spiritual communities help us discover this pure and naked spiritual encounter. At their worst, they simply make us more a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/314/brian-d-mclaren-8226_ashamed_at-their-best-religious-and-spiritual-co_676025.jpg" --- # At their best, religious and spiritual communities help us… ![“At their best, religious and spiritual communities help us discover this pure and naked spiritual encounter. At their worst, they simply make us more ashamed, pressuring us to cover up more, pushing us to further enhance our image with the best designer labels and latest spiritual fads, weighing…” quote by Brian D. McLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/314/brian-d-mclaren-8226_ashamed_at-their-best-religious-and-spiritual-co_676025.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/314/brian-d-mclaren-8226_ashamed_at-their-best-religious-and-spiritual-co_676025.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/314/brian-d-mclaren-8226_ashamed_at-their-best-religious-and-spiritual-co_676025.jpg) > “At their best, religious and spiritual communities help us discover this pure and naked spiritual encounter. At their worst, they simply make us more ashamed, pressuring us to cover up more, pushing us to further enhance our image with the best designer labels and latest spiritual fads, weighing us down with layer upon layer of heavy, uncomfortable, pretentious, well-starched religiosity.” [Brian D. McLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-d-mclaren/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Religious groups can inspire deep spirituality or become superficial status symbols that hinder authenticity. **In simple terms:** Communities can lift or burden spiritual life. Key Takeaway Seek genuine connection, avoid pretension. Themes spirituality community authenticity Mood reflective critical Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - church attendance - online spiritual forums - personal meditation - group retreats Key Concepts identity social pressure materialism Questions to Reflect On - How do you recognize authentic spiritual practice? - What habits reveal superficial religiosity? A Different Perspective Even sincere groups can become performative, limiting true growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ashamed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ashamed/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Cover ups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cover-ups/) [Encounters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encounters/) [Fads](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fads/) [Labels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labels/) [Pretentious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretentious/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) [Religious Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-spiritual/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/) [Uncomfortable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncomfortable/) ## Related quotes > [Religious communities have historically been designed to counteract the forces of alienation. That's why so many successful social movements have relied upon the strength…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-dechristopher/religious-communities-have-historically-been-designed-to-counteract/) [Tim DeChristopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-dechristopher/) > [“The silence regarding race, sexuality, and gender in spiritual literature may create the illusion that all is well in our spiritual communities, or that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zenju-earthlyn-manuel/the-silence-regarding-race-sexuality-and-gender-in-spiritual/) [Zenju Earthlyn Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zenju-earthlyn-manuel/) > [I'm not religious, but I'm spiritual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-not-religious-but-i-m-spiritual/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I've been a religious, spiritual person for a long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbie-hancock/i-ve-been-a-religious-spiritual-person-for-a-long-time/) [Herbie Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbie-hancock/) > [I'm not religious, but I'm very spiritual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mccartney/i-m-not-religious-but-i-m-very-spiritual/) [Paul McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mccartney/) > [“One of the most distressing predicaments any earnest, open-minded spiritual seeker might face is the sheer difficulty of choosing from among the bewildering diversity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama-xiv/one-of-the-most-distressing-predicaments-any-earnest-open-minded/) [Dalai Lama XIV](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama-xiv/) > [Being religious and spiritual makes me feel good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rishi-kapoor/being-religious-and-spiritual-makes-me-feel-good/) [Rishi Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rishi-kapoor/) > [“I believe everyone is on a spiritual path—some people know it, some don’t. The ones that know it call themselves religious, spiritual, or Soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-mildon/i-believe-everyone-is-on-a-spiritual-path-some-people-know-it-some/) [Emma Mildon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-mildon/) > [“Whats the difference between being very religious or very spiritual? About $200 in tax write offs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-lopinski/whats-the-difference-between-being-very-religious-or-very-spiritual/) Thomas Lopinski > [I have a very powerful belief structure. I'm very spiritual. I'm not religious but I am spiritual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toyah-willcox/i-have-a-very-powerful-belief-structure-i-m-very-spiritual-i-m-not/) [Toyah Willcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toyah-willcox/) > [“I'm not religious, I'm spiritual and I practice my spirituality religiously.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meilena-hauslendale/i-m-not-religious-i-m-spiritual-and-i-practice-my-spirituality/) [Meilena Hauslendale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meilena-hauslendale/) > [“I consider myself actually a very spiritual person, but it is with a unique definition of the word spiritual. What I use, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-consider-myself-actually-a-very-spiritual-person-but-it-is-with-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Who wants to be stuck in being religious and being spiritual either? That's not freedom. You've just exchanged handcuffs for leg irons - which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/who-wants-to-be-stuck-in-being-religious-and-being-spiritual-either/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [The fragrance of religious and spiritual life is much finer and subtler than that of the rose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/the-fragrance-of-religious-and-spiritual-life-is-much-finer-and/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“I recently came across an article that reviewed more than seven hundred scientific studies looking at the correlation between religious involvement and physical and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-richmond/i-recently-came-across-an-article-that-reviewed-more-than-seven/) [Lewis Richmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-richmond/) ## More by Brian D. McLaren > [I love writers who are insightful enough to be cynical but choose not to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-d-mclaren/i-love-writers-who-are-insightful-enough-to-be-cynical-but-choose-not/) [Brian D. McLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-d-mclaren/) > [“I have a confession to make.121 Almost every time I tune in to religious radio or TV, I want to change my religion. I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-d-mclaren/i-have-a-confession-to-make-121-almost-every-time-i-tune-in-to/) [Brian D. McLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-d-mclaren/) > [“If, for you, orthodox means finally “getting it right” or “getting it straight,” mine is a pretty disappointing, curvy orthodoxy. But if, for you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-d-mclaren/if-for-you-orthodox-means-finally-getting-it-right-or-getting-it/) [Brian D. McLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-d-mclaren/) > [That in itself is an act of peacemaking, because we're seeking to align our wills with God's will, our dreams with God's dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-d-mclaren/that-in-itself-is-an-act-of-peacemaking-because-we-re-seeking-to/) [Brian D. McLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-d-mclaren/) > [“The wise preacher of Ecclesiastes might say, “There is a time for everything—a time to be laid-back and a time to be outraged; a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-d-mclaren/the-wise-preacher-of-ecclesiastes-might-say-there-is-a-time-for/) [Brian D. McLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-d-mclaren/) > [Since I was introduced to the practice of God's presence, which in turn led me into the contemplative way, I have nearly always felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-d-mclaren/since-i-was-introduced-to-the-practice-of-god-s-presence-which-in/) [Brian D. McLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-d-mclaren/) > [“There’s a lot of dirty theology out there, the religious counterpart to dirty politics and dirty business, I suppose. You might call it spiritual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-d-mclaren/there-s-a-lot-of-dirty-theology-out-there-the-religious-counterpart/) [Brian D. McLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-d-mclaren/) > [“For me, Carol, we can't be faithful to God unless we're faithful to the facts, faithful to the data if you will. And so,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-d-mclaren/for-me-carol-we-can-t-be-faithful-to-god-unless-we-re-faithful-to-the/) [Brian D. McLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-d-mclaren/) > [The scarily brilliant Romantic poet and visionary William Blake dared to say what many of us have perhaps thought but kept to ourselves: “A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-d-mclaren/the-scarily-brilliant-romantic-poet-and-visionary-william-blake-dared/) [Brian D. McLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-d-mclaren/) > [“A generous orthodoxy is like that. It acknowledges that we’re all a mess. It sees in our worst failures the possibility of our deepest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-d-mclaren/a-generous-orthodoxy-is-like-that-it-acknowledges-that-we-re-all-a/) [Brian D. McLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-d-mclaren/) > [“Why is it that the choice among churches always seems to be the choice between intelligence on ice and ignorance on fire? —as quoted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-d-mclaren/why-is-it-that-the-choice-among-churches-always-seems-to-be-the-2/) [Brian D. McLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-d-mclaren/) > [“globalism (for better or worse) transforms personal and ethnic identities, creating hyphenated and cosmopolitan identities—in which people consider themselves first and foremost citizens of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-d-mclaren/globalism-for-better-or-worse-transforms-personal-and-ethnic/) [Brian D. McLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-d-mclaren/) > [We must never underestimate our power to be wrong when talking about God, when thinking about God, when imagining God, whether in prose or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-d-mclaren/we-must-never-underestimate-our-power-to-be-wrong-when-talking-about/) [Brian D. McLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-d-mclaren/) > [“We must, therefore, never underestimate our power to be wrong when talking about God, when thinking about God, when imagining God—whether in prose or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-d-mclaren/we-must-therefore-never-underestimate-our-power-to-be-wrong-when/) [Brian D. McLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-d-mclaren/) > [You know what, the thing that breaks my heart is that there's no way I can answer it without hurting someone on either side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-d-mclaren/you-know-what-the-thing-that-breaks-my-heart-is-that-there-s-no-way-i/) [Brian D. McLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-d-mclaren/) [Explore all 82 Brian D. McLaren quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-d-mclaren/) ## More Ashamed quotes > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I know what you're thinking... and you oughtta be ashamed of yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-preston/i-know-what-you-re-thinking-and-you-oughtta-be-ashamed-of-yourself/) Robert Preston > [You never meet the writer when you're making a TV movie in America - they're too ashamed to show up and see how their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-don-baker/you-never-meet-the-writer-when-you-re-making-a-tv-movie-in-america/) [Joe Don Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-don-baker/) > [I'm not ashamed of the things I believe and why I believe them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-huckabee/i-m-not-ashamed-of-the-things-i-believe-and-why-i-believe-them/) [Mike Huckabee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-huckabee/) > [If, with all the time at my disposal, with all the wealth of the resources of this vast universe, to do with as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/if-with-all-the-time-at-my-disposal-with-all-the-wealth-of-the/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [“with her own life. And I was ashamed.” Humiliated. Broken. Miserable. If Wilcher had stood by Jaymee, if her father hadn’t berated her, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-green/with-her-own-life-and-i-was-ashamed-humiliated-broken-miserable-if/) Stacy Green > [You should avoid hedging, at least that's what I think. You should be ashamed to die until you've made some contribution to mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-johns/you-should-avoid-hedging-at-least-that-s-what-i-think-you-should-be/) Vernon Johns > [There was no mistake in us making abortion legal and available on demand. That was what we call progress. Just like it was no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/there-was-no-mistake-in-us-making-abortion-legal-and-available-on/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [“When all are undressed, one is somehow not ashamed, but when one's the only one undressed and everybody is looking, it's degrading,' he kept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/when-all-are-undressed-one-is-somehow-not-ashamed-but-when-one-s-the/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [There are a great many colored people who are ashamed of the cake-walk, but I think they ought to be proud of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-weldon-johnson/there-are-a-great-many-colored-people-who-are-ashamed-of-the-cake/) [James Weldon Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-weldon-johnson/) > [I love him who is ashamed when the dice fall in his favour, and who then asketh: "Am I a dishonest player?" - for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/i-love-him-who-is-ashamed-when-the-dice-fall-in-his-favour-and-who/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zondervan-publishing/whoever-is-ashamed-of-me-and-my-words-the-son-of-man-will-be-ashamed/) [Zondervan Publishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zondervan-publishing/) > [You were never created to live depressed, defeated, guilty, condemned, ashamed or unworthy. You were created to be victorious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/you-were-never-created-to-live-depressed-defeated-guilty-condemned/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I never wonder to see men wicked, but I often wonder to see them not ashamed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/i-never-wonder-to-see-men-wicked-but-i-often-wonder-to-see-them-not/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [“To survive during the Khmer Rouge, you had to steal, cheat, lie, point fingers at others, even kill. And now you are ashamed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-brinkley/to-survive-during-the-khmer-rouge-you-had-to-steal-cheat-lie-point/) [Joel Brinkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-brinkley/) [Browse all 1,607 Ashamed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ashamed/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "At their best, religious and spiritual communities help us discover this pure and naked spiritual encounter. At their worst, they simply make us more ashamed, pressuring us to cover up more, pushing us to further enhance our image with the best designer labels and latest spiritual fads, weighing us down with layer upon layer of heavy, uncomfortable, pretentious, well-starched religiosity.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Brian D. 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