In this nonfundamentalist understanding of faith, practice is more important than theory, love more important than law, and mystery is seen as an insight into truth rather than an obstacle. It is the great lie of our time that all religious faith has to be fundamentalist to be valid.

Andrew Sullivan
About This Quote

Fundamentalism is the belief that only the literal interpretation of the Bible, or of any sacred text, is valid. It is also an anti-intellectual attitude that seeks to lock people into a single interpretation. The truth, however, is that each person’s faith depends on how he or she received the message. There are many different ways to interpret the Bible.

Some people interpret it literally while others use allegory and metaphor. Fundamentalism stands in opposition to all of them. A new vision of faith will come when more people start to practice this understanding of faith.

Some Similar Quotes
  1. You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching, Love like you'll never be hurt, Sing like there's nobody listening, And live like it's heaven on earth. - William W. Purkey

  2. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. - Unknown

  3. The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference. - Elie Wiesel

  4. This life is what you make it. No matter what, you're going to mess up sometimes, it's a universal truth. But the good part is you get to decide how you're going to mess it up. Girls will be your friends - they'll act like... - Marilyn Monroe

  5. When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always. - Mahatma Gandhi

More Quotes By Andrew Sullivan
  1. In this nonfundamentalist understanding of faith, practice is more important than theory, love more important than law, and mystery is seen as an insight into truth rather than an obstacle. It is the great lie of our time that all religious faith has to be...

  2. I'm a writer by profession and it's totally clear to me that since I started blogging, the amount I write has increased exponentially, my daily interactions with the views of others have never been so frequent, the diversity of voices I engage with is far...

  3. Unlike a variety of other relationships, friendship requires an acknowledgement by both parties that they are involved or it fails to exist.

  4. Monsters remain human beings. In fact, to reduce them to a subhuman level is to exonerate them of their acts of terrorism and mass murder – just as animals are not deemed morally responsible for killing. Insisting on the humanity of terrorists is, in fact,...

  5. Most hate is more common and more complicated, with as many varieties as there are varieties of love. Just as there is possessive love and needy love; family love and friendship; romantic love and unrequited love; passion and respect, affection and obsession, so hatred has...

Related Topics