Spiritual Beliefs

“The truth was a mirror in the hands of God. It fell, and broke into pieces. Everybody took a piece of it, and they looked at it and thought they had the truth.” -Rumi

“As unnecessary as a well is to a village on the banks of a river, so unnecessary are all scriptures to someone who has seen the truth. When your understanding has passed beyond the thicket of delusions, there is nothing you need to learn from even the most sacred scripture. Indifferent to scriptures, your mind stands by itself, unmoving …” -Bhagavad Gita

“There are hundreds of paths up the mountain, all leading to the same place, so it doesn’t matter which path you take. The only person wasting time is the one who runs around the mountain telling everyone his or her path is wrong.” -Hindu proverb

“The only clear line I draw these days is this: when my religion tries to come between me and my neighbor, I will choose my neighbor … Jesus never commanded me to love my religion.” -Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor

“You cannot treat people like garbage and worship God at the same time.” -Steven Furtick

“If you were to ask me today to describe the God of my understanding, I’d probably show you mountain scenery, cathedrals, stained glass windows and wonderful light dancing across a woodland stream. Miles of beaches. Fields of blooming, wind-tossed flowers. Happy children. Old people smiling. Hard-working hands. I’d play music for you. Symphonies, ballads, Celtic reels, jigs … On a dark day, I might flood you with a barrage of brutal, gritty pictures – a record of mind-numbing despair, grinding poverty. War-torn streets. Children with no hope. The dead and the dying. It’s all part of our world–God’s world, and we are the ones who must do something about it.” -Unknown

“For some, there are obstacles in life, and they believe God will intervene. That is how they understand God. It’s part of being human … in an uncontrollable world, we want to know someone is in charge. And for some, it’s God. But I’m content to live with the lack of control in some ways, the uncertainty. The god of my understanding (or lack thereof) is too big to fit into a single box or a single definition.” -Unknown

“Go to all the world, go beyond the boundaries of your fears. Go to those you have defined as unclean, unworthy, unsaved, uncircumsized and unbaptized. Go to those you have reduced to being the object of your prejudices. Go to those who are different. Go to the rejected of the world and teach them … that God is love and that love embraces all that God has made, that love has no boundaries, that love rejects no one … See everyone as living inside the love of God.” -Bishop John Shelby Spong

“At the end of the day, I’d rather be excluded for who I include than included for who I exclude.” -Rev. Eston Williams

“The shoe that fits one person pinches another; there is no recipe for living that suits all cases.” -Carl Jung

“When I reflect on my faith, I realize how patchwork it’s become. I do believe in higher purpose. I believe in a presence we can’t explain. I believe that God lies in the warm love that we get and give. I believe in ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,’ and I also believe in the spiritual path of the mandala. I believe in non-injury to living creatures, a Jain belief, and find comfort in many of the parables of Jesus.” -Unknown

“When the eyes and ears are open, even the leaves on the trees teach like pages from the scriptures.” -Kabir

“We are closer to God when we are asking questions than when we think we have the answers.” -Abraham Joshua Heschel

“If our religion is based on salvation, our chief emotion will be fear and trembling. If our religion is based on wonder. Our chief emotion will be gratitude.” -Carl Jung