"All religion seems to need to prove that it's the only truth. And that's where it turns demonic. Because that's when you get religious wars and persecutions and burning heretics at the stake"

John Shelby Spong's quote works as an important reflection on the nature of spiritual absolutism and its prospective consequences. Spong, understood for his progressive views on Christianity, seems resolving a repeating problem within spiritual organizations: the propensity to assert exclusive claims to fact. He recommends that this need for recognition amongst religious beliefs changes them into forces that are possibly damaging or "demonic.".

The option of the word "demonic" is particularly powerful as it suggests that this obsession with being the sole possessors of reality corrupts the initial, frequently honorable, intents of religious faith. Lots of faiths promote values such as love, compassion, and understanding, yet the persistence on exclusivity types department. When a spiritual group believes its teaching is the only reality, it can end up being intolerant and hostile towards varying belief systems and even variations within its own faith.

Spong highlights historical examples to highlight his point, discussing spiritual wars and the persecution of those identified apostates. These occasions are often the terrible outcome of stiff dogmatism that turns followers against one another. The infamous episodes of burning apostates at the stake exhibit how the quest for religious supremacy can result in extreme steps justified in the name of magnificent reality.

By recommending that the requirement for spiritual recognition is where religion turns "demonic", Spong may likewise be promoting for a more pluralistic technique to faith-- an acknowledgment that truth may be diverse or understood differently throughout various traditions. He appears to be advising believers to transcend the requirement for competition over fact and rather focus on what joins them.

In essence, Spong's declaration serves as a cautionary reminder of the risks intrinsic in spiritual dogmatism and a call to embrace a wider, more inclusive approach to spirituality. Acknowledging the richness in variety might foster a more peaceful coexistence amongst various faiths.