Tuesday, February 10, 2004
I went to a lecture given by Bishop John Shelby Spong. Here are the "bumper stickers" I culled from my notes:
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There is a difference between the experience of God and the epxlanation of that experience. Explanations are time-wrapped and time-bound.
The theistic definition of God is an immoral idea and an unbeleivable idea in the 21st Century.
If you beleive in Theism, then you must place responsibility for all tragedies on God.
God and Santa Claus are confused. God as record keeper is strange.
Your problem isn't that you've fallen. Your problem is that you haven't evolved. You dont need rescue, you need empowerment.
Why is that Churches who claim to have all the answers don't allow questions?
Modern religion is pyschological abuse.
All those claims about Truth are nothing but power making propaganda.
Why do people say "There is only one way to God, My Way" Who says "there is one way to God, and that's his way, that guy over there."
We cant make an image of God because we can't understand God. All words are inadequate. Definitions are idolatry.
We have a distorted vision because we look for God where he isn't.
There is a bias towards consciousness in creation. Creation is wanting to communicate with it's creator.
People who convert are not friendly. Conversion of others breeds a sense of superiority over others. Our job is not to impose a definition on people but to empower them.
Being born again means we go back to childhood. We need to grow up.
We describe God in personal terms because they are the only terms we have. The tragedy is that we literalize scripture and use it as a weapon.
The Jewish tradition is our mother, and you don't spit on your mother.
Jesus calls us beyond the power of fear, where the difference between the Jew and Greek, Male and Female, Staight and Gay, disappear. Redemption is about empowerment to grow beyond our insecurities.
¶ 11:28 AM
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There is a difference between the experience of God and the epxlanation of that experience. Explanations are time-wrapped and time-bound.
The theistic definition of God is an immoral idea and an unbeleivable idea in the 21st Century.
If you beleive in Theism, then you must place responsibility for all tragedies on God.
God and Santa Claus are confused. God as record keeper is strange.
Your problem isn't that you've fallen. Your problem is that you haven't evolved. You dont need rescue, you need empowerment.
Why is that Churches who claim to have all the answers don't allow questions?
Modern religion is pyschological abuse.
All those claims about Truth are nothing but power making propaganda.
Why do people say "There is only one way to God, My Way" Who says "there is one way to God, and that's his way, that guy over there."
We cant make an image of God because we can't understand God. All words are inadequate. Definitions are idolatry.
We have a distorted vision because we look for God where he isn't.
There is a bias towards consciousness in creation. Creation is wanting to communicate with it's creator.
People who convert are not friendly. Conversion of others breeds a sense of superiority over others. Our job is not to impose a definition on people but to empower them.
Being born again means we go back to childhood. We need to grow up.
We describe God in personal terms because they are the only terms we have. The tragedy is that we literalize scripture and use it as a weapon.
The Jewish tradition is our mother, and you don't spit on your mother.
Jesus calls us beyond the power of fear, where the difference between the Jew and Greek, Male and Female, Staight and Gay, disappear. Redemption is about empowerment to grow beyond our insecurities.
¶ 11:28 AM
