Religious society - or friendly society?

This title is the sub-title of an excellent little book by Alastair Heron called “Our Quaker Identity”. The book traces the quest for an answer to an issue about the true nature of Quakerism, in the face of declining membership - minuted by York Monthly Meeting in 1859. Alastair has written convincingly of how the concern has never gone away – rather it has been raised as ‘a concern’ over and over again. If you resonate with the issue, I recommend a re-looking at “Our Quaker Identity”. It looks at the issues as perceived by Quakers for at least 150 years. Clearly the question is still very much alive. Two of the September blogs address the same issues or concerns.

Craig Barnett’s piece on “Quaker Space or Quaker Way” (23rd September) addresses this issue by looking at two different ways by which a Quaker Meeting can be viewed. He asks is it primarily a ‘Quaker place’, a safe place for Quakers and visitors to meet? Or on the other hand, does this image leave something out and is a Quaker Meeting primarily about a ‘Quaker Way’. He offers very strong arguments to support the latter, while recognising that many visitors quite rightly are attracted to and find great peace in enjoying the hospitality of the ‘Quaker Space’. I will come back to Craig’s offering again later. Simon Haywood (30th September) offers reflections on what is primarily the same issue.

I would like to throw in my own ‘penny worth’ and take up firstly on some of Simon’s questions and insights. I will start by saying how grateful I was for the ministry Simon offered at Meeting for Worship, on the Sunday after he returned from the London Arms Fair. I am even more grateful for his further reflections. I say thanks for such an honest, daring, personal and straight-talking blog ‘ministry’, 'Please Stop and Talk' Surely life is about going out and doing something - then coming back and reflecting on the insights gained and the lessons learnt. Simon’s insights of the lessons he learned from being with such a diverse but committed group of people are invaluable. What an added gift when this reflection is shared with other Friends. In this way each one of us can review our own perceptions and discover the depth of our values. I find it so easy to say ‘I believe in peace’, but I have now been challenged into asking myself:- How deep are my convictions? and What am I prepared to do about them?

I move on, as Simon did, to considering the nature of our Meeting, and the kind of ministry offered. In reflecting on this I went back to read anew the account in John’s Gospel (8: 31 and following), where Jesus is speaking about true discipleship. An issue has arisen between some Jews, of the Pharisee type, and Jesus, who of course was also a Jew. The perceptions on both sides were very different. It seems to me that Jesus wanted to bring the issue away from ‘theory’ and back to the ‘deeds’ that people do, the lives they live. He said that they were children of God, and so true disciples, when they sought to do God’s will. The Pharisees were adamant that they were ‘birthright’ Jews, descended from Abraham. These credentials did not impress Jesus. He went on to say that it is the works that people do, the fruits of a life lived, that reveal who is truly from God. Surely this is the hallmark of being a loving caring people - a true community - or a genuine Quaker Meeting? It is not about how comfortable we feel within the Meeting but how are our lives shaped and lived out, in the light of those insights, that come to us in the silence and through ministry. (I could call these ‘insights’– ‘stirrings’ or ‘revelations’, but that brings up ‘the problem’ of using religious or God language, unpopular with some, but that interestingly Simon found so refreshing in London).
This Gospel incident is also the place where we find those often quoted words:- “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”. Surely Jesus was not speaking, of ‘truth’ in the abstract and expressed in agreed dogmatic statements, or creeds, but rather was not his interest in the truth that is 'an inner knowing', derived from living and reflecting upon what has been lived. This he said is the truth:- ‘that will set you free’. I see this as being the kernel or nub of the question about ‘our Quaker identity’ or about what makes us Quakers, and what it is that holds us together in unity?

I believe very strongly that it is not ‘uniformity of belief’ as understood in many churches but the inner freedom to explore our own personal faith and to express this unashamedly - while always being understanding, tolerant and accepting of others who may perceive ‘their truth’ in a very different way. I believe that if Quakers, as individuals or as groups are in ‘opposing camps’ as Simon suggest we might be, then such factions are not accepting of the 'truths' of others and it would seem that the Spirit of tolerance has been taken over by ‘our private or ego positions’, and as a consequence the Spirit has been subtly brushed aside and from my way of perceiving it, we are not, in this situation, doing God’s will.

In this, as in many other matters, I might of course be totally wrong, and if anyone reading this perceives things quite differently then I hope that that person can share with me what it is that they believe, and then I will be in the position to reflect on what has been shared and I might very likely modify or change my position. I hope I am, and will always be, open to change. To me, it seems that a problem for many Quakers is the desire 'not to offend' and so they seem to be afraid to express their position of ‘personal belief’. They put too high a value on ‘not upsetting the applecart’. I can't believe that this fear has anything to do with 'living an honest upright life'. It also amazes me that feedback on 'blogs' and also on ministry seem to be in short supply. Of course there are glorious exceptions to this, that can easily be quoted, but these even seem to come from the same people.

Going back to what 'I believe’ and ‘hope’ right now. Once more, let me make it very clear that I am not claiming that what I say is 'the Truth', only 'my truth'. I believe and hope is that Quakers will always be at heart ‘a believing community’ – but not a community with ‘uniformity of belief’. I believe that it is this freedom to fearlessly express one’s inner truth, and to share it with one another, (and even with those outside the Meeting, as Simon found at the Arms Fair in London) which constitutes the real value of being a Quaker. I see our unity as being about ‘singing joyfully together of our own convictions’ not of 'all singing from the same hymn sheet’, (often without any real conviction). Wasn’t it this word ‘conviction’ that early Quakers used about what made them Quakers? They spoke about ‘being convicted’ or ‘convinced’ in faith?’

I would like to come back again to Simon’s blog and to the placard he carried in London that read:- “PLEASE STOP AND TALK”. Thank God it would not be illegal to carry it to a Quaker Meeting. I think that this idea might even be carried forward a little so that is would have an application to our Quaker Worship. Simon, and also Alastair in ‘Our Quaker Identity’ mentioned the danger of us ‘dying as a worshiping community’. Then just maybe we could learn from this placard. ‘Please stop’ – go into the silence; ‘And Talk’ – share with the Meeting what you have gained and what you have learned. What it is you are convinced about? What are your convictions? Surely we are all convinced about something and the sharing of this is the beginning of the way to - ‘get to know one another in the things that are eternal’.

I heard on the radio last week that Aristotle, in the 4th Century BCE said:- ‘the un-reflected live is not worth living’. I sure do agree with him. On Monday evening, I was privileged to attend the Quaker Quest meeting. This too was for me a wonderful experience combining the same ‘being silent’ and also ‘listening to inspirational experiences of the lives of three Friends’. Here I again offer thanks to the Friends who on this occasion had the courage to share the insight of their life experiences and of their own unique ‘image of God’. As I read Simon’s reflections on the blog and again as I sat and listened on Monday evening, I was so aware that on the outside those who share are all very ordinary people, but when we have the privilege to see a little deeper, we see ‘the movement of the Spirit’, and the extraordinary gift of each one’s uniqueness.

If Quakers were only a community of friends, if that was all that we aspired to, then I would be truly concerned, and my search would likely take me elsewhere. However I say, ‘Long live the true Spirit of Quakerism’. Let us put aside any divisions or disagreements about the content of our faith, but let us never cease to be a ‘Faith Community’. If someone’s starting place is that of believing ‘in UFO’s’, ‘in World Peace’, in ‘a God who punishes the wicked’, or in ‘Gentle Jesus meek and mild’, or in ‘Jesus the Divine Son of God’, does it really matter? And does it really matter if they share this belief. In the same way the words we use, even if they are God words, as long as we share our deepest convictions about what we perceive and believe as being Central to Life and about the things we feel drawn to from our deepest Centre. Surely what is important, is that we share our truth and that all seekers can come and join us; and then, when moved to do so, move on to deepen their perceptions and address especially the question Jesus asked his disciples (Mark 8: 27-30):- Who do you say that I am? We can take it a step further and ask – Who do you say you yourself are? Or again:- Who or what, do you say is at the centre of All that is? or What is your 'image of God'? It is what we mean not the words we use that matters most. If any one of us has no personal answer to these questions, then maybe the time has come to give ourselves the gift of exploring what our answers might be! The passage just quaoted, and the immediately following verses give much food for thought. All the better if those interested could discuss and share their insights, recognising that there are no 'right' or 'wrong' answers. There is however the truth we hold in our own hearts. And even those who say they have 'no faith', have to believe 'something', could they share this something with others?

I wish to come back to another important quote from Craig’s blogspot. He wrote “….. because British Quakers tend not to highlight their message, what newcomers respond to is primarily the culture of the local Meeting, which is predominantly the culture of liberal, White, middle-class Englishness, rather than any distinctive Quaker message”. I so agree with this and as a non-English person even though I share the liberal, white, middle-class bits, I still found this a real distraction, quite a barrier to be overcome, how much more so for those whose cultures of origin are much more diverse. The only approach I can offer to this issue, is that each one of us carry a real consciousness of the presence of the problem, and seek to overcome it in the way we welcome the visitor. By starting at that awareness, we may be able to place the focus on where it truly belongs. Once more I say that Jesus did not come just to comfort the afflicted but also to afflict the comfortable. And there is a real danger that we might, even after many years in attendance or as members just be sitting really comfortably in Quaker Space.

I hope the Quaker Meeting will always offer Quaker Space to the visitor, and I hope too that in that space, the attender, the seeker, the visitor, the inquirer, the lost, whoever! will always find a place of welcome, respite, asylum and peace. A place where the real power of ‘Silence’ and ‘Ministry’ will continue to inform and transform our lives from the inside, so that our homes, our places of work, our country, our world, the cosmos, will then be transformed by having ever more ‘Convinced People’ who will seek to know and to do what I, Jesus and countless others chose to call the doing of ‘God’s Will’.