George Fox was always a major stumbling block for me in the way of becoming a Quaker. There he was, this intolerant, self-made Mr Valiant-for-Truth, speaking in the Bible-prose of the English countryside, and walking boldly through the world ‘gainst all disaster.
And then Fox’s great message, that there is That of God in everyone, began to excite and illuminate me, and I saw that Quakerism – though Fox himself would have hated that sectarian term – is not just a mid 17th century aberration, but is for today, a day that longs for a poetic meaning to life but cannot accept it in the old metre.
I am sat on the tram home after attending the first Quaker Quest session on “Quaker Worship”. I’m reading a short booklet entitled. Coming Home – an introduction to the Quakers which is part of the free Quaker information pack that each participant was given.
Gerald Priestland goes on to give several reasons for writing this introduction based on his own experience.
First, since Quakers have no test of faith, or Creed, each can only speak for themselves. No one person speaks for the Society; there is no pope, archbishop, president or moderator.
Secondly, Priestly argues that Quakers have a “distressingly virtuous reputation to live down” which he suspects actually discourages some people from joining.
Anyway, it can only be healthily undermined by putting up a gin-drinking hack journalist like me. If they let me in, they will let anyone in. Maybe even you…
I finish the booklet before my tram journey ends. I like its personal, even irreverent style. In some ways it reflects the evening meeting. The session was entitled “Quaker Worship”; there were about two dozen people in attendance and we gathered in the main meeting room. it was very informal. There were three speakers and a chance for some Q & A and small group discussions. The evening went very quickly. We closed with a short thirty minute silent period.
Each speaker spoke from the heart about their own experiences of worship, silence and vocal ministry. They also talked about what had drawn them to join the Quakers. I was particularly taken with the words of the final speaker. He said he had valued the written peace testimonies of the early Quakers and the activism of present day Friends. He spoke of his own journey from an evangelical Christian background to his present faith that drew from Hindu symbolism. I was impressed by the local meeting for putting up three speakers, with quite diverse outlooks on spirituality, to “represent” them in speaking to newcomers at this first Quaker Quest meeting. My own spirituality, taking refuge in the Buddha of infinite light and life, seems at home here.
The second session, next week, will look at the Quakers Christian heritage. I am looking forward to it.
Secondly, Priestly argues that Quakers have a “distressingly virtuous reputation to live down” which he suspects actually discourages some people from joining.
I must say, I honestly had no impression of the Quakers or any significant notion of them at all until you started publishing this new blog. If you had asked me about the Quakers I would have pointed to a round cardboard cylinder filled with oats and sporting the image of a guy with Colonial era garb.
Ah yes. Porridge oats! I guess that many people on this side of the Atlantic would concur with you.
Quaker Meetinghouses are more visible in many of our larger cities and as their rooms are used by many local groups for a number of activities then people will often have contact in that context. I think there are at least three buddhist groups that meet at the Sheffield meetinghouse.
I have memories of Quakers on a number of peace marches from my youth but I didn’t know a great deal about them back then.
I’d recommend listening to the talks to be found in my Introducing the Quakers post, I’m sure you’d find them interesting!