--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The great danger... in believing yourself…" description: "\"The great danger... in believing yourself especially chosen is that it becomes easy to view those who are not your people as God's especially unchosen...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15c/john-shelby-spong-1488_believe_the-great-danger-in-believing-yourself-e_1368997.png" --- # The great danger... in believing yourself especially… ![“The great danger... in believing yourself especially chosen is that it becomes easy to view those who are not your people as God's especially unchosen.” quote by John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15c/john-shelby-spong-1488_believe_the-great-danger-in-believing-yourself-e_1368997.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15c/john-shelby-spong-1488_believe_the-great-danger-in-believing-yourself-e_1368997.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15c/john-shelby-spong-1488_believe_the-great-danger-in-believing-yourself-e_1368997.png) > “The great danger... in believing yourself especially chosen is that it becomes easy to view those who are not your people as God's especially unchosen.” [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Believing you are uniquely chosen can lead to exclusionary attitudes toward others. **In simple terms:** Feeling special can cause intolerance. Key Takeaway Stay humble and inclusive. Themes faith exclusivity humility community identity Mood contemplative serious Type theological philosophical When to use this quote - church leadership - interfaith dialogue - social activism Key Concepts theology social dynamics spiritual arrogance Questions to Reflect On - How do you recognize when you feel chosen? - What practices foster inclusive thinking? A Different Perspective Exclusivity can sometimes strengthen group identity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believing Yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believing-yourself/) [Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [“proofs are no help to believing, especially material proofs. 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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. 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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. 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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. 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He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. 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