True or False: Romans teaches that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

The Dude Abides

Home
Progressive Christian

Last updated on: December 31, 2004 at 4:06 pm by Cathleen Falsani

2004-12-31T16:06:00-07:00 Cathleen Falsani

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

What they said about God in ’04

Lots of folks had lots to say about religion, spirituality, morality and God in 2004.

Here (in no particular order) are some of the best — or at least some of the most intriguing — spiritual thoughts I’ve heard this year:

_____________________________________________________________________

“Having to prove you’re Christian is like having to prove you’re not a pedophile.”

Mancow Muller

“You can get there by aeroplane, across the water, whatever — get there. Get to love and forgiveness. Forgive yourself, love yourself. Forgive others. Love them.”

Iyanla Vanzant

“I’m doing whatever I can that I think would not horrify Jesus.”

Anne Lamott

“I think there is an enormous danger on the part of public figures to rationalize or justify their actions by claiming God’s mandate. I don’t think it’s healthy for public figures to wear religion on their sleeve as a means to insulate themselves from criticism, or dialogue with people who disagree with them.”

Barack Obama

“I don’t know anyone less Jesus-like than most Christians.”

Bill Maher

“It was the kind words of one religious chaplain that gave me space, and that kept me from being like a complete atheist.”

Melissa Etheridge

“My understanding of my relationship with God includes an invitation to be involved in what goes on in the world and to try to offer positive input wherever possible.”

Bruce Cockburn

“Uday laid down his life for no particular caste or community, but for what he felt was right. He is God’s soldier and belongs only to him.”

Preet Mahinder Singh at the memorial service for his son, U.S. Army Sgt. Uday Singh, 21, of Palatine, Ill., a Sikh and the first American soldier of Indian descent to die in the war in Iraq

“I don’t believe in separating the sacred from the secular. I think that breeds schizophrenic behavior.”

“Bart Simpson” comic book writer and pastor Chris Yambar

“For some reason, I’m better if I’m in a church. I don’t know why.”

Jack Ryan (pre-sex scandal)

“[The Dalai Lama] says, ‘If you have compassion, if you have kindness, basic human kindness, then maybe you’re on the right track.’ . . . So you can ask yourself, ‘Is this kind? Am I being kind? What am I being here?'”

Annie Lennox

“If you think you’ve got problems or something hurtful has happened, take a walk in the woods and think about how lucky you are just to be alive.”

Hugh Hefner

“A lot of people think because you’re a Christian, you’re not going to be a hard-nosed player. That’s not what the Lord wants, to me. You can be a Christian and be hard-nosed. Like Reggie White and a whole bunch of dudes that will kick your butt, and help you up.”

Chicago Cubs manager Dusty Baker

“I really think that if we all look within ourselves and change who we are and started there, the world would be a peaceful place.”

Shoe designer John Fluevog

“You know, the only thing we could save people with was lies. Thank God.”

Agnes Adachi, 86, an aide to Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, who is credited with saving more than 100,000 Hungarian Jews during World War II

“Unfortunately, you know, Christians shoot their own.”

Lee Strobel, host of the TV show “Faith Under Fire”

Joel: “I don’t see anything I don’t like about you.”

Clementine: “But you will! But you will, and I’ll get bored with you and feel trapped, because that’s what happens with me.”

Joel: “OK.”

“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”

“My Kabbalah teacher, one of them, used to say to me, ‘When in doubt, act like God.’ . . . God would be compassionate. Unconditional. All-giving. All-loving. So, when in doubt, behave that way. You’ll never go wrong.”

Madonna in an ABC News interview

“The question is not, why is this human condition so bad? But what are you doing about it? Just to observe it and lament the bad outcome, I just don’t think that’s enough. . . . God’s work has to be our own.”

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin

“I just bow my head during the opening music and say, ‘Your words, not mine. Your show, not mine. Help.'”

Neil Saavedra, host of “The Jesus Christ Show” on L.A. radio station KFI, on how he gets into character

“When you take off your shoes, thank them. Your shoes protected your feet all day, never complaining. . . . Gratitude for such little things shows how intimate relationships are possible through mindful awareness.”

The Rev. Koyo Kubose, a Buddhist priest, in his book Bright Dawn

“Some days, content’s as good as it gets and that’s OK. In fact, some days, that’s pretty good.”

Pamela Gail Johnson, president of the Secret Society of Happy People

“Get Jesus up off the mantelpiece and let him run around the yard! . . . Get in tune with your scoutmaster so you don’t go walking through the poison sumac and end up blaming him for it.”

Chris Yambar, Christian comic-book writer

“A realistic spiritual discipline says, ‘What is your baby step? And what are you willing to do?’ ”

Theologian Tom Beaudoin

“All I have to say is, nobody ever told me to keep secret the fact that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene.”

Cardinal Francis George on The DaVinci Code and conspiracy theories

“Eat all you want in heaven and never get fat!”

Weekly World News headline

“There’s nothing that can separate us from God’s love, and there’s nothing that is so awful and heinous and barbaric and evil that would have Jesus just go, ‘Oh, forget it,’ and stomp off.”

Anne Lamott

“You can run from love, and if it’s really love, it will find you, catch you by the heel.”

“Mwelp, the Dude abides.”

Jeff Lebowski in “The Big Lebowski” (umpteenth viewing)

Best wishes for a spiritually insightful 2005.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

December 28, 2004

Next Post

January 7, 2005

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category A little happy ARCHIVED COLUMNS BECOMING FAMILY BelieberNess BREAKING NEWS! Disquiet Time DJ JEFF'S SPINTASMS falsani FILM from OCRegister From Sojo.net God Nods GODSTUFF I Take Requests incubatespirit LURKING IN THE NARTHEX On My Nightstand ONEMOMS Polling the Room PONTIFEXCELLENT Thru My Eyes TWO CENTS Uncategorized Upcoming Events VASCO VASCO'S HEART

Select a Month January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 July 2014 May 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 April 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 October 2003 March 2003 December 2002 October 2002 January 2001

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: Romans teaches that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Select your answer to see how you score.

TRUE FALSE