How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Every Sunday morning, then, since John could remember, they had taken to the streets, the Grimes family on their way to church. (1.1.4)
John's entire life is punctuated by religion. Every single week, for all of his life, his entire family has walked down the street to church. This tradition defines them, marking them as a church-going family, especially since they walk past all of the "sinners" on their way to church.
Quote #2
When he was young, John had paid no attention in Sunday school, and always forgot the golden text, which earned him the wrath of his father. (1.1.9)
John was not always such a good student of religion as he is now. This quote reveals that he was actually a bad student when he was a kid. His inability to memorize the Bible is equated with his father's anger, which, as we know, is violent and explosive. That might be behind his motivation to become a better student.
Quote #3
Then the church seemed to swell with the Power it held, and, like a planet rocking in space, the temple rocked with the Power of God. (1.1.17)
Just a little storefront church, the Grimes' family church might not seem like much. But it is the power of the emotions that are unleashed in that space that make it an important place in the community. The narrator compares it to a planet, as though it had its own orbit, its own place in space; it grows in the minds of the people inside of it.
Quote #4
This was what was meant by a holy life, this was what the way of the cross demanded. (1.1.22)
"This" refers to the idea of getting married, having children, and raising a family in church, rather than running around wild having sex willy-nilly and never going to church. The "way of the cross" refers to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who was executed on a cross; the sacrifice of a holy life is like his sacrifice.
Quote #5
"I know," she said, "there ain't no safety except you walk humble before the Lord. You going to find it out, too, one day. You go on, hardhead. You going to come to grief." (1.1.73)
Elizabeth finds that a religious life equals a safe life. And with her kids growing up in New York City, she is highly concerned with safety. Right after her warning, Roy comes home stabbed in the forehead with a knife. For her, as a mother, religion is a tool for keeping her children safe in a dangerous world.
Quote #6
And the other [motto], in letters of fire against a background of gold, stated:
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever should believe in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John iii, 16 (1.1.91)
When John cleans the living room he has to dust the decorations on the mantel. One of them is the famous verse John 3:16. The material presence of the motto is a physical reminder to the family, every day, of Jesus' sacrifice and their possibility of salvation through religion.
Quote #7
"[...] Everything works together for good for them that love the Lord."
He had heard her say this before—it was her text, as Set thine house in order was his father's—but he knew that today she was saying it to him especially; she was trying to help him because she knew he was in trouble. (1.1.110-11)
Elizabeth is quoting a Bible verse, Romans 8:28, which is called "her text." It's as though she's chosen that biblical text as a motto for her life. Later we realize that it's because even though her early life was hard, it worked out; she found a father for John and a husband for herself.
Quote #8
And the Lord, as He had promised to the two or three first gathered together, sent others; and these brought others and created a church. From this parent branch, I the Lord blessed, other branches might grow and a mighty work be begun throughout the city and throughout the land. In the history of the Temple the Lord had raised up evangelists and teachers and prophets, and called them out into the field to do his work [...]. (1.1.204)
This is a description of how the little church has grown; the religious mission spreads. What started out as simple meetings between only a few people becomes a church, and then this spreads to other locations, like McDonald's or Starbucks, except with a spiritual purpose rather than a commercial one.
Quote #9
"Praise the Lord," said Elisha, standing on the doorstep, grinning.
"Praise the Lord," said John. This was the greeting always used among the saints. (1.1.208-09)
Elisha and John identify themselves as members of the religious community by using the unusual greeting. Rather than a "'sup?" or a "howdy", they use the phrase "Praise the Lord" to say hello to one another. It's like a secret handshake, letting each other know that they're in the club.
Quote #10
She sighed again, more genuinely this time, and tuned back to the mirror. "Well… he's a preacher. And if Deborah's right, he ain't got no right to be a preacher. He ain't no better'n nobody else. In fact, he ain't no better than a murderer." (2.1.132)
Florence seems to believe that preachers must be held to higher standards than the rest of the people in order to have religious authority. She says that her brother isn't better than anyone else, as though if he were, he would have the right to be a preacher. She is offended by his use of religion to seem better than others, when he's really just as weak as everybody else.