Religious laws, in all the major religious traditions, have both a letter and a spirit. As I understand the words and example of Jesus, the spirit of the law is all-important whereas the letter, while useful… becomes lifeless and deadly without it. In accord with this distinction a yearning to worship on wilderness ridges or beside rivers rather than in churches could legitimately be called evangelical… if your words or deeds harmonize with the example of Jesus, you are evangelical in spirit whether you claim to be or not. When the non- Christian Ambrose Bierce wrote, “War is the means by which Americans learn geography, ” his words are aimed at the same antiwar end as “Blessed are the peacemakers. . David James Duncan
About This Quote

The Bible is not just about rules. It is about the spirit behind those rules. When Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment, he replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment." The Bible is about loving God above all else.

Source: God Laughs & Plays; Churchless Sermons In Response To The Preachments Of The Fundamentalist Right

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